March 27, 2008
DKNY's Soho Wall in Jeopardy
Photograph by wallyg on Flickr
Earlier this year, six-floor 600 Broadway, at the corner of Houston, was sold for $71 million. While the Pottery Barn was a reported casualty, there might be another: The huge DKNY painted sign on the side of the building.
WWD reports DKNY lost the right to use the wall this month. Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch will be moving into the building with a 40,000 square square foot store (multi-level, as the building is a total of 65,000 square feet), which suggests A&F wanted category exclusivity...and maybe a picture of half-naked frolicking young men?
The DKNY wall has attained iconic status in Soho, with its black-and-white pre-September 11 skyline at the biggest intersection. It was also incorporated into the opening credit sequence of NYPD Blue (see it at 14 seconds). But a more recent DKNY campaign involving painted orange bikes has been criticized and ridiculed. [Via reader Gabriel - thanks!]
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While it's sad to see it go, it is one of the more pleasant advertisements -- change is part of new york city, bring it on.
Oh let it go...
Obviously at its core, its an advertisement. But I think its iconic enough to warrant preservation. Before you go nuts - what is the difference between this and the Pepsi-Cola sign in Queens?
While I'm the last to get all weepy over losing advertisements in the city, this one is an actual work of art. Besides, consider what it will be replaced with.
Although I like the look, who's DKNY? Is it some street artist? Does he need such exposure, or is he a successful artist?
Did you really just ask who DKNY is? wake up and smell the roses homeboy
I hope you were being sarcastic
Sure I love it, but bring on the shirtless guys!
I had no idea it's been there for 16 years. I'd say its worth preservation considering the horrendous A&F ad that will be put in its place and the ad's own inherent beauty.
even more poignant is if they decided to paint in the black space with the rest of the view and leave that as the advertisement. an advertisement for new york city.
It should be easy to change the D to an O so it would read OKNY, which wouldn't be an ad for anything.
Some very well put arguments in favor of preservation, I don't think there's much I can add. If the Hollywood sign can be landmarked, if classic neon and chrome and be preserved for future generations then surely that advert can be saved.
It's much more New York than Abercrombie and Fitch ever will.
I've always hated the fact that DKNY could afford to keep the same advertisement cause I don't know anyone who buys DKNY. Now, I'm sadder cause it's gonna be gay ass Abercrombie dudes all over the place. Houston is gonna be smut city. You've got your half naked Calvin Klein ads at lafayette and houston and 70% naked american apparel ads in the middle and then you'll get abercrombie. I don't know who the hell still shops at Abercrombie. It's played out. Sure in the late 90's it was kind of awesome but they sell the same thing every season now. No innovation. Just shirts with aF and cargo shorts. If I showed you a 1995 AF shirt you could not tell me it wasn't from 2008.
The further suburbanization (mall-ification?) of New York.
Not that I've been the biggest fan of that advertechture, but Ambrecombe?
Does SoHo stand for So Hoboken?
Oh, and peep this:
Sao Paolo deaded outdoor advertising altogether:
Not that they need to worry about kidnapping or anything, but food for thought.
substituting one advertisement for another, who cares
I like this image because of the view of the island that was depicted on it. I'm definitely not excited about A&F being put there. I thought that Union Square already reminded me of a suburban shopping mall, replete with a Food Court (i.e., Starbucks, Heartland Brewery, etc.), Barnes & Noble, Virgin/Tower/Media Outlet, Cineplex, Circuit City, Jamba Juice/Smoothie joint, high-end men's store (Rothman's), discount shoe store (DSW), and TJ Maxx. One one hand, I suppose that this is the inevitable conclusion of the forward march of big-box retailers that's fueled by consumers' appetite for one-stop shopping, lower prices, and predictable experience. It's probably also the logical result for developers (and the City officials) who value consistent, stable cash flows over the fickle public's notion of "character." So yeah, A&F is detestable but it's what the people want and will pay for, and NYC was founded as a trading outpost...NYC is dead. Long live NYC.
C'est la vie