Upper West Side photographer Michael Burlingame – who was recently named one of 3,000 New York City-based artists to receive $5,000 through the City Artist Corps Grants program – will soon be bringing his exhibit, “Some Have Gone and Some Remain: The Vanishing Upper West Side” to the neighborhood.
His black and white photographs will be on display from October 1 to October 29 at Corks on Columbus, located 313 Columbus Avenue (between 74th and 75th Streets).
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The exhibit will include photos of both shuttered businesses and “structures that seem permanently fixed in place,” like …
Burlingame has been on the Upper West Side since 2004, and tells us the idea for the project was likely sparked in 2013 when he heard Big Nick’s on 77th and Broadway was going to close. “I just loved the chaotic look of the storefront and decided to photograph it.” (The other Big Nick’s recently closed its doors as well).
This first photo led Burlingame to wander the Upper West Side to photograph more visually appealing storefronts, many of which are now just a memory.
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The exhibit also includes some stoop and facade photography, like this image of a formerly uninhabitable townhouse at 118 West 76th Street.
Burlingame came to New York as a filmmaker in the ’90s, spending much of that decade on the road with rock bands shooting behind-the-scenes footage and documentaries.
Michael Burlingame’s independent films have been featured in many international film festivals, including the London Film Festival, the Brussels International Festival of Film and Video, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Big Apple Film Festival, and the Krakow International Festival of Short Films.
As editor, he has done documentaries on Ernest Hemingway, Charles Darwin, Bertrand Russell, William Butler Yeats, Igor Stravinsky, and Alfred Hitchcock.
Music projects include the Janis Joplin documentary Nine Hundred Nights, as well as films and videos with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and others. He received an Emmy nomination for his work with Sting.
“The Vanishing Upper West Side” will be on display from October 1 to October 29 at Corks on Columbus, located 313 Columbus Avenue (between 74th and 75th Streets). There will be a wine tasting at the October 1 opening from 5:30-7:30pm.
Confusing headline:
“HomeArts & EntertainmentBlack & White Photo Exhibit: Shuttered and Still Standing Storefronts Black & White Photo Exhibit: Shuttered and Still Standing Storefronts”:
At least 2 of those business still exist in Sept 2021, and are operating as the business the signage advertises, so unlike the French cleaners on Columbus, which has the same sign but is now some kind of boutique.
Also the “Big Nick’s” on 71st Street that recently closed had been sold by Nick years before he closed the original “Big Nick’s” on Broadway. The point here is that though the sign and the menu remained “Big Nick’s 2” hadn’t been “the other Big Nick’s” for something like 20 years.
The three businesses depicted in this article that still exist fall under the headline category of “still standing.”
MB:
“The three businesses depicted in this article that still exist fall under the headline category of “still standing.””
“Still Standing” doesn’t mean operating as the named business; that’s why I cited the French cleaners on Columbus example, which is no longer a cleaners, though the signage remains.
In other words, “still standing” is not the same as “Pioneer is still operating as a supermarket, and a few years ago the interior was redone; it now has UPC scanners at the checkouts and entirely new refrigeration.”
Also, as I hinted in my initial comment: I’m only aware of 2 businesses pictured that still exist: Malachy’s and Pioneer. So not 3 as you claim.
At a minimum, it’s a misleading headline. Better would be: Photo exhibit of closed and long enduring Upper West Side businesses.
Thank you Jay, for pointing that out. It was a presentation of confusion.
Mitchell’s Wine is also still in business.
MB:
That’s the one I wasn’t sure of.
It’s a confusing headline and text too.
I still miss Harry’s Burritos!
Harry’s was a nothing special chain. It wasn’t terrible like Chipolte.
The Chinese run Mexican place in the middle of the same West 72nd block was better than Harry’s.
“The three businesses depicted in this article that still exist fall under the headline category of “still standing.””
“Still Standing” doesn’t mean operating as the named business; that’s why I cited the French cleaners on Columbus example, which is no longer a cleaners, though the signage remains.
In other words, “still standing” is not the same as “Pioneer is still operating as a supermarket, and a few years ago the interior was redone; it now has UPC scanners at the checkouts and entirely new refrigeration.”
Also, as I hinted in my initial comment: I’m only aware of 2 businesses pictured that still exist: Malachy’s and Pioneer. So not 3 as you claim.
At a minimum, it’s a misleading headline. Better would be: Photo exhibit of closed and long enduring Upper West Side businesses.