Fury as New York coffee bar where Bob Dylan wrote Blowin' In The Wind loses famous sign
For fans of Bob Dylan, the Greenwich Village coffee bar where the singer penned his most famous song had become a place of pilgrimage, so the news that a sign that has hung outside the former theatre since the Sixties has been painted over has prompted an outcry.
Dylan is said to have written Blowin' In The Wind at the Fat Black Pussycat where other stars including Bill Cosby, Richie Havens and Tiny Tim have also all performed.
The sign had remained for decades at its original site on Minetta Street, a spot taken over by Panchito's restaurant in the 1970s.
Last week, Panchito's covered the sign with red paint, prompting anger from New York City preservation enthusiasts.
The cover-up was branded 'a shame' by Andrew Berman, executive director for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
He said: 'It's a tangible link to this incredibly important era in the neighbourhood's history, when so many great musicians, poets and artists used the Village as a springboard to transform the world.'
In 2006, the society proposed that the city designate a large section of Greenwich Village as a historical landmark. But the Pussycat was not included.
Panchito's owner Bob Engelhardt was a regular at the Pussycat which he described as a 'cesspool'. It was situated in a quiet street behind the tourist mecca MacDougal Street.
He said the nostalgia was misplaced, and that the preservation group did not understand the spirit of Greenwich Village.
Engelhardt added:'There are buildings that are worth preserving. Ninety per cent of what's in the Village isn't.
'The Village was freedom. The Village was not rules and regulations set in concrete. It destroys everything the Village was always famous for.'
Dylan is said to have written Blowin' In The Wind at the Fat Black Pussycat where other stars including Bill Cosby, Richie Havens and Tiny Tim have also all performed.
The sign had remained for decades at its original site on Minetta Street, a spot taken over by Panchito's restaurant in the 1970s.
Good times: The Sixties beatnik haven the Fat Black Pussycat in New York where Dylan used to hang out
Sign of the times: The Fat Black Pussycat after boarding had been put up
The cover-up was branded 'a shame' by Andrew Berman, executive director for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
He said: 'It's a tangible link to this incredibly important era in the neighbourhood's history, when so many great musicians, poets and artists used the Village as a springboard to transform the world.'
History or nostalgia? Artists such as Bob Dylan and Tiny Tim made early appearances at the Fat Black Pussycat
Panchito's owner Bob Engelhardt was a regular at the Pussycat which he described as a 'cesspool'. It was situated in a quiet street behind the tourist mecca MacDougal Street.
He said the nostalgia was misplaced, and that the preservation group did not understand the spirit of Greenwich Village.
Engelhardt added:'There are buildings that are worth preserving. Ninety per cent of what's in the Village isn't.
'The Village was freedom. The Village was not rules and regulations set in concrete. It destroys everything the Village was always famous for.'
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