New York to be Destroyed!

Unique model of mid-Manhattan by British craftsman fails to find a home

LONDON, UK, January 18, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For the last fifteen years, visitors to the London law firm, Withers have marvelled at the model of Manhattan given pride of place in its lobby opposite the Old Bailey. Now, Withers are moving offices and there's no room for the model in their new premises.
The model was created by Alec Graydon, a Londoner who was so passionate about New York that he spent twenty years building the model in his bedroom in Fulham, until it grew too large and his wife wanted their bedroom back. For a few years it was on display in a television production company office and then, when Withers acquired an American law firm, they decided in 2002 that it would make a nice feature in their lobby.
The model was featured in a double page spread in the Guardian newspaper and it became a regular stop on guided tours of the City of London.
Alec Graydon died in 2003, but the model has attracted visitors ever since. Now, it seems, without a knight in shining armour, the model, made of softwood, will have to be demolished and thrown away.
Karl Sabbagh, Alec Graydon's nephew, says: "This is a piece of folk art. Alec used to go to New York regularly, on budget flights and staying in crummy hotels just to photograph the less fashionable corners of Manhattan so that he could make another block or two out of softwood and paper. It now runs from 14th St to 49th St, between the East River and the Hudson. It is actually a representation of a city that doesn't exist. Parts of it are as Manhattan looked when Alec started, in the 1980s, including Trump Tower; other parts are like New York in 2000 when he finished it. It would be sad if it can't find another home, in a museum, gallery, or entertainment venue, but if New York must be destroyed, so be it."

Contact Karl Sabbagh for photo opportunities of the model being destroyed, or to illustrate a feature.
01295722690
07889209955
skyscraperpublications@btconnect.com

Karl Sabbagh
Skyscraper Publications
01295722690
email us here