A holdout is a building, often in a dense urban area, whose owner refuses to sell out to developers, thus disrupting the development of new larger buildings which must adopt peculiar forms of architectural adaptation around them. Sometimes a high contrast scenario unfolds— the original holdout is a relic of a past time, and the new building is an emblem of modernity. Sometimes they just lead to cool architectural mutations. I became fascinated with holdouts in Manhattan when I saw the SW corner of 8th Ave and W 38th St. The holdout there is three storeys high with a tall building erected around it in a grand “L” shape. I was taken aback by the negative space— essentially a missing chunk— between the newer building and the holdout— I realized how much life can occur in the space contained in a single building. The vastness and density of NYC hit me in that moment! This led me to think about holdouts as a symbol simultaneously for the resistance + adherence to capitalism, as well as a force that dictates surrounding architectural outcomes. My art practice is inspired by my built environment, and I began to think about the buildup of paint as little holdouts themselves. Which original marks will last as I create the work, redacting and adding paint until the image is complete? Which strokes will be holdouts?

Since 2022, I’ve been tracking holdouts around Manhattan, and I made a map of them. Walk around and check them out! If you encounter an intriguing holdout situation not already found on this map, please send its address to emilydrewu@gmail.com or IG DM @emilydrewu. The map is continuously updated.

Click here to launch map in Google Maps