photo taken in front of 190 bowery.
at first look (or look after look after look) this building may seems abandoned or forgotten. almost every inches of the base walls cover up with graffiti and paste-ups and posters, the windows are dirty and never open, the front door is beat-up. and the front steps are always occupy by the homeless people, one of their preferred hangout spots. no wonder many of us think this building is abandoned. but we are wrong. three new yorkers are currently living in this six-story, 72 rooms, 35,000-square-foot single family-home-building. the building was once belong the germania bank, built in 1898. photographer jay maisel bought the building for $102,000 in 1966 and still lives there with his wife and daughter. think about it, who won't want to live in this bohemian wonderland? in 2005, 190 bowery became an official landmark. maisel says "if you have a windows that needs fixing, you fix it. if i have a window that is broken, i have to repair it, with approval, the way it was done in 1898." so i guess upkeep this historic landmark is not an easy task after all.
p.s. it is not impossible to take a tour inside the building. jay maisel conducts photography workshops in his wonderland. if i have $5,000 to spare, i would sign up for it.
for the interior pictures, click here.
for the new york magazine article, click here.
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