Gladiator Zine: Peace, Love and Gym
Victor Alvarez was born in 1950 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and came to the Lower East Side at fourteen. In 1965 at the age of fifteen, Victor started his first gym and equipment shop in a basement on Ridge street, followed by a three-floor gym on Delancey street which burned down shortly after. His most well known and iconic GLADIATOR GYM opened in 1972 on east 6th street and featured equipment that he hand-built.
The gym gained notoriety in the fitness community by attracting locals and celebrities alike with neighborhood bodybuilding competitions and get-togethers and became a safe haven for anyone who walked in. Through this gym, Victor was able to build equipment for many other neighborhood fitness centers along with the 5th and 7th precincts and GLADIATOR GYM was even featured on an episode of Seinfeld.
Although the gym closed down in 2006, Victor's family operated business was a way of life and left a lasting impression on the world of fitness. His passion for wellness and community can still be felt throughout the streets of New York City today.
Peace, Love and Gym is a 24 page, full color Zine printed in 2020. The 24 page zine is composed of archived photographs from the Malda Alvarez collection and features images of Gym members and family memories.
Community serves as a continuous focal point through the zine and documents the Lower East Side latino community. The burgundy color jacket cover and gym mascot have grown to become a cornerstone of the local neighborhood representing the Gym as a safe space for health enthusiasts and community members alike.
Settling on the final blast came down to the center space and its hollow weight of the outline stoke.
Applying the blast mark to materials like woven tags, twill caps and even T-shirts was the ultimate test to see
if the shape could register as a mark alongside typography.
