the 1905 neo-renaissance Mott haven Branch of the New York Public Library, designed by Babb, Cook and Willard, as well as a number of industrial buildings from the turn of the century of which Q Art's home is one at 305 East 140th Street. Jordan Lawrence Mott purchased the area from the Morris family for his iron works in 1849.  The Piccirilli Brothers Monument Sculptors Firm had its studio in the area. These six brothers carved the marble lions guarding the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue, the pediment of the New York Stock Exchange, and the Abe Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

More recent heroes of the area include La Lupe, La Reina del Latin Soul, considered by many to be one of the leading singers in the salsa music genre. Exiled from Cuba in 1963, she established a luminous career in New York, with the likes of Tito Puente, and ended her days in Mott Haven.

This layering of history both cultural and industrial, so present on every street corner makes Mott Haven a perfect home for artists and art–related businesses like Q Art. (Back)