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Return of The Wall
Art in America, June-July, 2007 by Stephanie Cash
Ten years and an eyesore later, a compromise has been reached that will see the return of Forrest Myers's 1972 public artwork, The Wall, but now accompanied by advertising. Prominently located on the side of 599 Broadway, at the bustling intersection with Houston Street, the work has been at the center of a protracted lawsuit between Myers and the owners of the SoHo condominium building that sports the work [see "Front Page," Nov. '04]. Myers's work became protected when SoHo was landmarked in 1973.
The Wall consists of a painted lavender background and grid of 42 turquoise aluminum projecting girders attached to steel brackets, which were installed to secure the bricks when the building adjacent to 599 was torn down to widen Houston decades ago. Beginning in 1997, the building's management company claimed that the work was damaging the building (independent engineer reports found otherwise). In 2000, the condo won approval to have the work removed temporarily to make repairs, but then refused to replace it. The owners cited a range of offenses, claiming that being forced to display the work violated their free speech rights and that the taking of their property without financial compensation was unlawful, though it was generally assumed that they wanted to sell ad space on that side of their building.
Various city agencies were involved at different stages, including the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Municipal Art Society and Community Board 2, which have all supported the work's preservation and given their approval for the compromise hammered out by Myers and the condo owners.
The agreement calls for the work to be installed 18 feet higher than before, leaving 30 feet of space below it to accommodate four vinyl ads measuring 8 by 18 feet each. The owners have agreed to keep the work up "forever," and a portion of the ad revenue will help pay for its upkeep. The work (and the ads) will also be illuminated from dusk until midnight. The work is expected to be reinstalled by early fall, at which point the unsightly scaffolding, which has been a fixture on the corner for years, will finally come down.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
