Hanging out in SoHo this afternoon, I walked by 11 Spring Street, which has been overtaken by the Wooster Collective for this weekend only. In an unlikely collaboration of art and real estate, the development company that purchased the vacant building has allowed graffiti artists and street artists to use it as a canvas, inside and out, before restoring it for residential sale.
It’s a beautiful building, with or without the art. Built in 1888, the 14,000 square foot palazzo has more than 60 arched windows and was once a horse stable. On the outside, it’s long been known to feature some of the most intriguing art in the city, including stickers, posters and graffiti. Every time I’d walk by, something would be slightly different.
And the outside was all I got to see today; the wait to enter and see the art there was over 2 1/2 hours when I walked by at 3 p.m. A volunteer broke the news to those at the end of the line that because the exhibit was only open until 5 p.m., they needed to break it up and try again tomorrow.
What I like most about 11 Spring Street is that at least the art inside won’t be destroyed after Sunday but walled over during the redevelopment process, preserving it as if in a time capsule that may be rediscovered someday.