They started taking down the Toy Tower this morning around 9. Most of the toys were dropped, many broke. Continued reading >
Perhaps this shot shows the lean more viscerally. I’m starting to think that it may come down on its own. The removal by the Parks Department may have been delayed by the wet weather today. But the rain may be exacerbating the lean, making mud of the soil beneath the tower. And on second look the eastern base is flimsier than I was thinking. Who knows maybe only the roots of the tree it is built around is holding the tower up. Photo from around 2 this afternoon.
I based my imagined plumb assuming that segment of roof is horizontal and the fence pole I was resting my camera against is vertical. Not that scientific, but close enough. It does seem to have a slight lean to the west, away from the sidewalk. It is such a web of wildly varied materials, that it is hard to say what may happen. I’m most worried about the western base, any sinking or rotting in those timbers could easily make it leans even further. But then again the massive eastern base could cantilever it, as there are so many interconnections. It is a woven structure, something a bower bird might build. This was around 9 this morning.
This is a shot from Tuesday morning. It was still untouched as of 10, this morning. On Sunday I interviewed friends, family and assorted 6th and B gardeners at the memorial for Eddie Boros and his Tower of Toys. I got some amazing stories. Video is to come. The tower is scheduled for removal by the Park’s Department this week. Please let me know if you see the heavy equipment showing up. I’d like to document the take down.
Update: One of the gardeners tells me:
“Due to the strong wind storm and rains a few days ago, the Tower has taken a bit more of a beating and is leaning more. The Parks Department came and decided that we should close down the Garden until (supposedly - Thursday and/or Friday when) the Tower is taken down!”
Jeremiah over at the Vanishing New York blog has been keeping his ear to the ground and says that these are the last days of the Tower of Toys. A cherry picker may show up at any moment and begin taking it apart.
Before it’s gone, come to An Informal Celebration of the Tower of Toys, Sunday, May 11, 7pm - 9pm at the 6th Street & Avenue B Community Garden.
The Parks Department has declared it unsafe, but they are going to have a hell of a time taking it down. It is built around a living tree and is interconnected in a thousand ways. The wooden structure rests on the ground, but many of the struts are treated wood and do not appear to be rotted at all. But I would have to agree with some of the gardeners who feel that the large toys hanging from ropes could very well fall and injure or kill someone. To keep it safe requires someone to regularly crawl all over it to do maintainance . I don’t think anyone has volunteered for the job.
If anyone sees the heavy equipment showing up at the garden, please let me know. I’d like to document the process.
