Its time ran out.
A Queens art facility that set up shop in the Clock Tower of Long Island City is now being forced to move, after the Art Deco building was purchased by a mysterious buyer.
The Center for Holographic Arts is getting the boot after just nine months following the sale of the iconic 41st Ave. building, which celebrates its 87th birthday this year.
“We’ve been overjoyed to call this space our home for the past nine months,” said project director Jonah Levy in a statement, adding that the Center is looking for a new space.
“We’ve been on a sub-lease that stipulated we could be out on 30 days’ notice,” he said, adding that one prospective buyer looked at the holograms in the building, turned, and said, “It’s a shame you guys won’t be around much longer.”
The arts center held a sub-lease from Andover Realty by way of No Longer Empty, a nonprofit that connects unused spaces with public art exhibitions. But Andover chose not to renew the lease, said Levy.
It’s definitely sad. I loved this space and I was thrilled to take advantage of the facility.
An Andover Reality spokeswoman declined to comment about future plans for the tower, hanging up the phone curtly.
“It’s definitely sad,” Levy said. “I loved this space and I was absolutely thrilled to take advantage of the facility.”
But the Holocenter doesn’t plan to fade to black – it’s holding an April 11 Farewell Extravaganza to bid adieu to the space and show some of its installations and interactive art.
The clock tower — which was built in 1927 — sat empty for 30 years until the holocenter set up shop in the Queens spot last year. It was built as a branch of the Bank of Manhattan, which was one of the city’s first banks.
It stood as the tallest building in the borough until Citigroup’s skyscraper in Court Sq. was completed in 1990.
bstebner@nydailynews.com
