Tuesday, May 29, 2018

From our Behind the scenes at the United Palace, Washington Heights’ opulent ‘Wonder Theatre’ photo essay for 6sqft

‘Wonder Theatre’ photo essay for 6sqft:  https://www.6sqft.com/behind-the-scenes-at-the-united-palace-theatre-washington-heights-opulent-wonder-theatre/  

"The “men’s smoking lounge.” Since women weren’t supposed to be smoking, their smoking lounge, referred to as a “retiring lounge” was a much smaller, discrete space. Fitelson says the best secret of the theater is that the Reverend turned the men’s smoking lounge into his library, adding floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. When he passed away in 2009 and all his books were put in storage, they painted the walls the current red. Since the photos from the ’30s are all black-and-white, there’s no way of telling if it was the original color. They also painted the fireplace stark white. When Woody Allen came in in 2015 to shoot “Cafe Society,” his team wanted to use the room as a 1920s jazz lounge and said they’d like to paint the fireplace but would restore it after filming. But Palace leadership thought the new paint job was so spectacular, they decided to keep it!"

Romana of Raffetto's Pasta has passed away at 85 years of age

Three generations of the Raffetto family, Sarah, Romana and Andrew, at their amazing Greenwich Village homemade pasta ๐Ÿ shop, Raffetto’s. Marcello Raffetto founded M.Raffetto &Bros. in 1906. They @raffettos_pasta originally only made 3 products; egg noodles, meat ravioli and spinach ravioli and later added cheese ๐Ÿง€ ravioli. They now make around 50 different kinds of pasta, using the same roller machine grandfather bought in 1916. Sadly, we just heard that Romana passed away at 85 years of age. Our heart ❤️ goes out to her family and friends. She will be missed by many. ๐Ÿ™


Monday, May 28, 2018

Happy Memorial Day!

 Fleet Forces Brass Band perform in Times Square during Fleet Week New York.


Saturday, May 26, 2018

Thank you The Art Newspaper!

"This July, the beloved New York greasy spoon Cup & Saucer, which closed last summer after nearly 30 years in business, will be resurrected in Seward Park in a public installation work, Mom-and-Pops of the LES, by the local artist couple James and Karla Murray." https://www.theartnewspaper.com/blog/new-york-artists-spotlight-mom-and-pop-shops 

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation


Hudson. Over at Boris and Horton with K and photographer Alexander Steffan getting our copy of Alexander's Vanishing Berlin signed, earlier...


We are excited to announce that Daredevil Tattoo has generously donated to our Kickstarter campaign “Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S.”

We are excited to announce that Daredevil Tattoo (http://www.daredeviltattoo.com/) has generously donated to our Kickstarter campaign “Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S.” and that our initial funding goal has been reached in just 2 1/2 days!

The upcoming sculptural art installation inside Seward Park will help raise awareness of the importance of mom-and-pop shops to the community. We can’t thank Michelle of Daredevil Tattoo and all of our supporters enough and look forward to seeing everyone at our installation this July.

Dare Devil Tattoo in the Lower East Side was founded by Michelle Myles and Brad Fink in 1997, which is the very same year, the art form of #tatooing was legalized in New York City. @daredeviltattoo was forced after a 50% rent increase to leave their original location on Ludlow Street, (which we photographed in 2004 for our book “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York”). Their new #tattoo shop location on Division Street as seen in this photo, is steps away from Seward Park and also functions as a museum of Tattooing and Tattoo culture.

We are now setting a stretch goal doubling the amount, as our initial goal represented only the minimum amount we needed to successfully cover the costs of the materials, fabrication and general liability insurance for the installation. With additional funds, we can plan on achieving our longer-term goal for the "Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S." installation, which is to find a new home for the storefront sculpture after its exhibition period inside Seward Park has ended in June 2019. We hope that the installation will be able to continue to act as an artistic intervention.

For more details on our Kickstarter campaign and to donate please visit:   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation 

Thank you so much for your support!


Friday, May 25, 2018

Thank you Bedford + Bowery!

Help Bring Cup & Saucer’s Storefront Back to Life in a LES Park, a tribute that will live in Seward Park for a year.

http://bedfordandbowery.com/2018/05/help-bring-cup-and-saucers-storefront-back-to-life-in-a-les-park/ 

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation


Thank you Veniero's!

