Not quite the Pine Barrens, but certainly a beloved Jersey icon...
April 3, 2004
Asbury Park demolition will save beloved Tillie
ASBURY PARK -- There's more than one way to save face. Even when it's a very big one.
The Palace Amusements building -- a beloved but decrepit 19th century structure near the Boardwalk -- will be demolished as part of a $1.2 billion waterfront redevelopment effort.
Tillie, a 12-by-25-foot smiling face painted on one side, will be preserved, although it's unclear how. Under terms of a permit granted to the redevelopers by the state, the building will be torn down once they and city officials can find a way to preserve the section with Tillie's face.
"We're going to save Tillie," said Larry Fishman, chief operating officer of Asbury Partners LLC.
Built in 1887, Palace Amusements once housed a Ferris wheel, carousel and shooting gallery, attractions well known to generations of people who flocked here during Asbury Park's heyday. The building is also familiar to fans of Bruce Springsteen, who mentioned or pictured it in songs and videos. Tillie is believed to have been named after the brother of amusement park mogul George Tilyou.
The arcade closed in 1988, and the building has since deteriorated badly. In 1999, a group of sentimental fans founded Save Tillie, a nonprofit group aimed at preserving the building or, at least, the face.
They have succeeded, at least partly. The state's historic preservation office has agreed to the demolition, and Fishman said Friday his group would work in conjunction with the city, the state and Save Tillie Inc. to decide which parts of the building are preserved.
"I guess you could call it a compromise," said Kevin Broderick, manager of DEP's Bureau of Coastal Project Review.
The head of Save Tillie Inc., meanwhile, would rather see the whole building preserved.
"If everyone acts in good faith, the Tillie image, the bumper car images and the internal artifacts can all be saved if the building is demolished," said Bob Crane, president of the 1,000-member group.
Fishman said the building would be demolished by year's end, but that no specific timetable had been established.
"The goal would be to literally cut out a piece of the wall and use it in some part of the new structure, or put it on display," Fishman said.
Article
April 3, 2004
Asbury Park demolition will save beloved Tillie
ASBURY PARK -- There's more than one way to save face. Even when it's a very big one.
The Palace Amusements building -- a beloved but decrepit 19th century structure near the Boardwalk -- will be demolished as part of a $1.2 billion waterfront redevelopment effort.
Tillie, a 12-by-25-foot smiling face painted on one side, will be preserved, although it's unclear how. Under terms of a permit granted to the redevelopers by the state, the building will be torn down once they and city officials can find a way to preserve the section with Tillie's face.
"We're going to save Tillie," said Larry Fishman, chief operating officer of Asbury Partners LLC.
Built in 1887, Palace Amusements once housed a Ferris wheel, carousel and shooting gallery, attractions well known to generations of people who flocked here during Asbury Park's heyday. The building is also familiar to fans of Bruce Springsteen, who mentioned or pictured it in songs and videos. Tillie is believed to have been named after the brother of amusement park mogul George Tilyou.
The arcade closed in 1988, and the building has since deteriorated badly. In 1999, a group of sentimental fans founded Save Tillie, a nonprofit group aimed at preserving the building or, at least, the face.
They have succeeded, at least partly. The state's historic preservation office has agreed to the demolition, and Fishman said Friday his group would work in conjunction with the city, the state and Save Tillie Inc. to decide which parts of the building are preserved.
"I guess you could call it a compromise," said Kevin Broderick, manager of DEP's Bureau of Coastal Project Review.
The head of Save Tillie Inc., meanwhile, would rather see the whole building preserved.
"If everyone acts in good faith, the Tillie image, the bumper car images and the internal artifacts can all be saved if the building is demolished," said Bob Crane, president of the 1,000-member group.
Fishman said the building would be demolished by year's end, but that no specific timetable had been established.
"The goal would be to literally cut out a piece of the wall and use it in some part of the new structure, or put it on display," Fishman said.
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