The "Subway Therapy" walls will be saved, in a way. The ingenious and beautiful spontaneous art project, which started after the election with a few Post-It note pads and pens at a Manhattan subway passage, has become a piece of New York history. Governor Cuomo announced today that some of the messages of hope and love will be preserved by the New York Historical Society.

"Over the last six weeks, New Yorkers have proved that we will not let fear and division define us. Today, we preserve a powerful symbol that shows how New Yorkers of all ages, races and religions came together to say we are one family, one community and we will not be torn apart," he said in a statement. "New York will always hold the torch high and our partnership with the Historical Society ensures that generations to come will see the moment when New Yorkers united in such a moving way."

We're going to preserve the Union Square sticky notes, because we will remember this as the moment New Yorkers united in such a moving way. pic.twitter.com/HJSQWwYSVA — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) December 16, 2016

Artist Matthew "Levee" Chavez set up the Subway Therapy wall on the long 14th Street corridor between the 1/2/3 station on 7th Avenue and the F/M/L station on 6th Avenue. He said in November, "Because of how stressful the last couple of days were, I thought it would be nice to have something that people could do really quickly so that they could maybe get something off their chest."

I suggested "I Love You" and she said "I wanna write 'Never Let Go Of Your Dreams'" ❤️ #subwaytherapy A photo posted by Jen Chung (@chungjen) on Nov 12, 2016 at 1:30pm PST

Then other Post-It note walls emerged, including at Union Square, where Cuomo left a message: "New York State holds the torch high! - Andrew C. 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free … I lift my lamp beside the golden door' Emma Lazarus / STATUE OF LIBERTY"

In late November, Chavez told Gothamist that he thinks the additional walls are "great. I structured the project in a way that encouraged community building and being an active participant. I think all the walls(all over the nation!) are great. I've been talking with several people internationally about starting them, and I'm really excited to see the seeds spreading."

Today, the Governor's office announced:

The project was created by the artist Matthew Levee Chavez when he brought sticky notes and pens to subway stations in the days following the Presidential election and encouraged New Yorkers to share their feelings. People around the world have since contributed. Working with Chavez, the New-York Historical Society will archive the sticky notes - an emblem of emotion and humanity in the month following the election - so they can be carefully preserved as their removal begins this morning. The New-York Historical Society will preserve a large selection of notes as part of its History Responds Program. Beginning Tuesday through Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017, members of the public can continue to participate in the project by placing sticky notes on the glass wall inside New-York Historical's front entrance on Central Park West at 77th Street. Matthew Levee Chavez said, "I started the project so people could have a channel to express their thoughts, feel less alone, and also become exposed to opinions different than their own. ‘Subway Therapy’ is about inclusion, stress relief and peaceful expression. I’m thrilled that we have found a way to work together to move the project and preserve it for others to experience in the future." New-York Historical Society President and CEO Dr. Louise Mirrer said, "We are ever-mindful of preserving the memory of today’s events for future generations. 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." MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said, "We thank the New-York Historical Society for helping to find a way to preserve this spontaneous movement to allow others outside the subway to experience it."

In case you were wondering, some people have written pro-Trump messages for the wall; Chavez hasn't removed them, though some have asked him to. Speaking with the NY Times, he explained, "This isn’t about a filtered view. This is just people writing about how they feel. You should respect what they have to say in hopes that they should respect what you have to say."