1940s Mangels Shooting Gallery, Coney Island USA. August 3, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita
The restoration of the 1940′s Coney Island shooting gallery that ATZ wrote about earlier this year was completed in August and boy is it a beauty. Located next-door to Coney Island USA’s main building, the vintage gallery brings an authentic, old-timey ambiance to that part of Surf Avenue. It’s the third shooting gallery to debut in Coney Island this season as a replacement for equipment and businesses damaged by flooding from Superstorm Sandy.
Made in Coney Island by William F. Mangels, it’s also the only publicly operating shooting gallery of this vintage that we’re currently aware of. There are a few in private collections. Very few. A collector who contacted ATZ, said he had installed one in his home for family and friends to play. Another gallery is used as a decorative piece at a bar in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio, where it was discovered when the restaurant owner was renovating. No shooting allowed!
The gallery restored by Coney Island USA is on loan from Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, where it was uncovered during post-Sandy renovations. Intact Mangels shooting galleries are exceptionally rare since most were long ago sold for scrap metal or broken up by antique dealers who sell the targets individually. In May, a Mangels cast-iron gallery with over 150 targets from the Elli Buk Collection sold at auction for $60,000 after competitive bidding.
Related posts on ATZ…
July 22, 2013: The World’s Largest Traveling Bonanza Shooting Gallery
May 16, 2013: Shooting Gallery Revival in Post-Sandy Coney Island
April 2, 2013: Shoot the Freak Reborn in Coney Island as Shoot the Clown
February 25, 2010: Happy Belated Birthday to Coney Island’s William F Mangels
Amusing the Zillion 
Tricia, I’m just wondering if that gallery sold in May was kept intact, or broken up?
Hi my name is bob from the Boston area. I believe I have a Mangels gallery 3 feet by 5 feet 49 bird targets. I was going to have it auctioned off. I noticed your name in the comment section to see if you had any interesti. Not sure either how to contact anyone but I’ll keep and eye out on the comment section to see if you or anyone tries reaching out to me. Thanks
You might try contacting the auction house to ask if they’ll forward your question and contact info to buyer. Sometimes they do!
Thanks! Will do.
Familiar beauty! Much thanks to all that took part in bringing this jewel back to the surface!