Street Furniture Showdown: Paper Box Battles

It's not exactly the cultural or architectural equivalent of the culture-shift that pitted modernism against traditionalism or historicism, but there's a war going on in New York's streets, and it's multirack paper boxes vs. single boxes. On one side are the expensive, well maintained, conservative multiracks that have been introduced into several different Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) around Manhattan. On the other side are the gatherings of cheap-loooking, graffiti- and sticker-covered, molded plastic or metal single boxes, often in garish colors.

Dan Biederman, the president of the 34th St. Partnership and the Bryant Park Corporation is unambiguous in his dislike of the single boxes. "If you were to look around at everything that’s ugly here that you’d be embarrassed to show to a visitor from Maine or Nebraska or Paris, it’s the news boxes.”

Vanessa Gruen of the Municipal Arts Society is frustrated with the fact that BIDs can shell out millions of dollars installing multiracks to spiff up their streets, and then have single boxes installed right next to them. She's looking for the City Council to pass a law that would require single boxes not come any closer than 300 feet to a multirack. In fact, last summer the MAS had a contest soliciting pictures of the rattiest looking single boxes around the city.

What do you think Gothamist readers? Are the multiracks preferable to single boxes? Do you think single boxes are a preferable vestige of a less sanitary NYC?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Dave Hogarty in News on January 13, 2008 5:45 PM

Comments [rss]

Leon Freilich

RACKS & RUINS

I think that I shall never see

A corner that is clutter-free,

Especially now that newspaper boxes

Proliferate on all our blockses.

jibbly

Sandradayoconnor, can you please PLEASE stand next to a cluster of paper boxes and start screaming your rant at the top of your lungs and youtube it???

dooWOP

Please let sandradayoconnor's be the Comment of the Day! Pretty please! LOL

coolmidwestguy

What do you think Gothamist readers? Are the multiracks preferable to single boxes? Do you think single boxes are a preferable vestige of a less sanitary NYC?

OMG! I say we get new feature: Staffer of the Day Award LOL

coolmidwestguy

which fucking newspaper box is prettier?!

ROFLMAO Whatcha expect from part-time volunteer flunkies? Gothamist is not a destination for those with a penchant for intelligent discourse.

Dude69

Hey lighten up, Sandy O'Connor, before you burst an artery.

I once saw vomit inside one of those village voice box, so I have to go with the other option. Not that I care what tourists from Nebraska nor Maine think, maybe Paris.

coolmidwestguy

Am I a snob? But I just cannot pick up any of those rags like AM ,Metro, NY Post etc. I guess I would add The Onion to the list.

sandradayoconnor

Seriously? You actually want us to debate this?

Who the fuck cares? That's my official answer. There are thousands of people who won't be able to afford to get to work anymore because of MTA fare hikes, nobody can afford an apartment without selling a damn kidney, Con Ed just got the go ahead to raise their rates again...and people want the government to talk about which fucking newspaper box is prettier?!

I hope the fucks that came up with this idea burn in hell.

babyhitler

When is E-ink going to take over? In a few years everyone will have an E-ink tablet and news shall be rss feed to them at their choosing. If I were the MTA and a major newspaper company I'd look into this synergy. not only would paperless newspapers save money on print but it would save the environment.

CDC

Singles aren't the most attractive thing in the world, but somehow I think the City Council has more important things to tend to than new ordinances on the placement of paper boxes.

HKdan

I'm not fond of either kind of box cluttering up the sidewalk, but freedom of the press says they get to be there. The clutter could be reduced by getting rid of the boxes that are not newspapers like the writers workshop, the phony employment agencies, and the learning annex. These only carry advertising for their owners, utterly devoid of anything resembling news.