Closing Bell: Inside 5Pointz

Today LTV Squad shared its adventure through 5Pointz, which, as you may have heard, is slated for demolition soon. LTV Squad took advantage of this prime window of time when one can get in or be given access by workers between abandonment of a building and demolition. They managed to shoot tons of interior photos. Here’s what they found inside the fabled graffiti mecca:

What we found inside was a maze of hallways and partitions, sections with solid concrete flooring and older sections with decaying wood and stairs of questionable stability. One must understand – 5ptz isn’t just one building – it’s a series of interconnected structures that together formed one large complex (like Voltron, or something). Some parts were in better condition than others.

The various parts of the building became known to us by the businesses that inhabited them. There was the sweat shop in the basement and first floor – full of boxes of fabric and a rack of cheap ladies clothing. Up towards Jackson avenue was the DVD shop – an large space filled with piles of DVDs and computer drives for replicating them. There was the Jackson Roof and the Big Roof high above the center of the complex. Then there’s the apartments. Immediately next to 5 ptz sits a series of 4 storefront buildings with apartments above them. These buildings, while not a part of 5ptz, are also abandoned and slated for demolition ( they are all empty except for the one above the former Shannon Pot bar, where an angry squatter is living and acting hostile towards anyone that enters – workers included).

The entire complex was big enough that 10 people could be exploring in teams of 2 and not run into each other for hours. If one were to listen in on our burn phone calls, you’d think we were speaking in code. Where are you? “Jackson Roof”. “The Record Room”. “3rd floor apartment over the space womb”. We spent hours here. Over a span of 2 days and nights we meticulously combed every inch of 5ptz. To the left are the photos from this adventure.

It’s worth checking out the full article for the entire story and all the awesome photos taken.

All 5Pointz coverage [Q’Stoner]