Were you as depressed as we were when the 5Pointz graffiti mecca was whitewashed over on November 19th, 2013?
5Pointz, a name which signifies the five boroughs coming together as one, used to be an outdoor art exhibit space in Long Island City.
Because of its reputation as epicenter of the graffiti scene, it actually bore paintings from artists hailing from all over the world, from Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States.
Jonathan Cohen, better known by his tag "Meres One," used to dream about converting the five-story, block-long industrial complex into a graffiti art museum.
That was until 2013, when the Wolkoff family-- after 40 years of ownership-- decided to develop the 5Pointz site.
kl801 #5pointz #2006 #longislandcity #queens #graffiti #urbanart #urbanview #streetart #streetphotography #graf #nyc #nycphotography #streetartnyc #theinstituteofhigherburnin #graf #instagraffiti Now condos (of course...)
creators_project Artists from the demolished graffiti mecca #5Pointz will file a lawsuit against the building’s owner for whitewashing their historic murals.
The New York City Planning Commission approved plans to build condos on the property, while the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected the artists' landmark status nomination because 5Pointz was less than 30 years old at the time, according to The Huffington Post.
Marie Cecile Flageul, 5Pointz co-curator, wasn't ready to quit after these rulings.
According to the Huffington Post, she believed the 20,000 people who signed their petition could have turned the tide in favor of preventing the demolition.
Wolkoff ruined those plans on November 19th, 2013 by hiring a dozen or so men to whitewash the property in the middle of the night, destroying any chance of Flageul or Cohen rescuing the artwork.
According to the New York Daily News, in a lawsuit filed just last month, the graffiti artists are seeking monetary reparations from Wolkoff, claiming he broke the law when he whitewashed their work because it was protected under the U.S. Visual Artists Rights Act.
Brooklyn Federal Judge Frederic Block said Wolkoff may owe the artists damages if their work was deemed protected.
Check out Troubled Queens High School Is Reborn with the Vibrant Spirit of 5Pointz.