On June 8, 2004, volunteers removed one of the “Tillie” murals from the Palace Amusements building in Asbury Park, so as to ensure its preservation prior to the demolition of the building. “Tillie” is the nickname of two murals of a grinning figure that were painted on the sides of the Palace Amusements building, and which became icons of the Asbury Park boardwalk.
For 20 years, the murals and other artifacts are in a storage facility that is not climate-controlled, and so they are continuing to deteriorate, out of view from the public, with no plans in place of any kind. In 2024, the nonprofit group Preservation New Jersey included the Palace Amusement artifacts among their annual top ten most endangered historical sites in New Jersey.
Sources:
Palace Museum Online. (2024). www.palaceamusements.com/
Jordan, Chris. (2024). Asbury Park Palace Amusements Artifacts, Including Tillie, are on NJ Endangered List. Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, N.J., May 6, 2024. Available: https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2024/05/06/tillie-palace-amusements-artifacts-endangered-bruce-springsteen/73587799007/
Photo credit: ©2004, Frank Saragnese, used with permission. Available: http://savetillie.homestead.com/
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