The NY Daily News reports: The hallowed gates of city government have gone Santaland, sparking fury among cops, City Council members and passersby not inclined to appreciate whimsy.

As part of a temporary exhibit, the guardhouses at the two main City Hall gates have been transformed into cartoonish cupolas with red-and-white bricks painted on.

“This is the craziest thing I’ve seen in my 20 years on the job,” said one cop on gate duty yesterday.

“It’s going to humiliate the police officer who has to stand inside,” said City Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), who likened the guard posts to “toy houses.”

Councilwoman Letitia James (D, WFP-Brooklyn) slammed the houses as “a cross between Santa’s playhouse and Little Red Riding Hood.”

“In this time of public safety and post-9/11, the officers in there should be respected and should be taken seriously,” James said.

But Richard Woods, the artist behind the exhibit – which is called “wall and door and roof” – said the critics should lighten up. “Most people seem to love it,” he said.

Mayor Bloomberg called the houses “cute, something different” and said they would attract tourists.