Adam Purple's legacy

[Photo via BoweryBoogie]

There were three articles published during the last week of 2015 related to Adam Purple's legacy, including the new bar operated by the Gerber Group that bears his name at the Hotel Indigo on Ludlow Street.

Purple, aka David Wilkie, was an environmentalist and activist known for his elaborate Garden of Eden on the Lower East Side. He died on Sept. 15 at age 84.

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1) On Dec. 26, The New York Times published an article titled "Meant as Homage, Bar’s Naming for Downtown Squatter Is Perceived as a Slight."

Per the article:

By nearly any measure, Mr. Purple — a dedicated ascetic who lived in an abandoned tenement, got water from a hydrant, read by candlelight and kept warm with a wood-burning stove — is an odd symbol for a 24-story hotel with “spalike bathrooms” and a terrace swimming pool.

“The gentrification, the consumerism, it’s the opposite of everything he stood for,” said the photographer Harvey Wang, who began documenting Mr. Purple, whose birth name was David Wilkie, in 1977. “It’s just appalling.”

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2) On Dec. 28, BoweryBoogie posted an op-ed written by Purple's grandson, Steve Mason.

Per the post:

“Mr. Purple” is not an honorable tribute. Believe me, I would love for David’s legacy to be memorialized, and I’m happy that he achieved notoriety enough to be considered for exploitation by a midtown corporate property development committee. However, a fancy hotel bar is not the right vehicle. At best, it’s tone deaf.

In an email to us on Dec. 28, Mason wrote, "I only found out about this travesty [on Dec. 27]. He and I were not close, but this is horrifying and I've been sick to my stomach for the last 24 hours over it."

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3) There's a lengthy investigation in the current issue of The Villager dated Dec. 31 titled "The dark side of Purple." Editor Lincoln Anderson puts together the activist's past through a series of phone conversations and an exchange of documents and letters with Purple's two daughters, step-sisters Jenean and Lenore, who say that their father sexually abused them while growing up in Australia in the 1960s.

Per the article:

Asked what specifically Purple did to them or had them do, [Jenean] said, “Oh, everything — that’s what we were about — our purpose. He trained us, with pornography magazines, films, comics. I read ‘The Kinsey Report’ when I was age 10.”

According to Australian court documents obtained by The Villager, Purple served a two-year prison sentence for the molestation charges at Long Bay Penitentiary in Sydney. (In a letter dated from March 1967, Purple proclaimed his innocence to the children’s maternal grandparents, "asserting that his second wife was not a fit guardian for his daughters.")

One of the daughters, Jenean, told The Villager that Purple himself was sexually abused by his mother as a child ... and that his mother was also a victim of "generational sexual abuse."

As The Villager concludes:

Hopefully, the two narratives can somehow coexist and inform: on the one hand, the story of a family that finally healed from domestic sexual abuse, and, on the other, a man who built a new life for himself — and a glorious garden — on the Lower East Side and left a lasting legacy of environmental consciousness.

You can read the full article here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] The upscale hotel bar with a pool named for the late environmentalist Adam Purple (44 comments)

[Updated] The Gerber Group responds to criticism over Mr. Purple (23 comments)

As the Hotel Indigo and Mr. Purple continue efforts to be part of the LES neighborhood (25 comments)

As the Hotel Indigo and Mr. Purple continue efforts to be part of the LES neighborhood

We’re toasting to a new neighborhood to explore + new discoveries made at #mrpurplenyc. Cheers! #HotelIndigo pic.twitter.com/VI0CFMDKgQ

— Hotel Indigo (@hotelindigo) December 10, 2015

The recently opened Hotel Indigo on Orchard Street continues to try to make inroads with the local community. The latest effort: a nighttime light show titled The Color of Discovery.

From the press invite:

With the launch of The Color of Discovery, the Hotel Indigo brand is set to expose consumers to a one-of-a-kind, community experience like never before. The Color of Discovery leads travelers to explore and discover the local neighborhoods of each Hotel Indigo property through a series of mnemonic reveals. The brand’s message is to deliver a unique boutique experience at each location and the color Indigo is the emblematic of each unfolding adventure.

