By Bill Parry
The 5Pointz artists are crying foul that G & M Realty has filed a trademark application to use the term as the name for the residential complex they plan to build on Davis Street in Long Island City. The iconic graffiti mecca is currently in the final phase of demolition to make way for owner Gerry Wolkoff to build two luxury high-rise towers that will contain 1,000 units of rental apartments.
“Wolkoff is obviously delusional,” spokeswoman Marie Cecil Flaguel said. “I think it’s shameless that he has the audacity to try and use the name that Meres One created in 2003.”
Meres One is the street name of Jonathan Cohen, the man who curated 5Pointz for 20 years before Wolkoff ordered the work whitewashed during the cover of night last year.
The owner’s application was denied in June because it is too similar to another that is already registered.
“This has nothing to do with the artists,” Wolkoff said. “I’m told the holdup is because someone in California has it. This has nothing to do with them. I’m not selling art, I’m selling real estate and that’s the name of my building.”
Wolkoff has said repeatedly that he plans to build the coolest buildings in New York City and that the artists would come back and use the 12,000 feet of space planned for artist studios.
“Not one artist has come forward saying they will work at Gerry’s building,” Flaguel said.
Two tourists from Sweden were surveying the destruction at the site on Tuesday after paying a visit to MoMA PS1 across Jackson Avenue.
“I was here five years ago and it was so vibrant,” said Andreas, one of the tourists. “We had no idea that it was coming down like this. What a shame!”
His companion, Gustav, said, “It’s a very famous place. Everyone knows 5Pointz around the world.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260-4538.
