Andrew Lenaghan
With Spring at our front door, we’ve been getting out and about in the neighborhood, and there’s much to be seen. Besides becoming a home for many galleries just within the past five years, Tribeca has long had a place within the New York art scene, and as a result has been captured by many different artists over time.
One such artist, Red Grooms, had a studio at 85 Walker Street for decades. This 1988 drawing by Grooms captures the essence of the block between Cortlandt Alley and Lafayette. Though certain aspects have come and gone, such as garment bags being lowered to the street on a clothes line and the Goodyear blimp hovering in the the sky above, which according to artist Mimi Gross could be seen daily, the block has remained the same in many respects. Cortlandt Alley remains cobblestoned, the art-deco style AT&T building still towers above the low-rise residential buildings below, and, unfortunately, the sidewalks are still littered with pigeons.
Around the corner, another notable landmark can be found at the Beau-Arts style fire station, Fire, Hook & Ladder Company 8, on N Moore and Varick Street. Originally built in 1903, the fire station’s exterior is well known as the Ghostbusters Headquarters following the film’s release in 1984. In a recent painting, Andrew Lenaghan captured the building and its surroundings on a beautiful Spring day, including the mix of classic and new architecture that is now indicative of downtown New York.
Red Grooms, The Law of the Morning, 1988. Watercolor, gouache on paper, 59 x 40 inches.
With Spring finally here in more than name alone, we have been venturing out to enjoy the neighborhood. It is a very New York perspective to consider the city's constant state of flux with both excitement and nostalgia, as buildings and businesses come and go. Tribeca has long held a place in the New York art scene, though just in the past five years, it has become home to many galleries, ours included. We are reminded of just how much our street has changed - or not - by two paintings by two very New York artists.
A 1988 drawing by Red Grooms captures the essence of Walker Street between Cortlandt Alley and Lafayette Ave, steps from where Grooms had his studio, at 85 Walker. Though certain aspects have come and gone, the block has not changed in many respects. No longer are garment bags lowered to the street on clothes lines, nor does the Goodyear blimp hover in the sky above - which, according to artist Mimi Gross, could be seen daily. However Cortlandt Alley remains cobblestoned, the art-deco style AT&T building still towers above the low-rise residential buildings below and, for better or worse, the sidewalks are still littered with pigeons.
Andrew Lenaghan, Varick Street, 2021. Acrylic on panel, 25 1/4 x 18 inches.
Around the corner, another notable landmark can be found at the Beaux-Arts style fire station, Fire, Hook & Ladder Company 8, on N Moore and Varick Street. Originally built in 1903, the fire station's exterior has become known for its appearance as the Ghostbusters headquarters, following the film's release in 1984. While it does not appear in this recent painting by Andrew Lenaghan, the Ghostbusters logo can often be seen hanging above the station door. In contrast to the historic building, just a few blocks south, the tower at 56 Leonard Street, colloquially referred to as the 'Jenga Building' is unmistakable. With the clear blue sky reflecting off its glassy facade set in contrast to the red brick so common in the neighborhood, Lenghan's painting is a mix of old and new architecture that is now indicative of downtown New York.