“This is retirement to me…When I die, this will go too.” Apparently, a sunglasses store offered to buy the building to “help him retire,” but he declined. Mortillaro is a Village institution, and is said to be one of the best in the business. And while there, why not get a key made? Now more than 40 years at it, Mr. Mortillaro’s custom-made clock (note all the skeleton keys on the left):ĭefinitely check it out next time you’re in the West Village. Here it is, with owner and master key artist Mortillaro!Ī small triangular workspace measuring barely 50 square feet, man does it remind me of the Keymaker’s place in Matrix 2: “It would have been more Disney World,” he said in an interview.Ī bunch of people wrote to see if I could post a picture of the interior. Wow! The Landmarks Preservation Commission gave its unanimous approval, and according to the article, Mortillaro was set to begin construction in 1992…but ultimately, he decided against it. “What can I do with this place? It looks like any building on Queens Boulevard, I’m proud to be an American, I’d like you to make this a real American building.” On the Greenwich Locksmiths website, I came across a NY Times article revealing that, in 1991, Mortillaro reached out to an architect to redesign the facade. Mortillaro has apparently been looking to make his building more distinct for quite some time. …which has gotta be one of the coolest chairs in New York (if not necessarily the most comfortable!): I love the spiral below, almost like a bronze-colored licorice wheel –įeeling tired? Have a seat on Mortillaro’s hand-made chair out front… It almost feels like the locksmith version of a Pollock painting – tens of thousands of keys seemingly strewn about haphazardly, yet in the mess, patterns emerge.Įven the inside of the door got the key treatment… The key facade was designed and installed entirely by owner Phil Mortillaro back in October, and I can’t tell you how beautiful it is up close. …and thousands of keys, twisting into wonderful assortment of swoops and twirls. The new design is made up entirely of keys: But get a little closer and you’ll find the real magic… I went by today – and was absolutely blown away.įrom a distance, it looks like a bunch of golden squiggles and spirals have been added, snaking whimsically across the facade.
Then, last week, I received a letter from attentive reader Jonathan Burr, urging me to take a closer look at the building, as something had changed. Compare the recent picture above to one taken in the 1980’s… It occupies a small storefront just south of Commerce Street on one of the stranger parcels of land in Manhattan…Īnd though it’s been in business since 1968, it really hasn’t changed all that much. I've said goodbye to NYC, but that doesn't mean the fun has to end! Follow all my latest scouting posts from the West Coast at: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok.Ĭhances are, you’ve noticed Greenwich Locksmiths in your travels through the West Village.
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