February | 2012 | Amusing the Zillion

Archive for February, 2012

Thor Destroys 119-Year-Old Relics of Coney Trolley History

Posted in history, tagged Coney Island, Surf Avenue, Thor Equities, trolley, trolley poles, trolley utility pole on February 21, 2012| 11 Comments »

View of Thor Equities New Plywood-Wrapped Building from Stillwell Terminal. February 20, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

Last week, Thor Equities got rid of a pair of century-old relics of Coney Island history when a new sidewalk was laid on Surf Avenue. Two trolley utility poles which date back to the 1890s are gone. Missing from the above photo of Joe Sitt’s brand-new, plywood-wrapped building viewed from Coney Island’s Stillwell Terminal, the poles can be seen in these photos from January 2012 and April 2011. The new building is the first sight you’ll see when you exit Stillwell Terminal. It occupies the site of the century-old Henderson Music Hall, which Thor Equities demolished in 2010.

When trolley service on the Surf Avenue-Seagate line ended on December 1, 1946, the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce requested that the poles on both sides of Surf Avenue be left in place in the amusement area to be used for holiday decorations. Stan Fox, the former owner of Playland Arcade, told ATZ that about ten years ago, Charlie Tesoro of the Chamber asked him to count them. “There were sixty-four,” says Fox. “Since then some have fallen down. Others were removed.” The ones in front of MCU Park were removed when the stadium was constructed, he says. (Fox updated his trolley pole census the day after this article was posted. He says there are currently 43 poles on Surf Avenue.)

The poles in front of Luna Park have enjoyed a kinder fate. They were painted red, white and blue, as you can see in the photo below. Although most visitors to Coney Island probably pass by these humble artifacts without noticing them, the poles extend from West 5th to West 21st Streets. Trolley service began in 1893, which makes the poles older than Steeplechase Park (1897), Luna Park (1903) and Dreamland (1904), as well as any of Coney Island’s landmarks, including the Wonder Wheel (1920) and the Cyclone (1927).

Red, white and blue trolley poles on Surf Avenue in front of Luna Park Coney Island. February 20, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

On Flickr, the Coney Island Trolley Utility Poles Archive has documented 45 poles in the amusement area and collected historic images. “Nonetheless, with the wholesale demolition of the Coney Island amusement area in the offing within the next few years,” wrote the archivist in 2007, “the days of the trolley utility poles are numbered, and they will be inevitably consigned to the scrap heap, never to be seen again, except on this Flickr page.”

Interestingly, a commenter from the Boston area wrote: “Actually, poles almost exactly like this, and probably of the same vintage, are still in use in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now they run the wires for the ‘trackless trolleys’ (electric buses).”

Trolley pole at Surf Avenue and W 12th Street in front of Thor’s empty lot. February 20, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

Thor Equities Boards Up New Building in Coney Island

Posted in Real Estate, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island, Eric Kowalsky, New Construction, NO Longer Empty, street art, Thor Equities on February 18, 2012| 14 Comments »

On Wednesday, workmen drilled holes into the new sidewalk all around Thor Equities sterile-looking new building at Surf and Stillwell in Coney Island. When poles were inserted close to the structure, observers wondered if they were going to install a chain link fence. Instead, they began installing unpainted plywood all around the building!

The joke going round is Thor CEO Joe Sitt read the bad reviews of his first-ever new construction in Coney Island and felt so ashamed that he tried to hide it from public view. With no sign of any tenants, Thor probably wants to protect the glass from vandalism and graffiti. Last year’s best was “Blight for Spite” scrawled below Thor Equities name and logo.

As for street art, the blue construction fence with murals painted by No Longer Empty artists Ephameron, Veng, OverUnder and ND’A was removed earlier this month. Some of the art turned up in a jumbled reassemblage at another Thor construction site in Bensonhurst. In the photo below, taken on the Bowery side of the Coney Island building, bits and pieces of Ephameron’s mural can be seen. Thanks to Coney Island photographer Eric Kowalsky for being on the scene and snapping these photos.

More than likely the boards will soon be plastered with the “Stores for Lease” signs that have been a fixture on Thor’s vacant property in Coney Island for the past several years. How about commissioning murals to replace the ones that were chopped up and discarded? The building is the first sight you’ll see when you exit Stillwell Terminal. It occupies the site of the century-old Henderson Music Hall, which Thor Equities demolished in 2010.

