#NYCThenAndNow: the Sterilization of Texture | #MarsBar

This story is nothing new, but standing inside the former Mars Bar yesterday was shocking. (And not quinoa shocking.)

Where there was once a nice little corner to sit and drink at while light flooded in through graffiti- and ephemera-covered windows:

Image by Flickr user Googla.

Is now a corner like any other corner of a … ATM room:

…

Where there was once life and activity

now there is

…

But perhaps most shocking is the exterior, the public-facing facade, gone forever, even the remnants:

becomes

becomes

and disappears

See the Street View history for yourself.

Featured image via Observer.