Veniero's Pasticceria has always been a huge supporter of our work documenting #momandpop stores and when we asked for his help in storing some of our lumber supplies for our upcoming sculptural art installation “Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S.” Robert graciously gave us room in his building. (We live in a small studio and 12 foot lumber won’t even fit in our stairwell!) We can’t thank Robert and @venierospastry enough for their support. •

To help support our upcoming #momandpopsles installation please go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation  

We really appreciate every donation! Veniero Pasticceria and Caffe was established in 1894 by Antonio Veniero and is the only family-run Italian ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น #bakery left in the East Village. It retains much of its original interior including the hand-stamped metal ceiling, #vintage terrazzo floors and wood display cases and mirrors. Gracing the facade is a huge overhanging #neonsign from the 1940s. Robert Zerilli, the fourth-generation owner is so passionate about maintaining his family’s #neon sign that he spends thousands of dollars every year maintaining it. He told us “the guy who works on it told me that he can make a plastic facsimile for around $12,000 that looks just like it and is weatherproof and in the long run will save me ๐Ÿ’ฐ money. But I told him that’s not cool. I want the old dirty broken-down looking sign. That’s what people love and I as long as I’m alive, I won’t put up a new sign.” Photo and full interview appear in our book “New York Nights”.



Thursday, May 24, 2018

Thank you Bowery Boogie! James & Karla Murray Fundraising for ‘Mom & Pop’ Installation in Seward Park

https://www.boweryboogie.com/2018/05/james-karla-murray-fundraising-for-mom-pop-installation-in-seward-park/  

“Mom & Pops of the L.E.S.” is a bittersweet large-scale public art installation to be housed inside Seward Park. Consisting of an 8 foot high x 12 foot wide x 8 foot deep rectangular wood-frame, the sculpture will include a bodega, a coffee shop/luncheonette (i.e. Cup & Saucer), a delicatessen, and a local newsstand. The installation will remain on display for an entire year – from July 2018 through July 2019."

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation



Chromatic Storefront Signage Collage is one of the pledge rewards from our Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S. - Public Art Installation Kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation

  Info: -12 x 36 inch Chromatic Signage Collage created by James & Karla Murray and printed directly on metal with high gloss finish giving the collage brightly saturated colors and brilliant whites. These metal prints have outstanding durability as the photo is infused directly into the metal so that they are fade and stain and water-resistant. They are even dry-erasable and easy to clean with your favorite glass cleaner.  Donation includes U.S. shipping and a certificate of authenticity signed by James & Karla Murray will also be mailed to donor.

International shipping to Canada is available for an additional $20.00  ESTIMATED DELIVERY Aug 2018 SHIPS TO Only certain countries


Thank you The Lo-Down NY! James & Karla Murray Launch Kickstarter For “Mom & Pops” Seward Park Installation

LINK: http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2018/05/james-karla-murray-launch-kickstarter-for-mom-pops-seward-park-installation.html

"James & Karla will begin installing the sculpture next month on a parcel in the southwest corner of the park. It will be up for a full year.  Because the project, including fabrication of prints that will hold up during the harsh winter months, is so expensive, the Murrays have launched a Kickstarter. "

KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation


We officially launched our first Kickstarter campaign “Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S.” for our Free Public Art Installation inside Seward Park and we need your support!

LINK: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation


Help bring this sculpture of lost Lower East Side mom-and-pops to Seward Park via Untapped Cities

LINK: https://untappedcities.com/2018/05/23/life-size-bodega-installation-to-honor-lower-east-side-storefronts-kickstarter-campaign-launches/
"In February, we reported that photographers and Untapped Cities contributors, James and Karla Murray, known for their gorgeous, meticulous documentation of New York City’s disappearing storefronts, were bringing a life-size installation to Seward Park on the Lower East Side in July. Last night, they launched aKickstarter campaign to make this sculptural installation a reality, to fund the additional cost of the sculpture that won’t be covered through a public art grand and Uniqlo’s corporate support."


Help bring this sculpture of lost Lower East Side mom-and-pops to Seward Park via 6sqft

LINK for full article and more photos: https://www.6sqft.com/help-bring-this-sculpture-of-lost-lower-east-side-mom-and-pops-to-seward-park/

"After publishing their first account of small businesses in NYC a decade ago with their seminal book “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York,” photographers James and Karla Murray are now ready to bring their work back to the street. As 6sqft previously reported, “the husband-and-wife team has designed an art installation for Seward Park, a wood-frame structure that will feature four nearly life-size images of Lower East Side business that have mostly disappeared–a bodega, a coffee shop/luncheonette (the recently lost Cup & Saucer), a deli (Katz’s), and a newsstand (Chung’s Candy & Soda Stand). Though the installation is part of the Art in the Parks UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant Program, there are still high costs associated with materials, fabrication, and installation, so James and Karla have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the additional funds."




