MTA Removes 'Subway Therapy' Post-Its From Union Square Station

UNION SQUARE, NY — The "subway therapy" Post-It collage that's been growing and spreading throughout the 14th Street-Union Square station since Donald Trump was elected president will be removed from the station, five weeks after it was born, according to state officials.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) instructed Matthew Levee Chavez, the guy who started the project, to begin removing the thousands of Post-Its on Friday — with help from the New-York Historical Society, which now plans to preserve and archive "a large selection" of the notes on the Upper West Side.

No word on when the notes will see the light of day again.

But at least until Trump's Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, the New-York Historical Society is encouraging New Yorkers to keep writing their post-Trump emotions onto sticky notes — only instead of posting them in Union Square station, we're supposed to stick them onto the glass wall inside the society's front entrance on Central Park West at 77th Street.

"We are ever-mindful of preserving the memory of today’s events for future generations," Louise Mirrer, head of the Historical Society, said Friday. "Ephemeral items in particular, created with spontaneity and emotion, can become vivid historical documents. ‘Subway Therapy’ perfectly evokes this historic moment. We are thrilled to collaborate with Mr. Chavez and the MTA to ensure future generations can understand the historical impact of present events."

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who visited the wall in its early days and posted his own note, called it "an emblem of emotion and humanity in the month following the election."

It's not clear what will happen to any sticky notes posted in the Union Square station from here on out, now that the official removal process is underway. (We've contacted the MTA and will let you know what we find out.)

R.I.P., Subway Therapy. So many memories:

Lead photo courtesy of Gov. Cuomo's Office. Post-It photos by Sarah Kaufman/Patch