The days are numbered for the Candle Building at Eleven Spring Street, the giant street art oasis on the corner of Spring and Elizabeth Streets in NoLIta. In just a month, construction begins converting the building into three condo units. The building has been a magnet for street artists over the years, and rightfully so. Boarded up and with no apparent use, the layers of paint, posters (and occasional Skewville sculpture) have been allowed to steadily collect. The only signs of life have been candles in upper windows, the building’s namesake, and a few lazy attempts to buff the walls.

Photo by xymox

Steven Kurutz of the New York Times focuses on the mystery of the building and quells our curiosity a bit.

Over the years, the building has become the New York equivalent of the spooky suburban home with the chipped paint and weedy lawn. The curtains and lighted candles that for years adorned the upper-story windows only added to the haunted-house aura. Some wonder if the interior is full of bizarre mechanical gadgets, an architectural version of the game Mousetrap. Others say there are no stairs, only ramps. “I heard it was an icehouse, where the mob kept bodies,” Mr. Steele said.

The new owners say they are “sensitive to the street art issue,” whatever that means. Will the wall be buffed clean or turned into the street art equivalent of a sanctioned skate park? We’ll be watching.

The Candle Building will be one stop on the Graffiti Bike Tour this Saturday.