Astor Place is named for John Jacob Astor, who arrived in New York in 1783, and progressed to becoming the richest person in the United States at that time, and one of New York's most famous sons. After arriving from Germany, he built up a fur-trading empire in the Great Lakes and Canada and then invested his fortune in New York real estate and became the country's first multi-millionaire, later becoming a patron of the arts.
"perhaps he tried turning The Cube by himself?"
The trapezium-shaped traffic island in the center of Astor Place is a popular meeting place, hangout spot, and center of much skateboarding activity. But the island is most noteably home to Tony Rosenthal's sculpture "Alamo" aka "The Cube", which consists of a large metal black cube mounted on one corner, which can be spun on its vertical axis by one person with difficulty, or two and more without trouble. In 2003, the Cube was subject to a prank when the ATF Squad (All Too Flat) turned it into a giant Rubik's Cube.
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