Love Letter To Brooklyn by Steve Powers
If you’ve been in and around Downtown Brooklyn lately, you may have noticed (somewhat cryptic) messages on the old Macy’s parking garage and nearby. I first caught a glimpse of it as I was exiting our local grocery, Brooklyn Fare. If you look up as you exit the store you see the word “DOWNTOWN” almost perfectly framed between two buildings. It’s part of the phrase, “MEET ME DOWNTOWN FOR A FEW” painted on the garage at Hoyt and Livingston. The works are by the artist Steve Powers (also known as ESCO) and are titled a “Love Letter to Brooklyn”. I saw the “ALL I NEED IS YOU” piece last night after closing up shop. It’s particularly amusing as the building is in fact a shoe store, one of many on the Fulton Mall. I love the way the statements work with the context of the neighborhood. In the 19th century the Fulton Mall (a stretch of Fulton which now includes over 200 stores and serves as a major transportation hub) was the major shopping district of Brooklyn. It included the department store Abraham & Strauss (now the location of Macy’s Brooklyn), Frederick Loeser & Co, and numerous dressmakers and tailors. As you walk around the neighborhood, the ghosts of these business’s advertisements remain on the sides of buildings. The area’s current retail tenants are largely discount stores, cell phone stores, and of course shoe stores. The “Love Letter To Brooklyn” to me, combines the nostalgia for the area’s history with the revitalization currently happening. Check it out when you’re in the neighborhood!
