JUSTIN LANE/EPA
How 5Pointz looked before its owners painted over all of the graffiti early Tuesday morning. The building is going to be torn down for two apartment complexes.
Queens’ graffiti mecca is no more.
The extensive aerosol art on 5Pointz — an internationally renowned haven for urban artists — was quietly painted white early Tuesday morning.
The Long Island City building is set to be demolished by the end of this year to make way for a pair of luxury apartments. The redevelopment plan — spearheaded by the owners of the site Jerry Wolkoff and his son David — was approved overwhelming by City Council in October.
“I didn’t want any confrontation,” the elder Wolkoff said of the overnight overhaul that occurred between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. “It’s torturous.”
Less than 12 hours later, however, some of the grieving artists were back, with a new kind of artwork that could be seen glowing on its sides.
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In a so-called light writing protest, artists beamed up messages in neon lights.
Some messages criticized the building’s destruction as “genocide” and “greed.” One message was one of thanks, reading: “For the yrs of love… 2 B continued! Not the End..”
The artist collective sought to block the building’s demolition, filing a request for an injunction based on the Visual Artists Rights Act, which protects works of art that have “recognized stature.”
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Federal Judge Federic Block officially rejected their injunction last Tuesday, allowing for the demolition plans to move ahead.
A 5Pointz lawyer said they are pursuing their case based on the federal act, despite the injunction being rejected.
Meanwhile, Wolkoff slammed the artists’ efforts as insulting because he said he allowed the artists to spray all over his building for decades, he said.
“No good deed goes unpunished,” he said. “In all the years, I’ve never had a cross word with any of them. I love what they did.”
The collection graffiti aficionados that used the building as their tagging temple were distraught.
“I’m grieving right now,” said Marie Flageul, a 5Pointz spokeswoman. “It was the largest aerosol art center in the world. You can never replace it.”
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Gawkers gathered to survey the new — and drastically different — face of 5Pointz.
“I’m super sad for 10 years of work to be painted over in one night,” said Pierre Fillet, 33, an artist who lives in Long Island City. “This is vandalism.”
But urban art enthusiasts and frequent 7-train riders haven’t seen the last of graffiti on Davis St.
Panels will be placed on the outside of the two new residential towers to allow for aerosol art, Wolkoff said.
“They’ll come back when I build a new building,” he said. “They have tremendous talent.”
idejohn@nydailynews
