The owners of what was once home to the iconic outdoor art exhibit 5Pointz – which has since been demolished completely – have reportedly announced that they will recycle the name for new residential towers taking its place.
Jerry and David Wolkoff of G&M Realty tried previously trademarking the name but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied their request. A California-based real estate company had already trademarked the name.
However, they were able to register the name as a servicemark with the state, according to published reports.
The site, located at 45-46 Davis St. in Long Island City, will soon be the home of two $400 million luxury towers with 1,000 units divided between the two buildings.
A group of 5Pointz artists started an online petition earlier this year to stop G&M Realty from trademarking the name, saying the trademark would add to the “constant disrespect” shown by the Wolkoffs since the beloved site’s whitewashing in 2013.
A reserved graffiti space has been shown in a rendering released by G&M Realty and the Wolkoffs have said the new development will have art studios and walls specifically for artists to use as canvasses.
In June, nine artists who displayed their work on the former site filed a lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court, claiming that the property’s owner, Jerry Wolkoff, committed an illegal act by painting over their work without giving them enough warning to take it down and save it.
