5 Pointz, Graffiti Mecca in Queens
5 Pointz was a former warehouse building in Long Island City that served as an outdoor space for spray-painted art. The exterior walls displayed constantly changing, colorful work by hundreds of different artists.
The building became the center of New York's graffiti movement in the early 1990s. It remained an open space for artistic expression for about two decades before its demolition in 2013.
The site was a gathering place for spray painters from around the world who wanted to leave their mark on its walls. Street art here was not hidden but displayed openly and valued by the surrounding community.
The location is no longer publicly accessible, as the building was demolished in 2013. Those interested today can only view photographs and videos from earlier years.
The building was originally a former factory that became the world's largest outdoor art museum by chance. Artists respected unwritten rules and painted over each other in layers, constantly creating new works.
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