Dismantling of East Village Toy Tower Underway

Photo courtesy Lorcan Otway.

So it goes. The eclectic East Village “toy tower,” assembled from found objects by colorful East Village character Eddie Boros in the East Sixth Street and Avenue B community garden, is on its way out. Parks Department workers have begun dismantling the 65-foot-tall tower, built over the course of two decades.

Vanishing New York hears that today passers-by were permitted to take bits of the tower as souvenirs, and Curbed has some sad photos of the scene. Workers are expected to continue the erasure of the idiosyncratic downtown icon starting at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Arts & Entertainment on May 19, 2008 5:21 PM

Comments [rss]

yttiktak

Nik, it is not a 'little park', it is a community garden.

nik13

Tower was an eye-sore, but I hope dismantling will not become an excuse to get rid of this little park.

emilydickinson

I'd be fine with them taking it down if the space was promised to another equally eccentric maker. I've been walking past that thing for ages,and I think the block will be less interesting with it gone.

jag80

All things must change to something new, to something strange.

Longfellow

slappy

Sorry to see it go. It was a tribute to a spirit of creative serendipity. Also a true and generous work of public art. Rare these days. Anyway, it was kind of doomed for not being built with an eye to scure construction and longevity. So it goes. Nonetheless, it was very cool, in some way also for its dangerous impermanent feeling. I remember being startled by people climbing it on occassion.

dr zippy

As much as I enjoyed the Toy Tower it was pretty obviously becoming a hazard. The untreated wood has been exposed to the elements for nearly 25 years and the tower was leaning in more directions than a vertical structure really needs to lean. What would you have done differently? Who would you get to pay to save it?