Wednesday, May 23, 2018

We officially launched our first Kickstarter campaign “Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S.” for our Free Public Art Installation inside Seward Park and we need your support!

LINK: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1581279891/mom-and-pops-of-the-les-public-art-installation  

We will be installing an 8 foot high x 12 foot wide x 8 foot deep rectangular wood-frame sculpture consisting of near life-size photographs of four mom-and-pop neighborhood stores of the Lower East Side, most of which are no longer in business and have sadly disappeared from the streetscape.  Each of these four shops which you can see in the 1/10th scale miniature we created; a bodega, a coffee shop/luncheonette, a delicatessen, and a newsstand represent small businesses that were common in the Lower East Side and helped bring the community together through people’s daily interactions. When viewing the near life-size photographs one can get a visceral sense of the impact of these losses on the community and on those who once depended on the shops that are now gone. The installation is an artistic intervention and a plea for recognition of the unique and irreplaceable contribution made to New York by small, often family-owned businesses. These neighborhood stores help set the pulse, life, and texture of their communities.

We will be constructing our wood-frame sculpture inside Seward Park, with lumber and plywood and covering it with our near life-size storefront photographs printed on dibond, an aluminum composite material that is weather, UV, freeze and heat-resistant and will also have a graffiti-resistant laminate applied, as the installation will be up for an entire year from July 2018 through July 2019. Although we are very grateful that we received a public art grant from NYC Parks and Uniqlo for this project, the high costs of materials, fabrication and installation of both the wood frame sculpture and dibond storefront prints require us to seek your additional contribution. The goal we have set is the minimum amount we need to successfully cover the costs of the materials, fabrication and installation. PLEASE click link above to donate.

Great rewards including the1/10th scale miniature (seen below) are AVAILABLE!

THANK YOU SO MUCH For Your Support!




Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Asylum, NY, earlier...


Fifth Avenue Pizzeria๐Ÿ• in Brooklyn, NY

This #pizza shop immediately caught our eye because of its #vintage Coca-Cola #privilegesign. This #signage was prevalent in the 1930s and 1940s when the Coca-Cola company would give store owners the sign for free in exchange for the agreement to sell Coca-Cola products. Sadly, many of these privilege signs have disappeared in the face of modernization and conformity.


Sunday, May 20, 2018

Hudson. Sunday fun over with Oscar Wilde, NYC, just now...


Live Bait, NYC

Live Bait, a restaurant and bar located across from Madison Square Park was founded in 1987. When we interviewed the co-owner Carolyn Benitez, she told us that they”took over the space from an old Irish pub. The wood bar and #neon signage that says “Bar Restaurant” was installed in 1941 and we decided to keep it because it was very recognizable”. Sadly Live Bait recently closed after 31 years in business and a taco and tequila bar has taken its place. Photo and full interview appear in our book “New York Nights”.



Saturday, May 19, 2018

The Golden Hind, London

We were lucky enough to speak with the owner, Mr. Christou when we dined there and he told us that this #fishandchip shop was founded in 1914. Their fish ๐ŸŸ is freshly caught daily and then cooked and served in their famous homemade batter. We had their amazing haddock which was fried in groundnut oil and side orders of chips.





Friday, May 18, 2018

The United Palace, Washington Heights, NYC

The United Palace in Washington Heights was originally known as the Loew’s 175th Street Theater and was one of the five magnificent Wonder Theatres in the NYC area. It was designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb and completed in 1930. This “Cambodian neo-classical” landmark theater ๐ŸŽญ closed in 1969 and was purchased by the church and congregation of televangelist Reverend Ike, whose family still owns it today. The United Palace spiritual center continues to offer Sunday services and functions as both a spiritual center and arts center. To see more from our visit to @upcarts_nyc with @6sqft please visit: https://www.6sqft.com/behind-the-scenes-at-the-united-palace-theatre-washington-heights-opulent-wonder-theatre/


Just below the dental clinic, abandoned asylum, NY, earlier...


Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Photography from our visit to the United Palace Theatre for 6sqft...

