191st Street Subway Station Tunnel Murals (Lost Archives)

 



I vividly recall the striking murals that adorned the walls of the #1 191 Street Subway station tunnel. In 2015, a stunning array of graffiti art graced the walls, with plans to remain for a mere 11 months. However, much to the surprise of the local community, the vibrant artwork remained for an extended period, becoming a cherished fixture of the Washington Heights neighborhood.


Sadly, in January of this year, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), which exercises control over the subway tunnel, abruptly painted over the murals and graffiti without any notice or announcement to the residents. The NYC DOT's dominion over the tunnel passageway, which is designated as a street despite its linkage to the MTA subway system, caused an outcry among the community.


Yet, in a display of resilience, resistance, and creativity, graffiti artists rebuffed the nude tan-brown desolate walls with fresh artwork. While not equal in quality to the original graffiti that formed part of the 2015 Beautification Project, the new artwork and tags demonstrated the determination of the community to reclaim the walls as a form of public expression and ownership.


Recently, I discovered some photographs that I had taken of the murals before they were overwritten by other artists' tags. These images capture a lost archive of the subway tunnel's former glory, an arresting display of graffiti art that once adorned the walls. Now, after eight years of tags and re-tags, the once-striking murals have been replaced by a mass of indistinguishable, uninspiring art captivating no one in their city commute. Now, NYC DOT is looking to repaint the walls again to beautify the once-colorful subway tunnel.


See the original beginning of the murals here: NYC DOT Flickr



























Sources:


1. Richardson, Kemberly, "Surprise graffiti cleanup at 191st Street subway tunnel causing controversy", abc7NY, January 23, 2023

2. afinelyne, "NYC DOT Announces Search for Artists to Beautify 191st Street Tunnel", GothamToGo, January 23, 2023

Location: 191st St Station Entrance Tunnel & Elevator, New York, NY 10040, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

St. Michael and St. Edward Church: A Cornerstone of Fort Greene

Image
For weeks, I had been orbiting the perimeter of the impending demolition of the Church of St. Michael and St. Edward, a once revered church in the heart of Fort Greene, like a moth drawn to a flame. The neighborhood, a patchwork of tight project housing, seemed indifferent to the fate of this historic edifice. The intel I had received suggested that entry was as simple as scaling a wooden fence, yet the timing had never felt right. Until one day, it did. With a mission in New Jersey looming, I knew it was now or never. The demolition was advancing at a startling pace, the church's twin steeples already reduced to rubble. The skeletal remains of timber beams and rusted steel frames peeked out from the ruins, a testament to the relentless march of progress. Summoning a surge of courage, I seized a moment of quiet in the bustling housing project and vaulted over the fence. My heart pounded in my chest as I slipped unnoticed into the church grounds. The once grand entrance now stood as
Read more

Echoes of the Oven: The Legacy of Nicetown Freihofer's Bakery

Image
Six years ago, I embarked on an exploratory journey through the forgotten corridors of a place whose name was unknown to me then. Only recently, with a bit of help, I unraveled the mystery: this place, archived in my memory and on my hard drive, was the Freihofer Baking Company. This discovery rekindled a special connection in my heart, remembering my early days in urban exploration in Philadelphia. It was here that I first tasted the thrill of exploring abandoned buildings, a passion that soon had me crossing state lines in search of that exhilarating, novel feeling once more. The neighborhood surrounding the Freihofer Baking Company was a stark canvas of socio-economic hardship, a desolate space that spoke volumes of its forgotten glory. I remember vividly the day I ventured there. Agile and swift, I maneuvered over a wall of large rectangular stones – a barrier against scrappers seeking to plunder valuable metals. These stones were a gateway to the past, leading me to the nearest op
Read more

Former Empire State Dairy Company

Image
Update May 2024:   The Highland at 2480 Atlantic Avenue, the site of the landmarked Empire State Dairy Company complex in East New York is now available for leasing. The site has undergone a massive redevelopment. Check it out sometime. The exterior scaffolding and netting are now down. The Architecture The property in question encompasses 0.72 acres, bordered by Schenck Avenue to the west, residential properties to the south, Barbey Street to the east, and Atlantic Avenue to the north. This site boasts a rich history of diverse commercial and industrial uses. Dating back to the 1890s, it served as a dairy bottling facility before accommodating companies such as the Royal Plastics Corporation and/or Allied Tile Co. After the cessation of dairy operations, businesses that utilized petroleum products, solvents, and hydraulic fluids occupied the site, leading to subsurface contamination over time. The dairy complex has remained vacant since around 2020, and after the owner of Royal Plast
Read more

Hendey Machine Co.'s Historic Complex in Torrington

Image
  One warm day, J and I set off to explore an old mill he’d discovered some time ago. The place was hidden away and seemed ideal for the kind of photos we loved taking—rustic spaces with that raw, forgotten feel. We entered casually through the front, our cameras ready, aiming to capture as much as we could before moving on to the other buildings. About 20 minutes into our shoot, J’s voice broke the silence. “There’s a white truck out front.” He’d spotted it from the second-floor window. I joined him, snapping a few more pictures along the way, trying to stay calm. We figured maybe it was someone stopping by briefly. But just as I was getting my last shot in, I saw movement at the entrance. A man stepped inside, chatting on the phone. Alarmed, J and I ducked behind a wall, hearts racing. Before we knew it, three more people had joined him—a second man, a woman, and a small dog. We realized, with sinking dread, that it was the property owner, likely giving contractors a tour and getting
Read more

Historic Killingly Ballouville Mill

Image
  As I recall that April day in 2018, the memory unfolds with the vividness of a carefully preserved photograph. The sky, a vast expanse of unyielding blue, served as the perfect backdrop for our excursion. J and I, driven by curiosity and a keen sense of adventure, stood at the threshold of the historic Ballouville Mill in Killingly, Connecticut. This relic of a bygone industrial era was nestled imposingly between two homes as if guarding the secrets of its storied past. Our entry into the mill was less an act of intrusion and more a gentle push through time's veil. An opening – not quite a door, nor a window – beckoned us into the heart of a forgotten world. Inside, the mill presented itself as a cathedral of industry, now silent and solemn. Wooden beams and columns, like the ribs of a great leviathan, stretched upwards, supporting the weight of history and time. The machinery, once the pulsing heart of this place, had long since ceased their hum of productivity. In their absence
Read more