190 Bowery,
Mural Installation

New York, NY

An existing six-story commercial building, the former Germania Bank at 190 Bowery is a prominent neighborhood fixture. Located at the northwest corner of Spring Street, it has been known for decades as a graffiti and arts mecca. The property is designated by the LPC as an Individual Landmark, and it’s also on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building to The Bowery Historic District. Featuring stone facades and a patinated copper cornice, it’s topped off with a highly visible wooden water tank on the roof.

A tenant in the building, fashion and luxury image curator Great Bowery, wanted to install a mural by world-class artist Shepard Fairey on the rooftop water tank. The mural, highlighting Great Bowery’s work with the Lower East Side Girls Club and their Alphabet City Art School, required New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) review and approval. So Great Bowery reached out to us for help.

We jumped right in and helped them navigate the process and gain approval—both at the LPC Public Hearing and with the NYC Department of Buildings. Our services allowed Great Bowery to contribute to the neighborhood’s long-held tradition of street art, creativity, and social activism with the timely installation of a remarkable, contemporary mural.

Client
Great Bowery                          

Services
Existing Conditions documentation, Construction Documents, LPC and DOB Filing

Project Team
Historic Preservation Consultant: Jaqueline Peu-Duvallon Historic Preservation Consulting, LLC
DOB Filing Representative: Design 2147
Mural Installation: Overall Murals                   

Completion
2019

Additional Resources

Shepard Fairey Returns to a New York Building He Tagged as a Student (B&A) >
Shepard Fairey Murals the Great Bowery Water Tower (Artnet) >