McManus — a group portrait artist who works on Impossible Project Polaroids for gallery exhibition — visited Vic's Pizza on Monday, the last day for the 45-year-old business on the Lower East Side.
The building housing the pizzeria at 51 Essex St. at Grand will reportedly be demolished to make way for a 6-story retail-residential structure.
Owner Victor Mendez told DNAinfo that he tried to move locations, "but found that most available retail spaces were at least $5,000 per month, a major price jump from the $2,200 he was paying on Essex Street."
The photo that McManus shared with us features Mendez seated center with fellow building evictee Taylor Twist, who lived upstairs from Vic's, and his friends...
Twist created the Vic's sweatshirt and hats in the photo to raise money to help Mendez start his post-pizzeria life. (There will be more info on the Vic's sweatshirts and hats here at Twist's website.)
You can find more of McManus' work via Instagram.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Closing time: Portraits of 3 newly shuttered storefronts
