Apparently, the blighted building at 227 North Larchmont was too tempting a canvas for the international graffiti artist Bansky. It seems that the mysterious artist from England was busy at the site sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning creating his signature street art and challenging all the little toddlers to dream big.
We saw a tweet by a local earlier today that kind of riffs off of Banksy’s sentiment – intentionally or unintentionally, we’re not sure. All the same, it reminds us of just how many little ones there are on the Boulevard. Â Bansky definitely knows his target audience!
227 North Larchmont – What’s Up With That?
People ask about what’s up with this building all the time…how could it sit empty for so long? The building was last occupied by tenant Prudential Realty. They closed their offices on Larchmont towards the end of 2007, after the building was bought by Beverly Hills investor Albert Mizrahi.
As luck would have it, Mizrahi rented the space to Wachovia Bank at the end of 2007 – just before Wachovia was swept up in the sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2008. Wachovia was acquired by Wells Fargo in 2008. The lease has been in dispute ever since. According to Mizrahi, the case is caught up in appeals after his side initially won.
The street art is actually a welcome distraction given what an eyesore this building has become. And if you know anything about Banksy, it’s kind of cool that he was here…and gone.
Get to Know Bansky
Wikipedia – Bansky
Website – Bansky.co.uk
My big dream would be…..a Bi-Rite Market (or heck, even a Cookbook)! but hell will freeze before that happens with a landlord like Mizrahi in charge. Meanwhile, thank you Banksy for the reminder, at least, of the possibilities…
How much of the Larchmont Monopoly board does Mizrahi own?
He owns the building with Larchmont Bungalow (107 N.), the building with Twirl (121 N.), the building with Hardware (152 N.), and this building – 227 N.
The website laist sets us straight…it’s not a Bansky. Read more here… http://laist.com/2012/06/22/guess_what_not_all_street_art_is_ba.php