The Wall (SoHo)
40°43′31″N 73°59′49″W / 40.725387°N 73.997053°W
The Wall, also known as The Gateway to Soho,
The artwork
The Wall was built in 1973 by Forrest Myers under a $2,000 commission by the now defunct City Walls, Inc. It consists of "42 aluminum bars bolted to 42 steel braces, painted green against a blue background"[2] and takes up 3/4 of the building's wall that it resides on. It stands about 8 stories high.
The piece was originally commissioned to "cover existing architectural scars" from when Houston Street was widened at the expense of an adjoining building.[3] Myers has explained that, symbolically, the piece reflects the transformations during SoHo's artistic history while remaining a reminder that the neighborhood "still represents the spirit of the artists from those days."[4]
Removal and re-installation
The owners of 599 Broadway complained to the LPC in 1997 that the artwork had caused the wall it was mounted on to leak into the building, and that it had caused structural damage. The LPC finally allowed the removal of the artwork in 2002 under the condition that the owners put the art back up after work was completed.
In September 2004 the owners were sued by the city to replace the wall.
In April 2007, the City and owners announced a deal whereby the exterior of the building would be increased by 30 feet, so that the artwork could be installed higher, allowing for street level advertising space.[6] Without the artwork, the owners estimated that the wall could generate up to $600,000 in advertising revenue a year.
References
- Notes
- ^ Plaque located at 599 Broadway, accessed:2010-10-26
- ^ Kaysen, Ronda (2005-02-25). "Soho 'Wall' dispute returns to the courts". Downtown Express. Community Media, LLC. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
- ^ https://sohobroadway.org/a-look-back-at-sohos-broadway-forrest-myers-the-wall/
- ^ https://ocula.com/magazine/art-news/frosty-myers-reflects-on-50-years-of-the-wall/
- ^ Kaysen, Ronda (2006-05-20). "Judge's roadblock to 'Wall' return". Downtown Express. Community Media, LLC. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
- ^ Bragg, Chris (2007-04-18). "High, bright, 'The Wall' will return to Soho wall". The Villager. Community Media, LLC. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
External links
- Media related to The Wall (Gateway to Soho) at Wikimedia Commons