Mystery solved as massive East Village funeral home ad strangely reappears months after it was sandblasted off wall
NY Post
A decades-old East Village funeral home ad that was sandblasted into oblivion last year has been magically resurrected — and the mystery funder says he just wanted to pay homage to a piece of New York City history, The Post has learned.
The 40-foot advert for Peter Jarema Funeral Home loomed over the now-trendy lower Manhattan neighborhood, its aging lettering barely legible against the faded white painted background.
The throwback mural had remained in place in its shabby-chic state as a quiet, anachronistic nod to simpler times, even as much of the East Village modernized around it.
But last June, the five-story building at 108 Avenue B and Seventh Street underwent extensive exterior renovations, during which the painted-on original was stripped from the façade.
Then on Friday, neighborhood blog EV Grieve spotted workers affixing a massive brand-new white canvas banner to the north-facing wall in the exact spot where original had been painted on.
The updated sign, attached to the building via ropes and metal-reinforced grommets, touts the funeral home’s services and highlights its founding in 1906, directing passersby to its location a block up the street.
