Toothpick Holder: Souvenir of Henderson's Music Hall & Restaurant, Coney Island. Late 1800
When Henry M. Henderson died in Los Angeles in 1909, his obituary said “Mr. Henderson bought property in Coney Island thirty years ago and started one of the first amusement places. He acquired a large fortune and the family now owns all of the property between Henderson’s Walk and Stratton Walk, extending from Surf Avenue to the sea.” Henderson’s establishment began as a restaurant at Bowery and Henderson Walk in 1881. His son Frederick managed the family’s Coney Island empire, which included a music hall featuring vaudeville acts and a bathing pavilion at the foot of Sea Beach Walk.
After we wrote about a vintage coffee cup from Childs Restaurant last month, a reader sent us this photo of a toothpick holder from Henderson’s. Lisa Ramaci collects memorabilia of early New York, including chinaware and utensils from restaurants and hotels. “You will see it was broken at some point in its past – I picked it up for a quarter probably 20 years ago in a small antique store in Manhattan,” Ramaci told ATZ. “They had a ‘jumble’ table in front with stuff they considered valueless. Little did they know that even in the condition it’s in I consider it a treasure. Anyway, hope you enjoy it, only wish I could have eaten there – and at Childs!”
Made in Austria for J. R. Gibney: Souvenir of Henderson’s Music Hall & Restaurant, Coney Island. Late 1800
The souvenir made in Austria for J. R. Gibney is indeed a rare find. We’ve seen only one other example. The auction info site worthpoint has photos of a Henderson’s toothpick holder that sold for $115.49 on eBay in 2009. It appears to be in very good condition. But we find it poignant that Lisa’s souvenir of Henderson’s was so carefully mended after having been broken. “It obviously meant something sentimental to whoever stole it from the restaurant way back when,” she says. “A great example of an earlier time, when things were repaired and re-used rather than thrown out and replaced. And thank God for that!”
Sadly, the last remnant of Coney pioneer Henry Henderson’s empire isn’t being rehabbed and re-used. The building is currently being demolished by Thor Equities. On Friday there was one wall left standing. Henderson’s will be gone in a couple of days. A few weeks ago we posted Charles Denson’s video tribute to the Henderson Theater. In lieu of an obituary, we decided to write about the survival of this humble but treasured memento.
For more info on the history of the building, see “Photo of the Day: Interior of Coney Island’s Doomed Henderson Music Hall” (ATZ, April 29, 2010).
UPDATE 3:20 pm
RIP Henderson Music Hall. Just got word the last wall of this historic Coney Island building was demolished this afternoon. Bad things have happened in threes in Thor’s Coney Island over the past few months: The demolition of the Bank of Coney Island, the Shore Hotel, and finally the Henderson Music Hall. Now when tourists exit Stillwell Terminal, their first sight of Coney Island will be one of Thor Equities infamous empty lots!
Vintage Postcard of Henderson's Music Hall Stage in Coney Island. Cezar Del Valle Collection
Related posts on ATZ…
December 19, 2010: Rare & Vintage: Original Coney Island Motordrome Bike
December 4, 2010: Artifact of the Day: Vintage Coffee Cup from Childs Restaurant
November 16, 2009: Rare & Vintage: Coney Island Sideshow Banner by Dan Casola
May 29, 2009: Astroland Star from Coney Island’s Space-Age Theme Park Donated to the Smithsonian
Amusing the Zillion 
The loss of the Henderson Music Hall is not going unnoticed.
The impact on our Islands History will be great! The Henderson Music Hall was a representation of the what was going on with Theater and music during great times in American history. So sad.
Thanks for your comment, Robin. Yes, sad. Gone forever. South side of Surf Avenue looks like a dowager with missing teeth where demolished historic buildings used to be
Dear Trish-
Thanks for this poignant feature. Perhaps I’ve said this before, but I can see the day coming, if Coney Island remains any kind of amusement/entertainment center, when some bright entrepreneur is going to look around and realize what we need is a dance hall. Henderson’s will be looking mighty good in hindsight then. I was speaking with Vince Giordano, whose eleven-piece band The Nighthawks plays dance and jazz music from the 20’s-early 30’s- they’d love to play for concerts and dancing in Coney Island IF THERE WERE ANYWHERE TO DO IT.
And, call me nuts (many do), but I’d love to see Bullard do the right thing and develop a historic park component to the “new” Coney on his property. He could call it… let’s see… oh, wait… maybe “Steeplechase Park”. Plenty of room there from the Bowery to the Boardwalk.
Yes, wouldn’t it be loverly to have a theater and dance hall and music hall! Maybe one of these years in the Shore Theater? Or dining and dancing at the Childs Building on the Boardwalk? Would not look to anything from Bullard though, all of his property is up for sale. Now if you know any millionaires and can put together a consortium?
So glad you are documenting the changes in Coney as well as these wonderful bits of cultural flotsam & jetsam. A Coney Island toothpick holder manufactured in Austria. Who knew?
Thanks, OWTD. That’s a great phrase “cultural flotsam & jetsam”!
So nice to see the toothpick holder and read a bit of Henderson history.
I know humans save stuff, but today’s story was poignant for me because all of my CI relatives had little – things- that were precious. And always when I meet someone and they talk their CI memories, they will say they have a little – thing – that they got from CI and kept.
The shared experience of holding precious these little mementos of CI render them a club. I wonder if the histories embedded in these mementos will someday constitute a history of the place.
Sometimes my family just doesn’t get it, but it completely breaks my heart with what’s going on down there. When I was a kid we went when we could, but now it’s like there’s not going to be any of my childhood left in the place.
At least we got there this summer. *sigh*