Friday, July 19, 2013

5 Pointz NYC: The Institute of Higher Burning


Long Island City
Queens


For several years now there’s been whisperings about the closing of the 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center,Inc. to make way for the creation of modern luxury apartments. No one really took them seriously—I mean, really?, tear down a NYC cultural icon? A place visited by artists from around the world? A place referred to as the world’s graffiti Mecca? But now it seems 5 Pointz is in real actual danger, and if the building’s owner Jerry Wolkoff and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall have their way, the complex will be evacuated by the end of this month and demolished by September of this year. Hey, if it could happen to the original Penn Station, it can happen to 5 Pointz.


Obviously, the 5 Pointz structure isn’t architecturally iconic the way Stanford White’s Beaux-Arts train station was, but its cultural importance is not to be disregarded. The building was first established as the Phun Phactory as a way to discourage vandalism by giving graffiti artists a formal place to showcase their art. The name 5 Pointz is a spinoff from the old Irish community in Manhattan made popular by the 2002 film Gangs of New York. Five Points was a place where several cultures came together, much like how 5 Pointz is a place where people from all over the world come together. In 2002, artist Meres began officially curating the building, inviting artists from all over the world to put up pieces. Unknown graffiti artists can submit their work for consideration and receive recognition in the community. The outdoor displays regularly change, with most pieces staying up for a year or two, but a few iconic pieces, like portraits of Biggie Smalls or Jam-Master Jay, are more permanent.


Besides having a spectacular exterior covered in work by the world’s best graffiti artists (several of them are represented by serious galleries like Mary Boone), the interior houses 200 artist studios under the name Crane Street Studios that are rented below market value. These artists regularly open their doors to the community and sell their wares. The low cost of these studios—generally around $300 to $600 a month—are a big part of the problem. The building makes very little money and its upkeep is quite costly. A staircase collapsed in 2009, nearly killing an artist living in the building, and the artists had to fight against a mandatory evacuation.


It’s no wonder Wolkoff and his son want the artists gone so they can build expensive, market-priced luxury apartments. Despite the community board unanimously voting against the building’s demolition, Wolkoff and Marshall are going ahead with plans. Initially Wolkoff’s plans included a whopping five artist studios and absolutely no affordable housing, but community pressure has caused him to increase those numbers to twenty artist studios, seventy-five affordable housing units, and a wall for graffiti art. Either way, many artists who can’t afford to live anywhere else are going to be out on the street and hundreds of iconic graffiti images will be destroyed.


Right now the building’s only hope is for community members to pursue historic landmark designation for the structure so it can’t be destroyed. The proposed building plan still needs to be approved by the City Council and mayor, so there’s also the chance that it will be turned down. Right now the proposed double-tour apartment complex will house 1000 apartments, which is 370 more than what is allowed by zoning laws. City Council and Mayor Bloomberg have until September 14th to make their decision, and then Wolkoff has to try to get special permission to build the extra units.



Hopefully NYC’s notorious construction red tape will keep 5 Pointz around for a little bit longer. Hopefully the artists in Long Island City will be successful in their landmark status application. But, knowing how NYC strives for development, I suggest you get your rear to the graffiti Mecca of the world post haste.