1. 5 Bryant Park
5 Bryant Park has a history of art installations, with a street art art battle that took place in 2013. Then in March 2015, while removing the false front in the entrance vestibule of the 5 Bryant Park, a renovation crew found something quite exciting: a 1950s Max Spivak glass-mosaic mural. The mural, dotted with tools of garment workers, is reminiscent of Joan Miró, and is a delicate ode to the earlier manufacturing era.
As soon as the work was uncovered, the New York Times immediately went to write about it. Within hours of the Times’ column release online, workers put up blue tarps, preventing anyone from viewing it. Equity Office, owner and manager of the building at 5 Bryant Park does not plan to destroy the mural, but does plan to cover it back up.
Although this work of art is no longer visible, it was worth putting on this list for the story behind its uncovering, as well as the work’s beauty and connection to the city. Read more about this in our coverage of the discovery.