40 Day Demolition of Historic Coney Island Buildings Set to Begin

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40 Day Demolition of Historic Coney Island Buildings Set to Begin

October 8, 2010 by Tricia

Demolition scaffolding on Stillwell side of Henderson Building. Oct 7, 2010. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

On Thursday, Coney Island’s former Henderson Music Hall and Bank of Coney Island buildings moved one step closer to total annihilation by the hammer of Thor. Next time you arrive in Coney and step out of Stillwell Terminal, the gateway to Coney Island, you may be just in time to see and snap documentary photos of a real, live demolition!

We’re not referring to a demolition derby folks, but the sad and shameful dismantling of four historic Coney Island buildings. Joe Sitt of Thor Equities did not respond to preservationists’ efforts to “save” or re-purpose the buildings, but the City of New York is also to blame for having rezoned the parcels for 30-story high-rise hotels in 2009. On Thursday morning, workmen began putting up demolition scaffolding around Thor Equities-owned Henderson Building at the corner of Surf Avenue and Stillwell. Before they quit for the day, the first piece of scaffolding had been erected in front of the Bank of Coney Island building on West 12th Street. On Friday, the workmen finished the scaffolding at the Henderson.

First piece of demolition scaffolding erected at Bank of Coney Island Building. Oct 7, 2010. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

The demolition will be a weekday event due to the demo company’s work schedule. These guys usually start work early in the morning. The Coney Island Fun Guide is unlikely to list this event, but you can depend on ATZ’s twitter feed for updates on which building is being demolished and when. We intend to follow this story to the bitter end! If you’re working on a documentary about Coney Island redevelopment, you won’t want to miss it! The demolition is expected to be finished within a 40-day time frame, according to sources.