Controversial South Bronx Banksy artwork to be preserved as building heads for demolition

Hidden behind scaffolding, a metal gate and piles of trash on a bustling corner of the South Bronx is one of the last remaining art works by Banksy in New York City — and now that the building is heading for demolition, the owner isn’t quite sure what to do with it.

The infamous British street artist installed “Ghetto 4 Life” on the side of a brick building on E. 153rd St. in Melrose 10 years ago this month. It depicts a young boy spray-painting the words “Ghetto 4 Life” as his tuxedoed butler offers him spray cans on a tray.

The piece caused controversy at the time, with residents and politicians alike criticizing the message for perpetuating negative stereotypes about the Bronx.

Now the building at 651 Elton Ave. and three others on the same lot are slated for demolition, according to filings this week with the Department of Buildings. Owner David Damaghi told the Daily News it will be replaced by a charter school, but in the meantime he plans to preserve the mural.

“We want to remove it, take it away and store it,” he said.

But he was unsure about where it will end up or its possible future in a gallery.

“We’re not sure yet, but first we want to see if we’re going to be able to preserve it,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be preserved.”

Hadi Djohan was listed as the engineer on the full demolition permit application filed Monday.

“We have the privilege to design the removal of the painting,” he told The News. “So I know for sure the wall is going to be preserved.”

“Ghetto 4 Life” has been hidden behind plexiglass and a locked gate for years, according to the local blog Welcome2TheBronx, which first reported on the building’s pre-demolition work.

Several locals expressed their sadness at the news.

“A lot of tourists used to come here, they used to take pictures,” recalled Ray Fernandez, who has worked at the electronics store across the street for more than 20 years. He said the mural was “nice” and defended Banksy’s work.

“Some people, they don’t know about art, the way he was doing it,” he said.

Marcus Velasquez said he’s a fan of the mural and hopes it will be preserved.

“It’s a really good memory,” he said. “It’s a history about the times. There’s a lot of history in the Bronx that, when you look at it, I think we should conserve it or something for the new generations.”

But many Bronxites were irked when it debuted in October 2013. One woman described it at the time as “disrespectful” and “an easy way to perpetuate the way people think about the South Bronx.”

Even then-Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. weighed in.

“We are not ‘Ghetto 4 Life,’ we are a vibrant borough of diverse communities,” he said. “Banksy would do well to remember that before he traffics in ancient stereotypes about our borough.”

It was part of Banksy’s monthlong “Better Out Than In” series, when the artist debuted a new piece every day around the city. New Yorkers flocked across the five boroughs to catch a glimpse of the works before they were stolen or vandalized.

Then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg was less than pleased with Banksy’s residency.

“Running up to somebody’s property or public property and defacing it is not my definition of art,” he said at the time. “Or it may be art but it should not be permitted. I think that’s exactly what the law says.”

A decade on, almost all of the “Better Out Than In” pieces are long gone, with the notable exception of the “Zabar’s Banksy.” The owner of the famed Upper West Side store put the piece — depicting a little boy with a sledgehammer — behind plexiglass shortly after it was discovered. Located on a wall at W. 79th St. and Broadway, it is believed to be the last remaining public work by Banksy in New York.