New lights illuminating Coney Island USA Building, which will be designated a landmark today. Photo © Fred Kahl
Let’s get this puzzler out of the way first: Why are Joe Sitt and Thor Equities mentioned in a press release heralding today’s landmark designation of Coney Island USA’s building?
Repair of the exterior architectural lighting was funded through the generosity of our individual and corporate supporters, including Melissa Baldock, Steve Bernstein and Joseph Sitt of Thor Equities.
Is it a typo? Or has Sitt seen the light, however briefly, and contributed to the renovation of an historic building in Coney Island?
It’s odd to see Sitt’s name alongside a noted preservationist and a CIUSA board member. It’s incongruous considering Sitt’s darkening of the amusement area and demolition of three buildings that he owns, including two that were nominated for landmark designation. His contribution would be more noble if his rampant destruction weren’t in evidence all around Coney Island. And if you’re wondering how much Sitt contributed to the renovations, so are we.
Update…Dick Zigun, director of Coney Island USA writes: “Yes it is true he gave us money a year and a half ago but we just finished the project… not that much money $16,000… I asked him for funding it was not his idea… I ask everyone for money.” Zigun added that the total cost of the renovation was $70,000. As far as we know, this is the first time Joe Sitt and Thor Equities have contributed to the restoration of historic Coney Island. Way to go, Joe!
As for the topic of the press release, we’re thrilled that the Landmarks Preservation Commission will at long last designate the arts organization’s 1917 Child’s Restaurant Building a New York City landmark. It’s cause for celebration in Coney Island, especially amid the ongoing demolitions and evictions.
According to the designation report, “Although the Spanish (or the variant Mediterranean) Revival style was more often found on buildings in warmer climates, such as in Florida or the Caribbean, the designer of this structure (John Corley Westervelt) was hoping to suggest this same kind of vacation-oriented environment for a building in the heart of New York’s most popular resort area.”
Coney Island USA deserves credit for nominating 6 historic buildings for designation back in 2005. As we noted when the Shore Theater was designated in December, the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission delayed consideration of the buildings until February 2010, 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 Thor Equities-owned Bank of Coney Island and Shore Hotel were demolished and the Henderson Building demolition is underway. The doomed buildings were on parcels rezoned for high rise hotels.
Coney Island USA purchased the historic building in 2007 with funding from the City. When the Childs Building was first illuminated in mid-November, Coney Island USA founder Dick Zigun said it was part of a major upgrade to the exterior of the building. “The Surf Avenue facade will be illuminated every evening, 365 days a year; the West 12th Street lights will be on when we are open for business any evening,” noted Zigun.
Related posts on ATZ…
October 21, 2010: Halloween In Coney Island: Behind the Scenes at Creep Show at the Freak Show
May 11, 2010: 21st Century Bars: Coney Island’s Freak Bar Featured in New Book
March 10, 2010: Coney Island Sideshow to Add Girlie Freak Show, Run 7 Days a Week
January 25, 2010: March 14-17: Coney Island Sideshow Banner Painting School with Marie Roberts
Amusing the Zillion 
Very pleased to hear this.
Philip, love your interior renovation–it is a landmark in itself!
For reader’s who missed it, here’s a link to a post about CIUSA’s Freak Bar, which was designed by Philip Tusa. A shining oasis on Surf Ave…
https://amusingthezillion.com/2010/05/11/21st-century-bars-coney-islands-freak-bar-featured-in-new-book/
Gratifying but only in a limited sense. Three very important buildings are now no more. The Landmarks Commission in essence paid lip service to the idea that Coney Island has historically importance architecture, and practically no consideration of Coney Island’ important role in our social history.
A future generation will mourn that which is beyond their ability to experience as a tangible thing.
I have to agree. The CIUSA building is the sixth and probably the last of Coney Island’s official NYC landmarks. It’s terrible that the opportunity to restore the Bank Building and the Henderson Music Hall were lost because of the City’s capitulation to Joe Sitt.
In the “new” Coney Island, I expect to see the Disneyfication and commodification of Coney’s history in both the decor and offerings at the shiny new retail stores, bars and restaurants.
Joe “Wrecking Machine” Sitt doesn’t see the light. Don’t kid yourselves.
This is nothing but a very cheap PR move by him. Don’t be fooled. He will be back with his bulldozers and excavators destroying Coney Island to build his big mansion on Long Island.
It’s almost as if he was saying “here’s your history, and here’s $16,000, which is what it’s worth to me’. To Joe Sitt, it’s not a lot of money. But he paid towards having a small touch of the real Coney Island in the midst of his interloping buildings. So it is really his gain.
It’s like Times Square, which is now a Tokyo rendition of the original. We would have done not much better if we had Disney do it instead of Sitt and Zamperla.