Food Truck Festival Under Consideration for Coney Island

Posted in Food, Food & Drink, tagged Coney Island, DevourNYC, food truck, food truck festival, restaurant on February 16, 2012| 3 Comments »

3D Models of Paper Taco Trucks. Art © Goopymart via flickr

South Street Seaport, Governors Island and Staten Island’s Midland Beach are some of the New York City destinations that have hosted food truck festivals–gatherings of 10 to 30 trucks– since the trend started four years ago. The above photo shows paper taco trucks, but real, live food trucks could roll into Coney Island this summer if a Brooklyn food blogger’s pitch to Community Board 13 is successful. On Monday, DevourNYC (“food blogging to the masses”) tweeted…

http://twitter.com/#!/devourNYC/status/169082073880080384

DevourNYC aka David Opancha followed up with tweets saying “the CB loved the idea and has it going through the channels. I’ll keep you updated” and “Sometime in the Summer. Trying to work out details. maybe during the mermaid day parade”

Does this mean King Neptune will get to savor Luke’s lobster rolls and Feed Your Hole’s grass-fed beef burgers? When ATZ contacted Community Board 13 District Manager Chuck Reichenthal, he confirmed that he liked the idea but stressed that the proposal was brand-new and would have to be discussed and approved by the Community Board.

The location? “Not in the amusement area, not abutting others selling the same food,” Reichenthal said. “It’s a question of finding the right spot and the right time where it would be good for the trucks and the community.” He noted that renting one of Coney Island’s empty lots even for a one-day festival would be prohibitively expensive,

Reichenthal had the idea of proposing to bring the food truck festival to one of Borough President Marty Markowitz’s Seaside Summer Concerts. Last summer’s free concerts featuring Joan Jett, Aretha Franklin and Cheap Trick were moved from Asser Levy Park to a new location at Surf Avenue and West 21st Street.

While food trucks have become popular in New York City and across the country, they often face opposition from owners of brick-and-mortar eateries who say they cut into their profits. What will restaurant operators on the Boardwalk and Surf Avenue, who rely on sunny weather and busy days like the Mermaid Parade to make the season a profitable one, think of a food truck festival coming in?

”That would be terrible for us and I can’t believe they would allow that,” one veteran restaurateur who wishes to remain anon told ATZ. “I’m not sure they can do that, I don’t think it’s allowed.”

The City’s website does have a list of streets where mobile food vending is restricted. In Coney Island, Stillwell Avenue from Neptune Avenue to the Boardwalk as well as Surf Avenue and both sides of the Boardwalk from West 5th to West 20th Streets are prohibited 24 hours a day from May 1 to Labor Day, and 7 am to midnight during the rest of the year. The lot where the concert series is held is adjacent to 21st Street, which is just outside the restricted area.

Would a Food Truck Festival draw ginormous crowds who will spend money on Coney’s rides, games and still more food? Then all is good. But this year is a critical one for Coney’s eateries and a decision to bring in additional food vendors could be controversial.

Ruby’s Bar, Paul’s Daughter, Nathan’s and Tom’s are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring City-owned buildings up to code with gut rehabs and on rent. Cha Cha’s, Popeye’s and Steve’s Grill House have the high cost of relocating their evicted businesses. The majority are diversifying their menus. At the same time, there will be competition from the huge new Nathan’s on the Boardwalk as well as the food trucks and concession stands at Stillwell Avenue’s BK Festival, who undercut the brick-and-mortar restaurants’ prices while they don’t share the same costs. For example, all of the businesses on the Boardwalk are required to pay into the fireworks fund and for keeping the City’s restrooms open at night. And you thought it was free?

Community Board 13 meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7 pm.

UPDATE March 11, 2012:

The Coney Island Food Truck Festival is a no-go for 2012. Yesterday, DevourNYC tweeted:
http://twitter.com/#!/devourNYC/status/178589731427328000

Sadly most of the lots that are empty in Coney are worth millions and thus too damned pricey to rent, we tweeted back.

“That was the problem and being that I wasn’t making a penny off of anything I wasn’t going to take money out of my pocket,” replied DevourNYC aka David Opancha via twitter. “I’m in contact with food truck association so I am going to let them know about big events going on.”

We wouldn’t be surprised to see his idea pop up in some way, shape or form in the future. Maybe food trucks without the festival?