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East Village Community Garden's Tower of Toys to Go
By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2008
Modified May 6, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2008
Modified May 6, 2008
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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.
Tagged
6th
Avenue B
community
demolished
department
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Eddie Boros
garden
parks
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toys
unsafe
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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