The 9/11 mural on 9th and A

The mural of the World Trade Center went up in the days after 9/11 here on Ninth Street at Avenue A.

I never knew who the artist was ... As I learned today, it is the work of Jesse Fischler, who co-owned the former Shrine Records on Ninth Street. (Thank you @thismikewolf)

It has, for the most part, remained untouched through the years — even with a new landlord and the departure of the existing businesses here. (The building was painted in late 2014.)

Other 9/11 murals in the neighborhood haven't fared so well. Chico's Twin Towers tribute on Avenue A at 14th Street was covered by ads then painted over. Back in 2003, Cooper Union had the "Forever Tall" mural painted over at 35 Cooper Square to make way for ads. (The whole building was eventually demolished anyway.)

And back in May, someone tagged/vandalized this mural on Second Street just east of Avenue B...


[Photo by Naomi Paulin]

Students had created this as a tribute to 9/11 victims.

A view of the East Village (and more) from atop the World Trade Center in 1978

Earlier this morning, we posted the photo (via Time magazine) of the neighborhood from atop of the One World Trade Center ...



East Village resident Felton Davis just shared this ... a scan from one of several hundred Kodachome slides from the World Trade Center Observation Deck from the 1970s (this particular shot is circa 1978)... showing the neighborhood (and more) from a similar angle...



Also, as a bonus, here's a photo at sunset showing the shadow of the Twin Towers extending all the way across the East River and into Williamsburg...

East Village couple protest for mosque developers’ rights

At the Tribeca Tribune, Matt Dunning has the story of an East Village couple protesting in favor of the mosque plans near the World Trade Center site.

Per the article:

Julia Lundy, 28, and her boyfriend, Matt Sky, 26, were sitting in their East 5th Street apartment earlier this week, growing increasingly angry as they watched the exhaustive national debate over the proposed center—at 45-47 Park Place in Lower Manhattan—unfold before them. After talking it over, the couple decided to take to the street outside the former Burlington Coat Factory where the Cordoba Initiative hopes to carry out its plans for the project they call Park51.

On Tuesday and Wednesday they stood there, waving signs that read “America Supports All Faiths” and “Support Freedom of Religion.” The couple says they intend to be there for up to 10 hours a day for the next several days in an effort to rally support for the project.

[Photo by Matt Dunning / Tribeca Trib]

Looking at vintage World Trade Center ads

Our blogging friend This Ain't The Summer of Love had a post earlier this week on vintage advertisements that featured the World Trade Center. For example:




Horrifying in retrospect. Not sure why anyone ever thought that this was a good image for such ads. ("I got it! Let's have a giant hand crush Michael Keaton using the World Trade Center!" ) Perhaps we can make the case that buildings should never be used as the centerpiece for an ad campaign...