Page "East Village, Manhattan" Paragraph 58

The Avenue B and 6th Street Community Garden is one of the neighborhood's more notable for a now removed outdoor sculpture, the Tower of Toys, designed by artist and long-time garden gate-keeper, Eddie Boros.

Boros died April 27, 2007.

The Tower was controversial in the neighborhood ; some viewed it as a masterpiece, others as an eyesore.

It was a makeshift tower, 65-feet in height, assembled out of wood planks.

The suspended, hanging toys were an amalgamation of fanciful objects found on the street ( Boros was a strong voice for reusing and recycling ).

The fantastical, childlike feeling of this installation was quite fitting considering that the garden boasts a children ’ s adventure playground and children ’ s garden.

The tower appeared in the opening credits for the television show NYPD Blue and also appears in the musical Rent.

In May 2008, it was dismantled.

According to NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, the tower was rotting in sections that made it a safety hazard.

Its removal was seen as another symbol of the fading past of the neighborhood.