5 Pointz' Last Stand? - Chris "Preach" Smith

They say that change is inevitable. That it should be welcomed
with no real opposiion. But as some can tell you, these days 
change comes at a great cost and sometimes that cost is forced
unto others. New York City has dealt with this situation for
close to twenty years now, under two mayors. In that time,
buildings have been renovated and rebuilt anew, venerable
businesses have closed and neighborhoods have changed
dramatically. ‘Gentrification’ is a curse word used in excess
here, but no one would dispute why. And the latest victim
resides in Long Island City, the famed 5 Pointz aka ‘The 
Institute of Higher Burnin’.

For many New Yorkers, 5 Pointz is not so much a colorful
sight seen from the heights of the 7 train roaring up from
out of the tunnel from Manhattan coming into Queens. It
is an accepted part of the LIC landscape. And to a degree,
it has become the world’s foremost graffiti mecca. It also is
a vibrant reminder of a New York City that crackled with an
organic, funky energy. A New York City that possessed grit,
and a character envied the world over. The former group
of warehouses belonging to the Neptune Meter Company,
closed since 1972 was first taken over by the Phun Phactory,
a group created for the sole purpose of getting those getting 
up all over the city to showcase their work in a gallery setting.
This also was a way to curb vandalism outside of police 
catching taggers and writing them up - and in some cases
running them for their train passes if they were of high 
school age, then letting them go. From then, art studios 
took up residence in the building. To date, the Space Womb
Gallery operates adjacent to 5 Pointz, and Local Project, a
well known arts group also calls the building complex home.
5 Pointz, however has gotten some flak from the city, and
deals with some disrepair since an incident in 2009. But 
it never got any real scrutiny until last year when owner
David Wolkoff decided to go ahead with plans to raze the
whole block and create a luxury rental tower complex. 
Only one or two walls would reportedly be devoted to murals.
In an interview with Curbed NY, Wolkoff makes this remark
about this turn of events: “That’s the United States, right?
The whole country is not as blue collar.”
 
 
And in that statement lies the biggest threat to 5 Pointz bar
none. For 5 Pointz stands in the way of a bigger expansion
of what has overtaken New York City in the past decade. 
This expansion serves as a major factor in the growing class
divide festering in this city like an untreated ulcer on the 
skin. There used to be a time where not many people would
want to go to Long Island City. It was just a place to pass 
through to go to Astoria, or other areas of eastern Queens.
The revamping of the waterfront attracted quite a few folks
who couldn’t afford their slice of the city within the city. 
Then Citibank built their tower not too far from 5 Pointz.
But the death knell began to sound more when P.S.1 was
taken over by MoMA and rebuilt as an attraction. Right 
across the street from…5 Pointz. The causal eye might 
see this as no big deal, but when you consider that P.S.1’s
biggest draw is their summer ‘Warm Up’ series with a few
DJ’s spinning outside, something 5 Pointz has done for 
years, you have to know what’s really at play here. (Also,
let’s not forget that MoMA had operated out of a building
at the cusp of Sunnyside years before. I remember because
there were one or two people complaining about having 
to go to Queens as if it was Pettitcoat Junction.) 5 Pointz
represents a New York that most NYC natives grew up 
with and recognize. It’s not for the elitist, nose-in-the-air,
gadget-obsessed culture trolls and hipster bigot transplants.
In short, gentrifiers. The site is going to be demolished 
because the owner wants in on the LIC building boom 
and care less about ‘blue collar culture’. Never mind the 
undisputed fact that blue collar culture built this damned
city in the first place, along with America. But that doesn’t
get translated easy in developer’s language. Wolkoff wants
to cash in big. No one you may know will get into those 
towers unless they’ve got major cash. And his offer of 
mixed space including art studios? Why would people go
for it if they can possibly find cheaper space elsewhere?
5 Pointz, in the eyes of developers and cultural elitists, 
isn’t welcomed anymore. It’s too much of a reminder of
the NYC before 9-11. An NYC too colorful for some people’s
taste.

The Institute of Higher Burnin’ deserves better than the
fate bestowed upon it. A recent City Council vote has all
but declared it to be demolished, but Meres, the current 
curator has been nothing short of valiant in efforts to save
it. Recently, it was the home of the park jam commemorating
40 years of the hip-hop culture with none other than DJ
Kool Herc and Marley Marl holding court before hundreds
of b-boys and b-girls. I was in attendance, and the sheer
magnetic energy could be felt the moment you started 
walking down Davis Street towards 5 Pointz. 5 Pointz is 
a vital and still viable part of hip-hop, as well as New York
City. How can something so vibrant be considered a waste?
Think of all the artists that have gotten up on those walls.
You would think that MoMA or another museum group 
would try to take over the site as an actual centerpiece of
graf culture. In other countries, while graffiti is not totally
embraced, it has found itself as an accepted part of the 
cityscape. Look at Brazil and Norway as two prime examples.
Lastly, for those critics who oppose 5 Pointz’s plan to get
a historical landmark designation, why shouldn’t they? 
There’s already a historic district a few scant blocks away.
It’s high time that New York City stopped mistreating the
culture of hip-hop and its by-products. If Keith Haring’s 
artwork can be preserved throughout the city and it has
hip-hop as a major influence, why does that same respect
not apply to 5 Pointz?

5 Pointz is in some respects, a last stand in the fight against
those who’d make New York City an antiseptic playground 
for people who wish to operate in self-absorbed bubbles
not unlike some blocks found in the Upper East Side. It
deserves a lot more love and appreciation than it has 
received. Most importantly, it deserves attention for these
last hours of the fight. There’s been far too many iconic
places that we’ve lost with barely a whimper; the Lenox
Lounge being one. Let’s not let 5 Pointz be in that same
vein. 

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If you want to help, check out and sign the petition below
and spread the word!

http://www.save5ptz.com/how-to-help.html