A white plastic chair has been lodged in a Park Slope tree since the vicious tornado in September — and is on pace to overtake the baby stroller as the iconic symbol of the neighborhood.
The chair — and the tree — are on Fifth Avenue at Lincoln Place, where the twister blackened the sky, uprooted trees, and apparently sent lawn furniture flying 30 feet into the air.
The storm was terrifying, but the aftermath pleasing.
“The chair is becoming part of the landscape,” said Farid Lancheros, owner of Bogota Latin Bistro on Fifth Avenue. “It’s becoming a mascot to the neighborhood. I think it means, ‘Come to Park Slope, enjoy yourself, and have a seat.’ ”
The chair was once part of a pair of branch-bound seats. But one of the chairs fell to earth during another freak natural occurrence — the hailstorm that touched down in October. No one was hurt during its descent, witnesses said.
Still, there is concern that the next time might not be so lucky.
“It’s right outside a childcare center,” noted Rose Lyons, owner of Rapunzel, Rapunzel Salon. “If it happens to fall, it could give a toddler a good smack in the head.”
Lyons said her customers have called 311 — to no avail.
At press time, the Parks Department did not return a request for comment.
Despite the risks, the chair might be a trendsetter.
“Rents are so high in Park Slope that people might take to building tree houses,” said Craig Hammerman, district manager of Community Board 6. “There’s an untapped market out there.”
Everyone loves a housing joke.