To launch this campaign, Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York is hosting an event exposing the culture of the Lower East Side (complete with graffiti art, performances and neighborhood elements) while partnering with Dawn of Man and Lee Quiñones to bring the new campaign to life in a truly imaginative display of 3D projection art that incorporates the signature Indigo mnemonic, thus revealing each aspect of the local scene.

[Photo by James and Karla Murray]

At one point, it looked like the projection of an old tenement projected on the new building that the Hotel Indigo replaced. BoweryBoogie noted this morning that this Color of Discovery is helping the hotel further solidify "its sense of self, you know, just in case you didn’t realize the towering 23-story building was there."

Then there is the hotel's 15th-floor bar called Mr. Purple.

According to initial reports, the bar, featuring an outdoor pool, was named after Adam Purple, the well-known Lower East Side environmentalist and activist, who died on Sept. 14 at age 84. (The Gerber Group, who operates the bar space, later seemed to backtrack on this.)

On Nov. 24, a rep for the Gerber Group sent us the following statement in regard to Mr. Purple to show that they are committed to supporting the local community:

The name of the bar and restaurant was established when the project was first conceptualized in 2014. It was indeed inspired by Lower East Side resident David Wilkie, who became known as "Mr. Purple." A gardener and activist, he was an iconic figure who dedicated his life to beautifying and improving the neighborhood. A mural was painted in his honor and can be seen on display in the lobby area of the hotel.

Also, in honoring Wilkie's dedication to the neighborhood, the restaurant is committed to supporting the Lower East Side community through several initiatives including partnerships with the Bowery Mission and local businesses such as Russ & Daughters, il laboratorio del gelato and Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery who are all featured on the restaurant's menu. Additionally, through the Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN), 30 percent of jobs at the hotel have been allocated to local residents.

After posting this statement, we heard from Russ & Daughters, who wanted to set the record straight:

Russ & Daughters doesn’t have a partnership with Mr. Purple or Hotel Indigo. That restaurant simply purchased smoked salmon at our shop one time. We never authorized them to use our name on their menus or in their promotional materials.

We then contacted the Bowery Mission to see if they do have a relationship with the hotel. In an email, James Winans, chief development officer for the Bowery Mission, told us the following:

The Gerber Group reached out to The Bowery Mission a number of weeks ago. They seem genuinely interested in getting to know The Bowery Mission and learning how they can help us serve our homeless and poor neighbors. The Gerber Group has made an initial financial contribution and spent a morning volunteering at the Mission.

Part of this relationship also included Mr. Purple donating a $1 to the Mission from every drink sold on Thanksgiving eve and Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, in a report yesterday, BoweryBoogie noted further tension between the bar and some local community members, particularly those who were friends with Adam Purple.

Multiple sources tell us that there was actually a meeting earlier in the year between Adam Purple and the Gerber Group. While the hotel was still under wraps. Purple apparently never gave them permission to use his name or his likeness and did not sign any documents to that effect.

And!

We hear whispers that a large contingent wants to approach the hotel with positive solutions ... If the hotel is open to hearing these ideas and willing to speak with a representative from the community, they are saying, then there might be a way to honor Purple’s legacy, and at least might make a clueless concept a bit less offensive.

The short list of ideas includes asking the hotel to create a proper memorial in the bar with a display of photos and info about Adam, taking the “Mr. Purple Burger” off of the menu [Purple was a devout vegetarian] or replacing it with a garden burger, and educating the staff on the real story of Adam Purple.

For the time being, New Year's Eve reservations are now being accepted at Mr. Purple...

🍾💜🍾💜🍾 Celebrate #NYE at Hotel Indigo LES @mrpurplenyc!GA + table packages are on sale now #nye #2016 #nye2016 pic.twitter.com/v9dFFKYkof

— Hotel Indigo L.E.S. (@HotelindigoLES) December 8, 2015

If you're interested, the VIP Table Package No. 3 is $3,000 ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] The upscale hotel bar with a pool named for the late environmentalist Adam Purple

[Updated] The Gerber Group responds to criticism over Mr. Purple

[Updated] The Gerber Group responds to criticism over Mr. Purple

Last Tuesday, we noted that the newly opened Hotel Indigo on Ludlow Street included a 15th-floor bar called Mr. Purple.

