5 Pointz: The Institute of Higher Burnin’ or the 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc. (45–46 Davis Street) was an American outdoor art exhibit space in Long Island City in Queens, New York, considered to be the world’s premiere “graffiti mecca“, where aerosol artists from around the globe paint colorful pieces on the walls of a 200,000-square-foot factory building.
The complex is across Jackson Avenue from MoMA PS1 but is not associated with MoMA. It is privately owned by Long Island developer Jerry Wolkoff, and houses the Crane Street Studios in which 200 artists pay below market rents for studio space. In 2009, a 450-square-foot (42 m2) studio was listed as renting for $600 per month.
5 Pointz was tentatively scheduled to be torn down in 2013 to make way for a $400 million residential project. The residential project will set aside a large amount of space exclusively for graffiti.
On August 21, 2013, the New York City Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve plans to build condos on the 5 Pointz site. The development plans include two residential towers with retail space and affordable housing. The developer, David Wolkoff, wants to demolish 5Pointz by the end of 2013.
The New York City Council, on October 9, 2013, unanimously approved the $400 million plan to build a 1,000 unit apartment complex with 210 affordable housing units included. The plan calls for 10,000 square feet exclusively for art panels and walls in the building, including ground level facades to be used for curated graffiti.
Five Points painted white in the middle of the night on November 19, 2013
Despite a lawsuit filed by 5 Pointz proprietors as well as a rally on November 16, 2013 to gain petition signatures to protect the building from demolition, the sudden whitewashing seems to indicate the destruction of the public art space is imminent.
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