A year ago, the machines could do no better than 600 per square inch. He saw the ad on trips to Madison Square Garden to see the circus with his father. Any New Yorker who goes to the Garden is familiar with that wall. Big ads are part of the New York landscape. Even part of the rural landscape.
People paint big ads on the sides of barns.
Before Artkraft took control of the ad, Starr said there was an ad for the building's office space for 40 years. Artkraft began leasing it after Starr's grandfather, Jacob, had a particular vision for the space, thanks to its five-tiered top. Artkraft has leased the wall from the building owner ever since, though James Manfredi,vice president of operations for Artkraft Strauss, would not say how long the current contract lasts, nor how much the company pays. When the New York City Council passed a bill in 1997 restricting outdoor cigarette advertising, Artkraft found no shortage of companies waiting for billboard space, including the 35th Street Wall. Amtrak leased the space.