According to an article in WWD, the bar, featuring an outdoor pool and cocktails in the $14-$15 range, was inspired by Adam Purple, the well-known Lower East Side environmentalist and activist, who died on Sept. 14 at age 84.

News that the upscale bar named itself for Purple, who, in the mid-1980s, created a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden amid the ruins of the Lower East Side and spoke out against unchecked development, prompted criticism from some readers/residents here and here and here.

The Gerber Group, who operates the bar space, sent us the following statement this morning in regard to Mr. Purple to show that they are committed to supporting the local community:

The name of the bar and restaurant was established when the project was first conceptualized in 2014. It was indeed inspired by Lower East Side resident David Wilkie, who became known as "Mr. Purple." A gardener and activist, he was an iconic figure who dedicated his life to beautifying and improving the neighborhood. A mural was painted in his honor and can be seen on display in the lobby area of the hotel.

Also, in honoring Wilkie's dedication to the neighborhood, the restaurant is committed to supporting the Lower East Side community through several initiatives including partnerships with the Bowery Mission and local businesses such as Russ & Daughters, il laboratorio del gelato and Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery who are all featured on the restaurant's menu. Additionally, through the Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN), 30 percent of jobs at the hotel have been allocated to local residents.

The lobby mural in question is the work of prominent graffiti artist Lee Quiñones, who grew up on the Lower East Side in the 1960s and 1970s.

Updated 11/25

A representative from Russ & Daughters reached out to us with a statement:

Russ & Daughters doesn’t have a partnership with Mr. Purple or Hotel Indigo. That restaurant simply purchased smoked salmon at our shop one time. We never authorized them to use our name on their menus or in their promotional materials.

[Updated] The upscale hotel bar with a pool named for the late environmentalist Adam Purple

Graffiti meets avant-garde in our favorite slice of #NYC. Check out Hotel Indigo Lower East Side NY - open today!

A photo posted by Hotel Indigo (@hotelindigo) on Nov 16, 2015 at 12:50pm PST

The 293-room Hotel Indigo at 171 Ludlow St. (and 180 Orchard St.!) opened its doors on Monday between East Houston and Stanton.

The property has been in the works for about 10 years now. (You can read more at The Lo-Down and BoweryBoogie.)

And the main attraction — for guests and non-guests alike — promises to be the 15th-floor bar with an outdoor pool. Here are details via WWD:

Mr. Purple is the first venture this far downtown for Gerber Group, which operates places such as Union Square’s Irvington and The Roof at Viceroy, along Central Park. Though there will be some adjustments for the group — “we’ll see a lot more tattoos on our staff” — the move to the Lower East Side sees Gerber maintaining their high-end approach. “We’re not the Lower East Side place that has $3 beers and $1 shots,” Gerber says; Mr. Purple’s house cocktails average around $14 to $15, and beers are $7.

And where did the name originate?

The bar name comes from the Lower East Side icon David Wilkie, who became known as “Mr. Purple” for his preferred shade of clothing. The street artist Lee Quiñones was working on a mural for the hotel, and one of the images he was doing was of Mr. Purple. “That’s really what inspired us,” Gerber says. Mr. Purple’s image is discreetly painted on the ceiling of the 14th floor lobby.

Purple, the environmentalist and activist, died on Sept. 14 at age 84. Considered by some to be the godfather of the urban gardening movement, Purple created a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden amid the nearby ruins of the Lower East Side in the mid-1980s.

And now his memory lives on at Mr. Purple with its purple bar seats and $15 house cocktails...

Purple Reign <3 New York meet Mr Purple's Spot @HotelindigoLES #pullup #Discoverles #Nyc pic.twitter.com/Dj27enTB7M

— Hotel Indigo L.E.S. (@HotelindigoLES) November 17, 2015

Updated 4:30 p.m.

