Childs Restaurant | Amusing the Zillion

Posts Tagged ‘Childs Restaurant’

Occupy Sandy’s New Warehouse in Coney Island Landmark

Posted in News, tagged Brooklyn, Childs Building, Childs Restaurant, Coney Island, helpavists, local, Occupy Sandy, volunteer, warehouse on January 24, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Twitter Page for Occupy Sandy’s Warehouse in Coney Island

Last week, Occupy Sandy said goodbye to 520 Clinton Street as their main distribution center and opened a warehouse in the basement of the landmarked Childs Building in Coney Island’s amusement area. Helpavists, as Occupy Sandy calls volunteers, pumped flood water out of the basement, which was still there two and half months after Sandy. They proudly took their first delivery of supplies: 600 gallons of water on 22 pallets from City Harvest.

Located on 21st Street, the site is steps away from the Parachute Jump and across the street from where the Seaside Summer Concerts are held in the summer and school buses park during the winter months. Unlike the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew in Clinton Hill, the Coney Island warehouse is not open to the public: “@OSWarehouse is NOT a public hub but a decentralized warehouse. Please visit http://www.occupysandy.org & @SandyRegistry to support our efforts!”

According to the Coney Island page on Occupy Sandy’s website: “In Coney Island, the main volunteer hub that we are working out of is across the street from 2828 Neptune Ave. We are currently organizing volunteering events on certain days – but the location is not open regular hours. So, in order to volunteer to help with canvassing and supply distribution in Coney Island, please register as an Occupy Sandy volunteer and we will send you emails when volunteering events are scheduled in Coney Island.”

Taconic Investment Partners, which owns approximately four blocks west and north of MCU Park, holds a 99-year lease on the 1923 Spanish Colonial Revival style building. Designated a New York City landmark in 2003, Coney Island’s terracotta palace by the sea has been boarded up for the past few years after being enlivened by the Mermaid Parade Ball and Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Rink. The rink operated rent-free on the Boardwalk side of the property for two years until 2010, when the high cost of insurance caused Taconic to shutter the space. In August, there was news that the City planned to develop the building and an adjacent lot into an entertainment complex for Borough President Marty Markowitz’s Seaside Summer Concerts, but an official announcement has yet to be made.

New Life for Coney Island’s Terracotta Palace by the Sea

Posted in historic preservation, Real Estate, Redevelopment, tagged Childs Building, Childs Restaurant, landmark, live music, Seaside Summer Concerts, Taconic Investment Partners, Terracotta on August 24, 2012 | 2 Comments »

The New Childs Restaurant on the Riegelmann Boardwalk, August 1924. Eugene L. Armbruster Collection, New York Public Library

Earlier this week, NY1 reported the excellent news that the City plans to develop the former Childs Restaurant building on the Boardwalk and an adjacent lot into an entertainment complex. It will be the new home of Borough President Marty Markowitz’s popular Seaside Summer Concerts. First we felt surprise, since the building was not on the market, and then a mixture of elation and relief.

It’s been sad to see Coney Island’s terracotta palace by the sea boarded up for the past few years after being enlivened by the Mermaid Parade Ball and Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Rink. Yet it’s hard to pass by without taking photos of its ornamental ships, seashells, fish and King Neptunes. When a tourist recently tweeted a photo describing the Childs as “the ruins,” we didn’t have the heart to respond. The 1923 Spanish Colonial Revival style building was designated a City landmark in 2003.

Detail of terracotta ornamentation on Childs Building. July 30, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Luckily, the City has the funds to bring the building back to life since the Borough President will be able to use $50 million already set aside for a $64 million amphitheater in Seaside Park that was halted by a lawsuit. This is great news because if the money wasn’t spent by the time his third term ends in December 2013, it would go back into the public coffers and be lost to Coney Island.

Taconic Investment Partners, which owns approximately four blocks west and north of MCU Park, also holds a 99-year lease on the Childs building. The NY1 report didn’t say whether the City would acquire the lease from the development company or buy the building from the owner. Back in 2007, Brooklyn’s blogfather Bob Guskind described Taconic as “Coney Island’s Sleeper Megadeveloper” and it’s still an apt description. The developer began buying property in 2005 but has yet to develop anything in Coney Island.

“Taconic is in the process of evaluating the economics of a planned development for some or all of our holdings,” according to a web page about their “Coney Island, North and South Ventures.” That’s been the message for the longest time, probably because the economy and inadequate infrastructure put a dent in their plans. The 2009 rezoning allows Taconic to build nearly 2,000 residential units and more than 200,000 square feet of retail west and north of MCU. A restaurant and catering hall were part of the original plans for the Childs building. Dreamland Roller Rink operated rent-free for two years until 2010, when the high cost of insurance caused Taconic to shutter the space.

Lola Staar’s Dreamland Roller Rink. August 2, 2008. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

According to NY1, the lot west of the building will also be developed as part of the entertainment complex. The City-owned lot is the community garden pictured below. Right now it’s filled with tomatoes and sunflowers. Taconic owns the land east of the building, the former Washington Baths site. Thor Equities bought the vacant lot from Horace Bullard for $13 million and then flipped it to Taconic for an exorbitant $90 million because both parties were sure the City would rezone it for residential.

The Washington Baths site has been the temporary home of the Seaside Concert Series for the past two summers and for the Ringling Circus in 2009 and 2010. During the rest of the year, it is used as a school bus parking lot.

Artifact of the Day: Vintage Coffee Cup from Childs Restaurant

Posted in Artifacts, tagged Childs Restaurant, collectible, Coney Island, Shenango china on December 4, 2010 | 4 Comments »

Childs Restaurant Shenango China Mug via Restaurant Ware Collectors Network

The terra cotta palace on the Boardwalk at 21st Street that was Childs Restaurant is one of Coney Island’s official New York City landmarks. Ornamented with fanciful nautical motifs of sea creatures, seashells, ships and King Neptune, the building remains a favorite of photographers, though it’s now vacant.

Since the restaurant closed more than 60 years ago, we’ve never had the pleasure of dining there. Yesterday we came across this delightful vintage coffee cup on Eater, where Greg Moribito posted “Remembering Childs, a Gem from Coney Island’s Golden Age.” His tribute features an abundance of photos, ephemera and historical info. But it was the 1930s Shenango china cup top marked “Childs” and marked on the inside with “This is ‘Beechnut’ Coffee” in script that caught our eye.

The cup must be a rarity because a web search for “Shenango China” and “Childs Restaurant” turns up mostly children’s china. Just to be clear, we’re talking about the Childs Restaurant, not the Children’s Restaurant. Here’s to a hot steaming cup of joe in a Childs cup! If you have one to spare, let us know.