A holdout is a building, often in a dense urban area, whose owner refuses to sell out to developers. This disrupts the development of new larger buildings, which must adopt peculiar forms of architectural adaptation around the holdouts. Sometimes a high contrast scenario unfolds— the original holdout is a relic of a past time, and the new building is a sign of the future. 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 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. Click here to launch map in Google Maps

If you encounter an intriguing holdout situation not already found on this map, please send its address to emilydrewu@gmail.com. The map is continuously updated.