Nonprofit Bronx River Arts Center, students preserve graffiti murals on Boone Ave. walls being torn down

A nonprofit has joined forces with students to preserve walls adorned with colorful murals on Boone Avenue that will soon be demolished.
The murals, which were painted by well-known graffiti artists, have blanketed the walls since the 1990s. They are coming down to make way for a new residential development.
The Bronx River Arts Center, along with students in the area, have been taking photos of the artwork and combining them with images from Google Maps Street View to create an online version of the walls.
Other ways they are preserving the artwork is by relocating the mural-covered gates to a display outside the Bronx River Arts Center, and finding a new space for graffiti artists to work. They hope some of the world's most renowned artists will keep the mural tradition going on a new wall at Fannie Lou Hamer High School, also located on Boone Avenue.
A Bronx River Arts Center website showcasing the reconstructed walls of graffiti is expected to launch some time this fall.