Big Button Sculpture
Stitching a piece of New York history back into the fabric of the city.
Overview
For decades, the "Needle Threading a Button" sculpture was the symbol of New York’s Garment District. But by 2023, it was in trouble—perched atop a rotting 1970s information kiosk, the sculpture was literally collapsing under the weight of its own infrastructure. The Garment District Alliance asked us to save it. We realized that to preserve the icon, we had to liberate it. We stripped away the heavy kiosk and the dark black paint, reimagining the sculpture as a freestanding, gravity-defying burst of pop art.
Partners
UAP
Services
Concept Design, Design Development
“A clever redesign saved NYC’s iconic Big Button sculpture from collapse.”
The Details
The new design is an engineering magic trick. The massive button is supported solely by the thread of the needle, creating a sense of lightness and motion that the old sculpture lacked. We changed the color from a somber black to a vibrant "taxi yellow," turning the sculpture into a beacon that pops against the grey midtown concrete. By removing the bulky kiosk underneath, we didn't just save the art; we gave the sidewalk back to the one million pedestrians who pass it every day.
Image Credit: Alexandre Ayer / @DiversityPics 
“More striking than its predecessor,
a beautiful new piece of public art work holds claim over midtown.”
