Source: ullstein bild / Getty
Artists and New Yorkers alike are still mourning the destruction of 5Pointz, a building that served as a canvas for graffiti artists from all over the world for since the early 1990s. The iconic destination was painted over in 2013 and destroyed in 2014, making way for two luxury buildings.
(Because if there’s anything that NYC needs, it’s more high rises and less culture, right?)
This week, insult officially joined injury, as developers announced plans to include graffiti prints with a familiar logo throughout the walls of the new construction.
“The client requested that graffiti artwork be incorporated throughout the interiors to reflect back on the history of the 5Pointz neighborhood,” Mojo Stumer Associates said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 23 artists who contributed to the original structure are fighting a tough legal battle over compensation for the work that was destroyed.
“To the 5Pointz community, for [the new owner] to name the building 5Pointz and to use a mock-up of a logo of ours, we feel the disrespect continues,” said Marie Cecile Flageul, a spokesperson for the group.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUuwlM-lhZI/?tagged=5pointz
While Jerry Wolkoff, the Long Island developer who owns the property, reassured DNAinfo New York the logo of the building will be a different from the one used previously, he also insisted he has the right to recycle the 5Pointz name.
“5Pointz was my building. The building was known as 5Pointz, not an individual,” he told DNAinfo. “It’s my building, and I let them express themselves for 25 years. I loved what they did. I have no animosity.”
In April, Wolkoff told The New York Times that he may bring in street artists to paint at the site once construction is finished, with one caveat: “The ones who sued me are not invited back.”
The buildings are expected to be completed in 2018.
