Monday, December 12, 2011

More on the office with the tree in it


From the Daily News:

A kindly auto shop owner didn’t have the heart to axe an in-the-way tree when he built his Queens office decades ago.

Now Tommy Cali works with the 50-foot tree growing through the middle of his desk.

“We call it the tree house,” Cali, 59, said of his office at Cove Auto Towing & Recovery in Astoria.

“I’m a a green thumb. I like plants.”

Some 32 years ago, Cali converted the enclosed front porch of his 27th Ave. home into an office for his thriving business. The garage where he fixes cars is right next door.

There was just one problem — the tree.

“My wife didn’t want me to cut it down,” he said. “So we built around it. Everybody said I was crazy.”

His wife’s grandparents had lived in their house for decades.

“It’s sentimental,” he said. “They used to play dominoes under the tree. We all used to gather here.”


I'm sure DOB will be visiting him shortly.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, the rest of America certainly can't argue that when it comes to the deranged, the mental, the confused, the "special", NYC isn't like them...

georgetheatheist said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I love this... It is SO cool!

Anonymous said...

Remember the picture you ran a year or so ago Crappie of the advertising sign rammed through a building at 48th and Northern?

georgetheatheist said...

1. The Swiss Family Robinson lives in Queens.

2. What kind of caulking does he use on the roof where the tree comes out?

3. Happy 5th Anniversary, Crapman.

Queens Crapper said...

I was so mesmerized by photos of Joe Crowley's fundraiser at the Hall of Science last night that I forgot it was my anniversary!

Anonymous said...

And this right across the Astoria housing projects....

Anonymous said...

No...Cali ain't "out of his trees"...
he just loves 'em!

Someday I'm gonna go over and hug that tree huger!

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary !

Ned said...

Q: What kind of caulking does he use on the roof where the tree comes out?

A: No caulking.
Its a rubber boot and surgical adhesive.
I devised a repair for a friend R.I.P who owned the Tree-house Restaurant in Merrick Long Island) a wile back.
http://merrick.patch.com/listings/treehouse-sports-cafe

I cut up a tractor innertube and steel belted sidewall radial tire to use as a grommet, some stainless steel lag bolts, washers and roofing cement (house roof side).
Its actually pretty simple.
You can also use a surplus missile launch tube seal from a Russian sub but you cant buy them on Ebay anymore

Anonymous said...

George and Crappy getting chummy.

Makes ME warm and fuzzy.

Anonymous said...

he can never sell to an Asian...

Anonymous said...

At least a functionally-retarded kid isn't chainsawing it down.