There’s No Art in Demolition
Image: Animal NY
The first steps of building demolition at 5 Pointz began Friday morning after a year of debates over its preservation. To many, the graffiti-covered building once filled with artist studios in Long Island City was one of the last markers of appreciation and consideration for public art in New York City, but its destruction doesn’t mean the 5 Pointz artists won’t paint the town again.
The largely abandoned LIC property owned by developers Jerry and David Wolkoff will be replaced by two rental towers. Mourning began in November 2013 when the building was whitewashed overnight—literally and without warning—but it was only a matter of time before the trucks showed up and destroyed the building itself. On Friday, Animal NY wrote, “This morning, a backhoe began tearing into the building.” The demolition is expected to take three months.
The artistic spirit of NYC might be damaged, but it’s not lost. A promising post made this weekend (after demolition began) on the official 5 Pointz Facebook page says “5 pointz..the next chapter…coming soon.”
Follow Rachel Aster Perlman on Twitter @craezy
