– A feature about New York City, urbanism and city life.
Fadings Ads of New York City, by Frank Jump
For many years, I have eagerly followed Frank Jump’s Fading Ads blog, a treasure trove of advertising relics that haunt the sides of buildings all around New York. He’s been at it for 20 years, and many of his finds no longer exist, but are thankfully preserved in this book. He has also had the good fortune of photographing perhaps the ultimate urban archaeological find: hidden faded ads that are revealed for a brief time after an old building is knocked down to make way for a usually bigger project. That dynamic — old building torn down, ancient ad revealed, new tower again covers up ancient ad — says so much about New York’s constant tension between the pull of the past and the call of the future.
Pujol is a multimedia editor for the Daily News. He was previously managing editor of amNewYork, where he directed the award-winning “Endangered NYC” series on preservation, neighborhoods and history. He also co-hosts “Hidden City” on WNBC’s New York Nonstop channel. Pujol, who is a licensed, star-rated New York City tour guide, can be found on Twitter: @RolandoPujol – NY Daily News Blog – CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!
