Late last month, the artists of 5Pointz were granted a restraining order that saved the graffiti center from immediate demolition. Judge Frederic Block said recently that though he likes the artwork and it will "tear his heart out" to see it go, there is no way he could legally provide an injunction to save it. The owners have already had their plans to build on the site approved by the city and still plan to move forward with demolition before the end of December.
Judge Block said that he "would leave the decision to landmark the building to the incoming administration of mayor-elect Bill de Blasio," but as the NY Daily News points out, that has already been attempted with Bloomberg's adminstration and was shot down because the rules state that a landmark must be at least 30 years old and the oldest artwork at 5Pointz is only pushing 20. Artist and group representative Meres One said to the Daily News, "giving up are not words in my vocabulary...There's always hope."
And so the saga continues. Can Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio (or would he) do what Bloomberg's administration wouldn't? We hope so.
RELATED: 5 Pointz "Stands Up for the Arts" with Lawsuit Against Planned Demolition
[via NYDailyNews]