Gothamist notes that Mr. Purple's reps seem "to be backtracking on this a bit." They quote a news release about Mr. Purple with this backstory:

A mysterious man, born and raised in the Lower East Side, the city was his muse. He was an unmistakable staple of the neighborhood and an unforgettable piece of its continuing character. His art, like his personality, was ephemeral with no known relics outlasting him. It has been said that to see him work was to have a glimpse into utopia. For now, Mr. Purple, and all that he represents, is up to your imagination to interpret.

Updated 11/24

The Gerber Group sent us the following statement this morning in regard to Mr. Purple:

The name of the bar and restaurant was established when the project was first conceptualized in 2014. It was indeed inspired by Lower East Side resident David Wilkie, who became known as "Mr. Purple." A gardener and activist, he was an iconic figure who dedicated his life to beautifying and improving the neighborhood. A mural was painted in his honor and can be seen on display in the lobby area of the hotel.

Also, in honoring Wilkie's dedication to the neighborhood, the restaurant is committed to supporting the Lower East Side community through several initiatives including partnerships with the Bowery Mission and local businesses such as Russ & Daughters, il laboratorio del gelato and Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery who are all featured on the restaurant's menu. Additionally, through the Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN), 30 percent of jobs at the hotel have been allocated to local residents.

Updated 11/25

A representative from Russ & Daughters reached out to us with a statement:

Russ & Daughters doesn’t have a partnership with Mr. Purple or Hotel Indigo. That restaurant simply purchased smoked salmon at our shop one time. We never authorized them to use our name on their menus or in their promotional materials.

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Adam Purple

MoRUS extends Adam Purple memorial show through Oct. 25

[Photo via MoRUS/Facebook]

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) will continue its memorial exhibit honoring Adam Purple, the environmentalist and urban gardening pioneer, who died on Sept. 14 at age 84.

Here's the info via the EVG inbox...

Due to increasing levels of interest from the public about Adam and the history of community gardens, MoRUS will extend The Adam Purple Memorial Show, which includes rare photos of The Garden of Eden, memorabilia and rare footage of the garden and Adam appearing in his Purple attire on several talk shows, including "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee," through Sunday, Oct. 25.

Among special events tied-in with the Purple pop-up include a screening of the award-winning documentary, "Dirt," shot and produced by David Evans, Maria Liedholm Holter and Catherine Williamson Duncumb in the mid-1990s. When "Dirt" was recognized by the International Documentary Association in 1998 and the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1999, it launched global awareness of what the East Village had known for years: community gardens breathe life and pump vitality into marginalized neighborhoods.

"Dirt" will screen at MoRUS on Thursday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.

MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street. The suggested donation for the screening is $5, but no one will be turned away. Donations will support the preservation of Adam's history through photographs, videos and other artifacts.

Purple — born David Wilkie in Independence, Mo. — garnered international attention in the mid-1980s when he battled the city over a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden he created amid the ruins of the Lower East Side.

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Adam Purple

At the memorial for Adam Purple

Friends and neighbors came together yesterday at La Plaza Cultural on Avenue C and East Ninth Street to remember environmental activist and urban gardening pioneer Adam Purple, who died Sept. 14 at age 84.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for some photos ...













Meanwhile, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) has an exhibit on display through Oct. 10 featuring photographs, zines and other ephemera as well as a film by Harvey Wang and articles about Purple's life and work.

MoRUS is also exhibiting the machine that created the purple footprints leading to his Garden of Eden on the Lower East Side.

Find more details here.

MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Adam Purple

More details about the Adam Purple memorial at La Plaza Cultural and exhibit at MoRUS

Adam Purple, the environmentalist and urban gardening pioneer, died on Sept. 14 of an apparent heart attack. He was 84.

Purple — born David Wilkie in Independence, Mo. — garnered international attention in the mid-1980s when he battled the city over a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden he created amid the ruins of the Lower East Side. (The New York Times has a feature obituary here.)

Starting tomorrow (Saturday), the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS), Time's Up! and members of La Plaza Cultural are joining forces to honor Purple with simultaneous celebrations: a pop-up exhibit at MoRUS featuring photos, videos and memorabilia marking Purple's life and a mini-fair at La Plaza with performances, arts and crafts, and spoken word tributes, among other activities.

