Saving what's left of Tillie and the Palace should be one of outgoing NJ Gov. Murphy's resolutions.
- Letters To You
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
January 5, 2026
In this, his final month in office, outgoing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy - a self-proclaimed Springsteen fan - has a relatively easy-peasy, no-brainer chance to save what's left of Asbury Park's demolished-in-2004 Palace Amusements building ("the Palace" in the "Beyond the Palace..." lyric of "Born to Run,") including its iconic Tillie mural, pictured below. By all means, this should be one of Murphy's new-year resolutions.
Last September, Preservation New Jersey's Executive Director, Kelly C. Ruffel, wrote an open letter to Gov. Murphy to "respectfully urge your administration — through the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) — to take immediate steps to enforce the historic preservation conditions attached to the 2004 CAFRA [Coastal Area Facility Review Act] permit issued for the demolition of the Palace Amusements Building in Asbury Park.
"As detailed in a recent letter submitted by Save Tillie to [DEP] Commissioner LaTourette," Ruffel continued, "the DEP made preservation of significant artifacts — including the iconic Tillie mural, metal channel lettering, and several original Palace Amusements features — a specific and binding condition of demolition approval. More than twenty years later, those cultural assets remain hidden away in storage, deteriorating and inaccessible to the public.
"These artifacts are not simply remnants of a building — they are emblems of Asbury Park’s rich entertainment history and New Jersey’s broader cultural legacy. Palace Amusements holds a unique place in the hearts of New Jerseyans and has been featured in numerous films, TV shows, and music. It has become an enduring symbol of the Jersey Shore — most famously associated with Bruce Springsteen, who used the Tillie image throughout his career and helped bring national attention to its cultural significance...
"Despite the clear preservation mandate in the 2004 permit, no development has taken place on the site, and no progress has been made toward integrating or displaying the artifacts as required. This prolonged inaction — now spanning over two decades — has resulted in avoidable degradation, including paint loss, rust, and other structural damage, as confirmed by conservation experts.
"We respectfully request your support in directing the DEP to take immediate and appropriate steps to enforce the CAFRA permit conditions. These should include:
A professional inspection of the artifacts by a qualified conservator;
A public update on the condition and location of the artifacts; and
A specific and time-bound plan for their preservation and public display.
These artifacts deserve better than indefinite storage and slow decay. Enforcing the preservation requirements will not only uphold the law — it will demonstrate the state’s commitment to protecting its cultural identity and honoring its past."
In a separate open letter, Asbury Park’s representatives in the state legislature - Senator Vin Gopal, Assemblywoman Margie Donlon, and Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul - warned Murphy that without his direct involvement, there is a threat that the artifacts “will be lost forever.” They urged Murphy to take “whatever action is necessary” to avoid that result, and "to ensure the Palace Amusements Artifacts are preserved and the city's history is protected."
To date, however, neither Murphy nor anyone else in his administration has done anything significant in response to these urgent requests for action. So far, the only thing that Murphy has done is refer all inquiries to New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP.) The DEP's spokesperson, Vincent Grassi, actually had the audacity to claim recently to The Star-Ledger that the last time the DEP even checked on Tillie and the other Palace artifacts was seven years ago, back in 2018, and, despite the 2016 independent inspection that revealed degradation, paint loss, rust, structural damage, etc., “observed the mural and artifacts in satisfactory condition.” Grassi added that DEP officials are "working with the developers to ensure compliance." He claimed that they contacted the developers last July and requested an update last month “on the status of the artifacts and efforts to fulfill the permit requirements.” Reading-between-the-lines translation: After more than twenty years of damaging neglect, the developers continue to essentially ignore the preservation requirements, doing and saying nothing significant in that regard, and neither Governor Murphy nor anyone in his administration seem upset - or even concerned - about that.
We at Letters To You feel that this response - or, more accurately, non-response - by the outgoing Murphy administration is not "satisfactory" at all. If you agree and you feel inclined to reach out to our fellow self-described Springsteen fan about it, especially if you are a New Jersey resident, please click this link to email and/or text Governor Murphy.
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And here are links to further essential reading on this important, pressing matter:
"Gov. Murphy urged to save Asbury Park’s iconic Tillie" by Sophie Nieto-Munoz for New Jersey Monitor
"Iconic Jersey Shore mural has been hidden for 21 years. Fans are begging N.J. gov to save it." by Rob Jennings for The Star-Ledger
"Saving Tillie: The Fight to Preserve an Asbury Park Icon" by Carlee Migliorisi for Preservation New Jersey (Note: Migliorisi is the Monmouth University student whose scholarly work played a major role in Bruce Springsteen publicly confirming the significant influence that Peter Pan played in the compostion of "Born to Run" at last September's Springsteen Archives/Monmouth University "Born to Run @50" symposium. Click here and here for details.)