Many of the Toynbee tiles have since been covered or removed so it is hard to find them, but possible to see remnants of them in the asphalt of roads throughout the city if you pay attention. Toynbee Tile Locations in Buffalo, New YorkĬrosswalk of 1300 Elmwood Avenue between Buffalo State College and Albright Knox While in the portal, the astronaut essentially witnesses death and rebirth, tying the ideas together. In Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, the main character is sucked into a portal, which happens to be near Jupiter. From there it has been found that Toynbee ideas may have to do with the plausible fact that real resurrection is capable both on a religious and scientific level. So what do the tiles mean? Although we may never know for sure until the creator comes forward, Max Rivlin-Nadler's article The Reappearance of The Toynbee Tiles: What Does It Mean, found on, elaborates that the reference to Toynbee can either relate to writings of Arnold Toynbee or 'The Toynbee Covector', written by Ray Bradbury.

In watching the documentary Ressurect Dead: Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, it is suggested that the tiles have a religious tie. Although no one is really positive what these tiles mean, much less who even made them, the mystery continues to intrigue people, gaining various theories behind the tiles. Many of the tiles read 'Toynbee idea in Kubrick's 2001 resurrect dead on planet Jupiter.' Other tiles such as the one located in front of Buffalo State simply read 'House of Hades tiles made from the ground bones of dead journalists.' It is even believed that the Toynbee tiles first started in Buffalo, New York. I had been walking passed one nearly every day as I journeyed across the crosswalk between Buffalo State College and the Albright Knox art gallery on Elmwood Avenue. To my surprise, I found that many of the tiles were actually right under my nose.