Abandoned 324 East 4th Street Becomes Gallery Fun House Until Its Demolition [PHOTOS]
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324 East 4th St.
One abandoned Alphabet City tenement is, for the time being at least, a chaotic artist haven.
Demolition is imminent at 324 East Fourth Street, where tenants were recently booted due to alleged structural destabilization. While the wrecking ball and its army of luxe living make their way to the block, the former tenants decided to morph the three-story tenement into an every-man-for-himself funhouse gallery. Apparently the temporary conversion has the blessing of the landlord, who will allegedly raze the property by the end of January.
This past Friday was one of the sendoff parties. Dubbed #324bashup, it felt more like a raucous gallery opening with spray cans and sledge hammers available for fun times.
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Hanksy’s Home Alone homage, ‘Stairway to Kevin’
The nearly-gutted interior plays out like a scene from the brownstone in Home Alone 2, where the Sticky Bandits are after Kevin McCallister. Street artist Hanksy thought so, too, and he decked these halls with plenty of references to the movie franchise. For instance, the “Stairway to Kevin,” its tooth-busting bucket of paint, and a pithy reference to Buzz’s ugly girlfriend. Other artists who decorated the rooms included CB23 and Foxx Face.
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Cabana Kids perform short set
There was also an impromptu live set from local band Cabana Kids.
At the moment, nothing official is yet on file at the city level. No DOB permits exist for demolition, nor paperwork for the replacement building.
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