When a Popular Chinatown Mural is Vandalized, the Community Steps Up

Photo: Karlin Chan
The produce warehouse at the foot of a Second Avenue El relic now boasts some fresh artwork.
More than six years ago, the former Klughaus collective painted a pair of murals here at the base of the Manhattan Railway Company substation on Allen Street. The first being a Chinatown “postcard greeting,” and the other, a bodega complete with faux brickwork, produce-stocked windows, and promo stickers.
Two weeks ago, the latter mural fell victim to vandals, so the nascent Chinatown Mural Project decided to change it up.
The crew repurposed some of the original into the new piece, which wrapped earlier this week after a three-day paint job. It adds more Chinese flavor, with visual nods to dim sum and the zodiac.

Photo: Karlin Chan