Angelina Jolie (2019), credit: Gage Skidmore via Wikipedia
John Roesch and Garrett Kelly, both directors at the real estate company Meridian Capital Group, announced today that the deal for the property at 57 Great Jones Street is done. Jolie will rent the space for eight years for her latest creative project, Atelier Jolie. The space will be used for long-term business use. The room inside is 6,600 square feet (613m2) and spread out over three floors. The outside of the building is covered with street art, and Jolie will keep it that way as a public tribute to Basquiat, who started his work as one half of the graffiti art duo SAMO. Roesch said that Jolie wanted to keep the older art on the building and keep the area feeling like it was designed by Basquiat. "She loved how the street art on the front of the building was a tribute to Basquiat," Kelly said.
Soon after they met, Basquiat rented the second-floor room from Warhol. Warhol bought the building for the first time in 1970. Before Warhol bought the property, it already had a long and interesting past. Built in the 1860s, it was bought by the thief Paul Kelly, aka Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli, who opened the Brighton Athletic Club there in 1904. After that, the house was used as a metal shop and a kitchen supply store until 1970. The building was most recently home to the high-end Japanese restaurant Bohemian. Atelier Jolie will be a school for tailors and artists from around the world who don't get enough work. Participants will be able to work on their projects and show off their work at 57 Great Jones Street. Roesch says that Jolie wants to open her new business "as soon as possible." Before, Meridian Capital Group put the house on the market for $60,000 per month for at least 10 years.
Selena Mattei