Faded Wrigley's Ad on Columbia Street Vanishing

Back in 2008, L&M Equities purchased the old buildings at the corner of Columbia and Warren in Cobble Hill West, and quickly tore them down. The idea was to erect a new apartment building. But for whatever reason, the plot stood vacant for the next three years.

That was OK by me, because the demolition had revealed an old advertisement  by that onetime king of outdoor signage, the O.J. Gude Company. It was an ad for Wrigley's gum, with the discernible slogan, "The Flavor Lasts."

Now, however, the cinder blocks have started to climb. And the gum ad is fast disappearing. A shame. Still, I'm glad they didn't go to the bother to paint over the ad. It's fun to imagine the surprise that will await New Yorkers when this crappy new building is inevitably torn down in 30 or 40 years time. The flavor lasts—and so do the faded ads.

Here's how the ad looked before construction began: