830 12th Ave may be one of the most desolate addresses in Manhattan. There are no pedestrians in this part of Hell's Kitchen. Here W 57th St empties onto the Henry Hudson. The intersection is generally crowded with cars bearing the license plate holders of some Westchester dealer.

The building at 830 12th Ave has been standing for at least 80 years, first as a garage, later as the home of the Artkraft Strauss Electric Sign Company. The first owner for which we have the paperwork was Mr. Vincent Valentine, resident of the Bronx. The building changed hands in 1935, becoming the property of De Rosa and Cavalieri, Architects, who kept it as an operating garage, but with a "shop for assembling signs of an incombustible material." The Artkraft Strauss Sign Corporation soon completely took over the space, and from there produced the spectacular neon signs that came to represent both New York City and the age of grand advertising. For over a century, Artkraft Strauss has been responsible for the iconic neon blanketing Times Square; it was their technicians who fashioned the images that reflected the strength of the post-war consumer economy. And in their claim to being the coolest motherfuckers ever, it was the employees at Artkraft Strauss who created the New Year's Eve ball, and flawlessly orchestrated the drop for the last 87 years.

The Camel Cigarette sign was awesome. Every few seconds, back when Times Square was raw, the sign would blow 'real' smoke rings at visitors. A drawing of the sign from a year before it was installed demanded thousands at auction.

Artkraft Strauss moved from the building at 830 12th Ave several years ago. Responding to the shift away from neon and towards LED, Artkraft Strauss sold of their billboard business and recast itself as a design consultancy agency. Their leadership was "instrumental" in the 1987 passage of a zoning regulation mandating bright lights from 43rd through 50th St, and a recent auction of old inventory drew more than $100,000 from rich people.

The iconic Artkraft Strauss sign still adorns the facade of 830 12th Ave, but these days the building is remarkable for hosting the newest iteration of signage.





Until recently there was a small sign announcing 830 12th Ave to be the new home of the Time Travel Agency. In the sign, all the Ees are turned backwards.






Who is Invalid? What is drizzle? Is that a Banksy?

I became interested in this building when I noticed a stylistic similarity between the creator of these images:





...and the aforementioned artistic rendering of a local girl on the back pages of the Village Voice, which hung on the corner of 13th and 5th for a minute. I believe it to be the same artist who created this lovely likeness, from the corner of Greenwich and Charlton (notice the Ees):



I took a picture with my phone of similar piece that hung around Greene street for a bit. She was a brunette. Here's a frog:




Who is Veng Col? Who is Billi Kid?