New Yorkers Love Their Impermanent Landmarks

When a New Yorker wants to orient himself — emotionally, literally — in this concrete jungle, he doesn't use a compass or an astrolabe.

He picks out from the skyline the Pepsi Cola sign in Queens, the Freedom Tower in Manhattan, the History Channel billboard in the Bronx.

Or the giant “Love Letter to Brooklyn” mural covering a Downtown Brooklyn parking lot, a work by the artist Steve Powers that's now set for extinction after the garage closed Wednesday.

This has served as a sort of North Star for me when I bike home at night. https://t.co/9SUynrgqfh pic.twitter.com/6kNOqGTgTk
— Alvin Chang (@alv9n) January 13, 2016

New Yorkers have a habit of forming attachments to landmarks that were constructed with no promise of permanence.

Especially when they lend themselves to such artistic photos.

Sad to see this one go.// #lovelettertobrooklyn #espo

A photo posted by Allyssa Agro (@agr0crag) on Jan 12, 2016 at 11:28pm PST

So sad to officially read what we sensed was coming: #lovelettertobrooklyn by #steveespopowers is most likely coming down now that the parking lot is closing today for good. :( I will miss this concrete giant.

A photo posted by Queenjeanny (@jeanmonde) on Jan 13, 2016 at 8:31am PST

Power's mural, which went up in 2011, could be seen from Hoyt and Livington Streets. The garage on which it was painted is owned by Macy's, which signed a deal in August to redevelop its Downtown Brooklyn store.

But it doesn't take "art" to move New Yorkers. A billboard has just as much impact:

how the F am i meant to know i’m in the BX https://t.co/uOxcAZAtE8
— adam j. sontag (@ajpiano) January 12, 2016

Iconic History Channel sign coming down...it might not seem like much to many but for others it was a sign that we knew we were home. Photo credit @kevindooley

A photo posted by Arvik Group (@arvikgroup) on Jan 13, 2016 at 9:30am PST

The billboard, soon to be history after years of sitting atop the former ice-making factory at 20 Bruckner Blvd., signified home for many.

Seeing the History Channel billboard is the only way I'm sure I'm back in NYC. #GoodToBeHome
— Jenny Moon (@jennymoonnyc) August 14, 2015

The Domino Sugar Factory sign had its share of devotees, too, before it went down in 2014.

"@NY1: Brooklyn's Iconic #DominoSugar Sign Coming Down This Week http://t.co/UWZ0n9Y2ry pic.twitter.com/SZdxcTBkY7" 😢 This sign brought me joy
— Rio Darling (@TheDarlingRio) August 6, 2014

Sweet while it lasted #dominosugar

A photo posted by Matt Oliver (@mattoliver) on Jul 21, 2014 at 4:07pm PDT

The 40-foot sign at the factory came down in August 2014, as the property's owner prepared the raze the building and make way for more than 2,000 apartments, retail space, a school and five acres of waterfront open space.

The plan was to reinstall the sign at the site in a different location.

And the Kentile Floors sign mustered so much feeling it mobilized the community to take action.

I am still grumpy about the beloved Kentile Floors sign being removed...it ruined my morning commute… http://t.co/MPAA0NeqrE
— Burke Cherrie (@BurkeCherrie) June 30, 2014

It may only be a sign from a long gone factory, but people round here are very attached to it. http://t.co/nrrfKZCeo8 pic.twitter.com/NeZg4nhbys
— Andy Buchanan (@acbphoto) June 13, 2014

RIP #kentilefloors sign Rest in Pieces. @ Kentile Floors Sign http://t.co/KU35AdvMqU
— Nick Gorczynski (@nicktronic) June 21, 2014

@WNYC To some of us native Bklynrs Kentile sign was our compass. #overexposed
— Anastasia Maroulis (@APMaroulis) June 21, 2014

The owner of the building on which the sign rested for decades, overlooking Gowanus, cited as his reasons for its removal in July 2014 the “long-deferred maintenance of the sign, the dilapidated condition of the warehouse roof, and ongoing structural issues in the building.”

An outcry from residents and City Councilman Brad Lander convinced Ely Cohen to donate the sign's enormous red letters to a neighborhood organization that promised to find them a new home.

It was, as usual, easy to use de Blasio as a scapegoat for their displacement.

It's weird riding the F train and not seeing the Kentile Floors sign in Gowanus. Thanks DeBlasio
— Brian Pisano (@brianpisanoMAN) July 10, 2014

We can't help but speculate as to which sign is next on the chopping block...

1st BK's Domino sign, now the BX History Channel sign. QNs Pepsi sign better not be next. #NYChistory https://t.co/EbXAg1LLUa
— Eunic Ortiz (@eunicortiz) January 13, 2016

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New Yorkers Love Their Impermanent Landmarks

Especially when they lend themselves to such artistic photos.

But it doesn't take "art" to move New Yorkers. A billboard has just as much impact:

The Domino Sugar Factory sign had its share of devotees, too, before it went down in 2014.

And the Kentile Floors sign mustered so much feeling it mobilized the community to take action.

We can't help but speculate as to which sign is next on the chopping block...

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