Here are details from the individual Facebook event pages …

La Plaza Cultural:
Tomorrow from 4-8 p.m., people are invited to speak and briefly share their memories of Purple and his legendary Garden of Eden. Everyone is encouraged to wear purple and to bring a white t-shirt to tie-dye. Angelica Kitchen will provide refreshments.

Find more details here. La Plaza Cultural is located on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street.



MoRUS:
For two weeks, the museum will host an exhibit remembering Purple. There will be photographs from the community, a film by Harvey Wang and articles about Adam's life and work. MoRUS will also be exhibiting the machine that created the purple footprints leading to his Garden of Eden and some of Adam's books and writing.

Find more details here. The exhibit will run through Oct. 10.

MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.

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There is also an online campaign underway to help with Adam's burial expenses. Find that information here.

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Photos via MoRUS/Facebook

Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Adam Purple

RIP Adam Purple

[Photo of Adam Purple on 1st Avenue in 2012 by @rahav]

Adam Purple, the activist and environmentalist who was the centerpiece in a city dispute over a blooming oasis on the Lower East Side called the Garden of Eden, died Monday afternoon. He was 84.

According to The Villager, Purple — considered by some to be the godfather of the urban gardening movement — died of an apparent heart attack while cycling over the Williamsburg Bridge to meet a friend in the East Village. (The New York Times has a feature obituary here.)

Purple — born David Wilkie in Independence, Mo. — garnered international attention in the mid-1980s when he battled the city over a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden he created amid the ruins of the Lower East Side.

The garden grew from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s. Purple was known to ride his bike (he had renounced the internal combustion engine, among many other modern conveniences) up to Central Park several times a week and return with mounds of manure from hansom cab horses to fertilize the soil.

The garden, between Forsyth Street and Eldridge Street, just south of Stanton Street, was plowed under by the city in 1986 to make way for low- and moderate-income housing. (Plans to build around the garden never materialized.)


[Photograph©Harvey Wang]

Here's the Times with a feature on Purple from February 1998:

"He is the purest example of a hippie ever seen in this city," said Mary Cantwell, the author of 'Manhattan, When I Young,' who met Mr. Purple in 1985. "He is an artifact of that era, living in a very unlikely time and place, namely present-day New York City."

Mr. Purple has been something of a fringe fixture ever since he moved to the city 30 years ago. His appearance and his moniker were striking even in a city known for its eclectic characters and wild sartorial tastes. During much of the 70's and early 80's, he dressed almost entirely in the royal hue: purple shirts, purple sweaters, purple pants. With his beard, gray hair, floppy green stocking cap, sunglasses and twinkling blue eyes, he looks like Santa Claus if Santa hit the skids and lost the belly.

And from the Times in 1999: "He has been called one of New York City's living treasures, an ornery gadfly, a freelance anarchist. He has gone by many names: Hy Patia, Les Ego, John Peter Zenger 2d, P. E. Ricles, General Zen of the Headquarters Intergalactic of Psychic Police Uranus, and even the relatively mundane David Wilkie."

For more background, check out "Adam Purple and The Garden of Eden" by Harvey Wang and Amy Brost from 2011...



In recent years, Purple had been living in Williamsburg, working with Times Up.

As the Times noted in 1998, Purple started wearing little purple — with the exception of a hat.

He put the color away, he said, after the garden was destroyed.

"Purple went out with the garden," he said. "Adam Purple doesn't exist."

Catching up with... Adam Purple

[Photo on First Avenue from last fall by @rahav]

Local legend Adam Purple is featured in the Daily News. The 82-year-old activist/environmentalist has been busy in Williamsburg working with Times Up.

Excerpt!

“Brooklyn is alright, but it’s been yuppified,” said Purple, who rarely goes by his real name David Wilkie. “What do they do that’s rebellious? What do they do that’s adventurous?”

Read the whole article here. Read more about Adam Purple's LES history at Vanishing New York.

Riding the storm out

Local legend Adam Purple on First Avenue Friday. Photo by @rahav via Twitter.

Read more about Adam Purple at Vanishing New York.