For as long back as I can currently remember, there’s been a strange little doorway at 40 Crosby Street that has been an enigmatic magnet for all stripes of street art. Regularly camouflaged by stickers, flyers, graffiti, posters and scribbles, it is a different visual experience every time I walk by it. And when I do, I frequently take a picture for posterity. This week, on my way back from a quick trip to my office, I walked by it, and its dazzling colors stopped me dead in my tracks. Here it is.
So impressed with the image (not that I had anything to do with — I just raised my camera), I posted it on social media and comments immediately came in its wake. More than a couple of people assumed it was CBGB. A third friend suggested it might be the former site of The Magic Shop, the recording studio where icons like Lou Reed and David Bowie recorded. As it turns out, that site (now permanently closed) is on the same strip, but across the street. I still have no idea what goes on behind that door and why the exterior looks the way it does.
Any ideas?
Reminded me of this line, "I found a secret behind a SoHo Door" from I Am A River https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cqHAgnub_M This door was at 49 Crosby (Magic Shop Studio) which is where David Bowie last recorded before he passed away.
Posted by: Chung Wong | February 28, 2021 at 11:01 AM
The door is part of the building at 429 Broome Street. My guess would be a service entrance for the apartments above the 1st floor retail.
Posted by: Jason | March 01, 2021 at 11:19 AM
It’s an elevator but it seems to not open at street level
Posted by: Jesse | January 14, 2022 at 01:15 PM