LINK: https://www.6sqft.com/behind-the-scenes-at-the-united-palace-theatre-washington-heights-opulent-wonder-theatre/

"Earlier this year, 6sqft got an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour at the Loew’s Jersey City, one of the five opulent Loew’s Wonder Theatres built in 1929-30 around the NYC area. We’ve now gotten a tour of another, the United Palace Theatre in Washington Heights. Originally known as the Loew’s 175th Street Theatre, the “Cambodian neo-Classical” landmark has served as a church and cultural center since it closed in 1969..."


Georgia’s Eastside BBQ in the Lower East Side just recently closed after 11 years in business

The owner reports that they closed “due to a variety of reasons, principally construction problems.” Sadly, this small business has been plagued by construction noise, obstructing scaffolding and other issues due to the new luxury condo building going up on the corner of Orchard and Houston Street.


Sunday, May 13, 2018

Wishing every mother (human and pet ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ parent) a very happy Mother’s Day!

#MothersDay is the #1 busiest day for florists ๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒน๐ŸŒธso we are celebrating with our photo of Olympia Florist in Upper Manhattan. We love this #florist shop’s #vintage #neon sign. Photo from 2004 appears in our book “Store Front:The Disappearing Face of New York”.


Thursday, May 10, 2018

Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop was established in 1929 by Carl Eisenberg

After being a customer for 15 years, the second owner, Josh Konecky took over the shop in 2006 and didn't change a thing. Sadly, Josh just announced that he has sold the business to new owners! We hope that they maintain its #vintage interior, which is set up as a lunch counter restaurant with steel #diner stools and wood paneling. We also hope the new owners continue to serve breakfast items ๐Ÿณ and sandwiches ๐Ÿž that are all made to order.


Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Photos from our visit to the director of development for the Anti-Defamation League Erica Greenblatt's apartment for 6sqft...

LINK: https://www.6sqft.com/my-600sqft-a-nonprofit-fundraiser-decorates-her-turtle-bay-studio-with-funky-feminine-finds/

Erica Greenblatt never seems to stay in one place for long. In addition to her love of travel (she has visited 30 countries across 6 continents so far), she has moved 12 times in the last 14 years all over New York City. Most recently, Erica landed on a surprisingly spacious Turtle Bay studio on 54th Street and 2nd Avenue, her first apartment without any roommates. As the director of development for the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization tasked with fighting bigotry, Erica raises funds needed for the group’s education and advocacy programs.


Sunday, May 6, 2018

During our "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York" walking tour for The Municipal Art Society of New York's Jane's Walk tour. Thank you to everyone who joined our walking conversation....

#janeswalk #janeswalknyc #storefront @EVIMA @mas_nyc





See everyone soon! FREE Jane's Walk Today!

We will be leading this free tour as part of The Municipal Art Society of New York's Jane's Walk”, a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbors. The East Village Community Coalition @evcc and EVIMA are also supporting this tour.

To join our free #storefront walking tour meet us at 1pm today in front of St. Mark's Church on the Bowery 131 East 10th St at 2nd Ave. The free #eastvillage walking tour will last approx. 1 hour.


Thursday, May 3, 2018

Free Jane's Walk this Sunday!

B&H Kosher Dairy in the East Village was founded in 1938 by Jewish immigrants as a “dairy” #luncheonette because in Jewish dietary laws, a #kosher restaurant serves either milk or meat, not both.

To see and hear more about this #momandpop restaurant @bandhdairy please join us this Sunday, May 6th for a FREE Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York walking tour of the East Village.

We will be leading this free tour as part of The Municipal Art Society of New York's Jane's Walk”, a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbors. The East Village Community Coalition @evcc and @evimanyc are also supporting this tour.

To join our free #storefront walking tour meet us at 1pm on Sunday, May 6th in front of St. Mark's Church on the Bowery 131 East 10th St at 2nd Ave. The free #eastvillage walking tour will last approx. 1 hour.


Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Photos from our visit to real estate publicist Kelly Kreth lives in a red, black, and white wonderland in Yorkville for @6sqft...

LINK: https://www.6sqft.com/my-480sqft-real-estate-publicist-kelly-kreth-lives-in-a-red-black-and-white-wonderland-in-yorkville/

"What’s black and white and red all over? Kelly Kreth’s Yorkville apartment. The real estate publicist pegs her OCD diagnosis for the strict color palette–“it makes me feel safe,” she explains–but also the fact that her love for retro pieces, graphic art, and fashion-forward decor lends itself quite well to this tri-hued approach. We recently spent the afternoon getting to know Kelly and her dachshund puppy Biggie Smalls and learned more about what it’s like to live in just three colors, why she chose this Upper East Side ‘hood, and where she’s been able to find some of her fun and funky finds."