The Shore Theater, formerly the Loews Coney Island. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr
On December 14, the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission will designate the Shore Theater an official New York City Landmark, according to the website of the Municipal Art Society. We applaud the landmarking, which is long overdue. The designation will help rescue the building, which has been vacant and neglected for 35 years. But the timing of the announcement, just as the demolitions and evictions of much of old Coney Island are in the news, including the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, strikes us as a little too coincidental. It’s as if the City is saying, hey look over here, we’re saving Coney Island!
Five years ago, the 1925 Shore Theater, formerly the Loew’s Coney Island, and five other historic buildings were nominated for New York City landmark designation by Coney Island USA. But the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission dragged its feet and would not calendar any of the buildings until February 2010, months after Coney Island had been rezoned. Of the nominated buildings, only two–the Childs Restaurant (owned by CIUSA) and the Shore Theater (owned by Horace Bullard)– were considered worthy of landmark designation. The Shore Hotel was demolished on Friday and the Henderson Building is next on Thor Equities hit list. The doomed buildings were on parcels rezoned for high rise hotels.
As for the Shore Theater, we would not be surprised if the City ended up acquiring the building. At the Community Board’s public hearing on the Coney Island rezoning, there was a proposal to revive the Shore as a community center. When the LPC held a public hearing on the landmark designation in March 2010, ATZ noted…
The Shore’s history as a year-round entertainment venue fits in with the Bloomberg administration’s long-term plan to revitalize Coney Island as a year-round destination.
Sources tell ATZ that the City has been trying to buy Bullard’s Coney Island properties or negotiate a land swap. We have also heard rumors of a “blight” taking of the Shore Theater based on the fact that the property owner has done nothing with the building for 25 years. In fact, the Shore has been vacant for over 35 years! Bullard’s acrimonious relationship with the City dates back to the Giuliani administration, when the Mayor killed his plans to build a new Steeplechase Park and illegally demolished the Thunderbolt roller coaster.
The day before the LPC’s calendaring of the Shore Theater in February, Bullard was served with a violation from the Department of Buildings. The caps are the DOB’s: “FAILURE TO FILE AN ACCEPTABLE SIXTH ROUND TECHNICAL FACADE REPORT.” Cycle 6 ended February 20, 2010. Chunks of the facade are falling off.
If the building is landmarked, Demolition by Neglect laws could come into play. The New York City demolition by neglect ordinance states, “every [owner] of a landmark site or historic district shall keep in good repair (1) all of the exterior portions of such improvement and (2) all interior portions thereof which, if not so maintained, may cause or tend to cause the exterior portions of such improvement to deteriorate, decay or become damaged or otherwise to fell into a state of disrepair.” NEW YORK, N.Y., CODE § 25-311 (2001).
Last year, in a precedent setting lawsuit, the City was awarded $1.1 million in civil penalties and gave the owners of the landmarked Windermere apartments a choice of fixing the property or selling it. “This settlement sends a message to owners of landmarked buildings that they must keep them in a state of good repair,” said Robert B. Tierney, chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission in a New York City Law Department press release about the case. “Buildings like the Windermere are an indispensable part of New York City’s architectural heritage and must be preserved for future generations.”
Coney Island Theatre Building. Photo © katherine of chicago via flickr
Related posts on ATZ…
December 13, 2010: R.I.P Coney Island’s Shore Hotel, Henderson Next on Hit List
November 24, 2010: Photo of the Day: R.I.P. Bank of Coney Island
April 29, 2010: Photo of the Day: Interior of Coney Island’s Doomed Henderson Music Hall
March 8, 2010: March 23: Rescuing Coney Island’s Shore Theater from 35 Years of Neglect
Amusing the Zillion 
I think it should be used as a theater for music, shows, and the Coney Island film festival. In addition, The offices should be transformed into hotel rooms, and the top as a ballroom restaurant. In addition, a Coney Island art gallery can be put on the bottom floor where the abandoned fried chicken place is.
At the community board’s public hearing for the rezoning, there was talk of repurposing the building into a community center with a theater. I would not be surprised if the City ended up owning this building
btw the building is not zoned for a hotel. I think we have enough “hotel” zoning on south side of Surf! The upper floors could be used as office space or studios.
Any chance that Thor could at least save and store the Henderson Building’s bricks? These could be used later to re-build some kind of commemorative structure; or, incorporated into a new structure nearby.
Based on Joe Sitt’s record in Coney Island and having been turned down in the past, people are reluctant to ask him for anything. I doubt he’d be willing to assume the expense of moving, saving and storing the bricks. But if you or anyone else has a plan to save the bricks, you could email Joe Sitt. His email is on Thor Equities website.
Best bet if you want a memento from the Henderson building like a brick or a sign is to ask one of the demo men. They would probably give you a brick or two.
The irony is that Sitt once told a NY1 reporter he would save the signage from the Henderson and repurpose it. Whether that’s happening or not is questionable
https://amusingthezillion.com/2010/09/29/saved-or-not-signs-from-coney-islands-henderson-building/
[…] rare Coney Island victory: Shore Theater landmarked. [Amusing the Zillion] […]