Four Floors of Street Art Cover This Former Police Precinct/LGBT Group Home in Gramercy
This past Saturday outlaws and vandals partied inside a former police station in Gramercy. Robert Aloia along with Outlaw Arts, VNA Magazine, street artist Beau, Todd Masters, the NY st.Gallery and the real estate and business financial brokerage firm Suzuki Capital LLC, came together to pull off one of the most massive street art shows of the year. Almost 70 different artists brought their respective street art and graffiti styles to 327 E 22nd. Street, in a show that gave some of the artists free rein on rooms formerly used to hold criminals and teenage runaways.
While this show was promoted as being held in a former police precinct, the building has in fact, not been a police precinct in over sixty years, moving two blocks down to 21st street in 1952. It does however, have a bit of history. The precinct was home to one Alexander S. Williams a.k.a “Clubber” Williams, who was notoriously corrupt. Williams took almost a million in bribes from illegal gambling houses and brothels, which he said he earned in Japanese real estate.
Williams, while corrupt, was also extremely adamant about cleaning up the streets of the so called “Gas House Districts”. He would get into bloody, brutal brawls on a daily basis with the groups like The Gas House Gang and other hoodlums. Imagine the shock and anger on his face if he knew the place where he brought gangsters and hooligans would one day be taken over by what some people consider as vandals and trespassers.
Queen Andrea
Williams, while corrupt, was also extremely adamant about cleaning up the streets of the so called “Gas House Districts”. He would get into bloody, brutal brawls on a daily basis with the groups like The Gas House Gang and other hoodlums. Imagine the shock and anger on his face if he knew the place where he brought gangsters and hooligans would one day be taken over by what some people consider as vandals and trespassers.
Rae
Some of our favorites included Rae, whose room gave out a dream-like aura, with a bed in the middle of the room to fully bring home that idea. Cash 4’s room with Matt Siren and others gave us everything we love about the work of Cassius Fouler: sarcastic messages with sick tags and a wall dedicated to stickers from various graffiti and street artists. The work of Justin Carty was a sight to behold, as his noir style painting worked well contrasting with the more radical styles of the graffiti and street artists.
Justin Carty
For those who are experiencing an infection of FOMO, do not fret. The show will be open again on Saturday and Sunday from 1-6pm. These are the only days as the building will be demolished to make room for (you guessed it) condos. You have two more chances at seeing the awesome work created by some of the best artists in NYC. Stop by Carnage NYC’s booth to buy his new book on Banksy’s residence in NYC, or any of the rare zines and T-shirts he has on deck.
URNY
Esteban del Valle
Faust
HellBent
Ben Angotti
If you would like to join the newest iteration of the “Gas House Gang” where instead of fighting other gangs, we fight pollution, contact the author @TatteredFedora
