In the midst of a financial crisis, Bloomberg still finds time to run a
"Tillie Exclusive":
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Springsteen Fans Clamor to Preserve Asbury Park's `Tillie' Icon (
Bloomberg.com: Exclusive
<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ar_CXa.U28dc&refer=\
home#> contains links to all sources.)
Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Poor Tillie.
A two-story cartoon-faced mural, Tillie once lorded over Asbury Park
from the side of the Palace Amusements building near the New Jersey
shore town's boardwalk. Today, he sits in a plywood box outside the
city's sewage plant, the paint peeling on a clownish smile once aglow in
neon light.
When the Palace -- immortalized in song by New Jersey's Bruce
Springsteen -- faced a redeveloper's wrecking ball 10 years ago, the
rocker's fans rallied to Tillie's rescue.
``Save Tillie,'' a group first formed to restore the building, raised
$70,000 -- some from Springsteen himself --and collected thousands of
signatures urging officials to preserve Tillie and two other murals, of
women in bumper cars.
Before the cinderblock building was demolished in May 2004, volunteers
helped cut out the murals and bolt them to steel frames. Sixteen feet
high and 10 feet wide, Tillie's 14-ton face was lifted out by crane.
Thanks to the fans, a redevelopment permit required that the murals be
preserved in sheds built to conservator specifications until they could
be put on public display.
Two sheds, designed by New York-based conservator Paul Himmelstein, were
built but remain empty. Himmelstein said in a 2005 report that the
wastewater-plant boxes weren't protecting the murals from rust stains,
mold and ``physical damage from blows to the outside.''
Boardwalk Life
Those conditions remain, and Springsteen fans feel betrayed. So they
again are rallying, gathering more than 2,300 signatures on a petition
calling for the city and Governor Jon Corzine to enforce the
preservation requirement. The Asbury Park Press backed their efforts
with an Aug. 18 editorial.
``The Palace and Tillie and the murals in many ways have become the
icons of Asbury Park,'' said Bob Crane, Save Tillie's president. ``Every
time people were driving by the Palace, they were stopping to take
pictures.''
The joint venture behind Asbury Park's redevelopment effort ``recognizes
the iconic significance'' of Tillie, said Courtney Johnson, a
spokeswoman for Washington-based Madison Marquette, one of its partners.
``Respecting the past and looking to create something incredible for the
future, we are making decisions on each item as things progress,'' she
said in an e-mail. ``We will continue to work with the community to
determine the best course of action for Tillie.''
Coney Island Roots
The Palace, an arcade of rides and games, was built in 1888. The murals
were painted in 1956 by sign designer Leslie Thomas. He based Tillie on
an image at the entrance to Steeplechase Park on New York's Coney Island
and named it after its founder, George Tilyou.
As tourists abandoned Asbury Park, the city fell into disrepair. The
Palace closed in November 1988 and sat vacant until its demolition and
Tillie's relocation.
``The murals need to be moved,'' said Don Sammet, Asbury Park's planning
director. ``There are trucks going in and out of that facility there,
and there is construction going on. We don't want them to be damaged.''
Springsteen, 58, has used Palace images on T-shirts, calendars and
videos. ``Tunnel of Love'' was named for one of its rides. On ``Born to
Run,'' he invokes Tillie's former home when singing of wanting to
escape:
``Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
``The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
``And the boys try to look so hard
``The amusement park rises bold and stark
``Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
``I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight
``In an everlasting kiss''
`The Sopranos'
A Springsteen publicity photo from 1973 -- the year he released his
debut album, ``Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey'' -- features
Tillie. Since then, the mural has appeared in ``The Sopranos'' TV show
and in the Robert De Niro movie ``City by the Sea.''
Tillie's face today is ubiquitous in Asbury Park. A replica is painted
on the outside of the Wonder Bar, the saloon where Springsteen
saxophonist Clarence Clemons played the night they met. Vendors sell
Tillie T-shirts, mugs, magnets, rugs and clocks.
``I was kind of afraid I would never see it again,'' said Matthew
Gerony, 24, co-owner of a boardwalk T-shirt shop. ``I hope they put it
on the biggest pedestal ever.''
Saving Asbury Park
Kate Mellina, who helped negotiate the redevelopment agreement when she
was on the City Council, credits Tillie with helping save Asbury Park
itself.
``You see how much Tillie's done for the economy,'' she said. ``And you
wonder why the hell these guys aren't doing anything to protect it.''
Asbury Park redevelopment efforts have undergone fits and starts for
years, and much of it remains run down. Asbury Partners LLC -- a joint
venture of New York-based MD Sass Investors Services Inc. and Ocean
Front Acquisitions LLC -- was granted the redevelopment permit in March
2004.
In 2006, Asbury Partners teamed with Madison Marquette. Since then, they
have spruced up the boardwalk and its 1930s-era Paramount Theater and
adjacent 3,600-seat Convention Hall, where Springsteen rehearses before
tours and performs benefits.
Springsteen has donated proceeds from six shows to Save Tillie, said
Crane, 65, who wouldn't disclose the total. The musician declined to
comment on Tillie's fate through a publicist.
To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in New York at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Last Updated: September 18, 2008 00:00 EDT
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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