The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has unceremoniously torn down its "treehouse"—a ground-level structure once described as "what you get when your drunk dad tells you he's going to build you a treehouse"—without first informing artist Roderick Romero, a.k.a Treehouse Builder To The Stars.
Romero built the "treehouse" for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in the spring of 2013, out of rare trees felled in Hurricane Sandy. At the time, the BBG described the project, "Tree House Installation," as a "whimsical, inhabitable sculpture." However, it was not a treehouse by any stretch of the imagination—let us remind you that a treehouse is defined as: "a small house, especially one for children to play in, built or placed up in the branches of a tree."
The News reports that Romero has been visiting the installation on a regular basis for the last few years. But when he showed up on August 18th for a presentation with a potential treehouse client, the erstwhile "treehouse" was partially destroyed, and surrounded with caution tape and chain link fencing.
"I fell to my knees,” he told the paper. “I was just devastated, embarrassed and shocked.” What remained of the sculpture was reportedly taken down last week.
While Romero says that the BBG didn't respond to his email demanding explanation, a spokesperson told the News that the "temporary nature of the work was defined in the contract." We have reached out to the BBG for additional comment on their protocol for art installations, and will update when we hear back.
