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Early Addition
A tipster tells Vanishing New York that the iconic found object “Tower of Toys” that began rising out of the Avenue B and 6th Street Community Garden in the mid-80s will be demolished by the Parks Department. According to the garden's executive committee, the 65-foot tower has been deemed unsafe. And, let’s face it, it’s just not in keeping with the city’s ever-expanding ‘generic and soulless’ real estate trend.
The creator of the tower, Eddie Boros, passed away almost exactly one year ago at the age of 74. He began assembling the tower on his allotted 4-foot-by-8-foot plot after joining the two-year-old garden in 1985. After his death there was talk of making the tower an official landmark, but that has apparently gone nowhere.
Some in the neighborhood and in the community garden have long opposed the tower, but over time it came to be identified with the wild, idiosyncratic character of the East Village's bohemian years. NYPD Blue used a shot of the tower in its opening credits, and the musical RENT put a replica of the tower onstage.
This Sunday May 11th there will be “An Informal Celebration of the Tower of Toys” from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Community Garden.
Photo courtesy WallyG.
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Thank GOD! what a dangerous rickety trap that thing has been for decades. Lord, the SMELL of those rotten stuffed animals used to permeate the garden and make it unbearable at times.
yes! awesome! fuck you new york! you are hell-bent on destroying anything interesting and idiosyncratic about yourself! well, at least now that new york is erasing hundresd of years of civic intrigue it leaves the door wide open for other cities to blow it out of the water. bleed the beast! death to new york!
no comment with regard to safety (or the smell) but this was one of my more memorable parts of living in alphabet city.
Yes, we know, it's cute, it's quirky, the East Village is losing its character, yadda yadda yadda. But finally, this community garden can be turned into something the community can actually use, rather than being a deathtrap-waiting-to-happen.
It's an awesome sight and definitely harkens back to when the the community had more penache. But as long as the garden stays and the community still gets to use it, I can't see much reason to complain. When the garden goes (like the Mendez Mural Garden once did and many others under Giuliani's bullshit) then we can say that the LES has truly died.
YAY! now they can put a Shake Shack in that space. Now the Ohioans...sorry...East Villagers can have tasty tasty overrated treats instead of something native to New York!
I spent a lot of time in that garden as a teenager (they used to host a lot of poetry readings and plays and stuff, maybe they still do) and will miss the tower.
an ex-boyfriend took me to this tower on a date, showing me his east village stomping grounds. I was all excited to see this amazing thing and when I opened my eyes to this, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It's a towering pile of dirty rotten toys randomly gobbed on. Yay to the eccentric who got to spend years building it and I'm glad it survived past his lifetime, but time for the garden to go back to the community. I hope a lovely and fragrant patch of flowers grows in it's place.
I agree that the stuff animals do stink to high heaven, but I'm not certain that structure is a 'death trap'. This is a hard line to toe, and it reminds me of the Broken Angel situation in Brooklyn. Overall, I agree with #4. Let the community use the space as they see fit. The crappy stuffed animal tower has been a landmark to me since I was a teenager, but maybe it's time to let a new generation build an awkward structure in the gardens.
Rebuild it with the abandoned IKEA furniture left behind by fleeing, busted out midwesterners.
its gross, and probably home to the rats who used to inhabit Tomkins Park before they (thank God!) cleaned that up.
just because something has been around for a while does not automatically make it a sacred cow. Good riddence.
BURN IT. We often forget the psychic health benefits of a good POTLACH. Really kids, if this thing is leveled by bureaucrats, cat ladies, and Jersey Contactors the gods will be sorely disappointed. (Pity it doesnt abut a new, highly flamable condo)
Once again, to summarize. BBBUUUUUURRRNNNN IIIITTTT. FIRE GOOD.
Noooo! That and the Moondance used to be some of my favorite things in NYC, now they will both be gone.
:(
first off the tower has no more stuff animals on it so i whould appreciated if you whould stop saying it smells cuz if you keep saying it smells you obviously know nothing.
i've been a member of the garden since i was 2 i grew up there,the tower has always been there so if they take it down they whould be taking a part of my heart with it.
the tower is a land mark every time i'm in the garden when people come in they always ask me about the tower and always tell me how much they like it!.
and did you know that theres a tree in the middle of the tower and plants, flowers and kiwi vines do grow in side of it.
so if you are one of the people who want to take it down and don't liike it you are clearly not from the LES and should go back to where you came from.