Graffiti fans the world over have traveled to the borough of Queens in New York to take in the massive 5Pointz Aerosol Art Museum warehouse space. Now, the heavily-tagged mecca of street art is slated to be torn down by developers to make way for a new condominium development.
The New York Daily News reported on the demolition of 5Pointz, which was decided after a City Council vote that gave developers Jerry and David Wolkoff of G & M Realty the rights to build at the Long Island City location. The Wolkoffs were not insensitive to the desires of those who have grown accustomed to the 5Pointz structure, and has agreed to let street artists decorate designated areas of the property.
The developers also earned favor of the Council after agreeing to provide 210 spaces of the luxury properties as affordable housing. In all, 1,049 apartments will be built between 41 and 47-foot towers. But it appears that officials who represent 5Pointz were a bit disappointed in being pushed out of the talks.
“The vote did not come as a surprise,” said 5Pointz spokeswoman Marie Flageul. “But we are disappointed we were not given a chance to be part of negotiations.”
Check out photos of 5Pointz in the gallery on the following pages.
[Props to Gawker]
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Photo: Flickr, EPA, New York Daily News
