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Amusing the Zillion’s Top 10 Coney Island News Stories of 2010

Posted in News, Redevelopment, tagged Boardwalk, Coney Island, Coney Island Arcade, Luna Park, Thor Equities on January 1, 2011| 2 Comments »

We’re marking the start of the new year with a look back at ATZ’s Top 10 news stories of 2010 listed in order of page views. The majority of the stories were first reported by ATZ. Thanks to our readers for your comments, both online and in person. Thanks to the bloggers and journos who have linked to our stories in 2010. Happy New Year to All and Happy New Year to Coney Island!

Fire at Coney Island Arcade. May 5, 2010

1. Suspicious Fire at Coney Island Arcade Building – May 6, 2010

ATZ’s most viewed news story of 2010 was about the fire that destroyed Coney Island Arcade on the Bowery at 12th Street. After news of the fire was mentioned on Coney Island USA message board and twitter by neighborhood residents, we followed up by phone with eyewitnesses at the scene. The FDNY had to saw open the metal shutters and break through the roof to fight the stubborn fire, which took more than two-and-a-half hours to put out.

The building was not “unoccupied,” as was widely reported. Targette, one of the arcade’s beloved cats, died of smoke inhalation, but her brother Target managed to escape the fire when the firemen cut the gates. The next day, sources told ATZ the fire was caused by the use of a propane torch by roofers who had been tarring the arcade’s roof. The arcade machines were a total loss and the building still stands in ruins.

Luna Park at Night. © Coney Island History Project Collection

2. Scoop: Zamperla’s $24M Coney Island Park to be Named Luna Park!— January 26, 2010

Two weeks after Zamperla was chosen to be the City’s amusement operator in Coney Island, ATZ discovered an Italian newspaper interview with Alberto Zamperla in which he revealed the previously undisclosed name of the soon-to-be built amusement park: “The park will be called, Luna Park, like the first, the only, the inimitable one, the one created by Frederic Thompson and Elmer ‘Skip’ Dundy.” In many countries, including Italy, “Luna Park” is a generic term for amusement park.

New Luna Park, Coney Island. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i

3. Luna Park Coney Island’s Pinwheel & Moon Gate Takes Shape! –May 23, 2010

One of the most exciting photo ops of the heroic round-the-clock race to build Luna Park occurred just one week before the grand opening. Workers from Zamperla and Paul Signs were putting four giant pinwheel and crescent moons into place on the front gate. We ran out from our booth to witness the historic occasion. At 6:30 pm, when the fourth pinwheel was in place, we stood with two other photographers in the middle of Surf Avenue getting shots of the magnificent gate, which pays homage to the entrance of the original Luna Park.

Signage at Paul's Daughter, Coney Island. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

4. Out With the Old in Coney Island: Only 2 of 11 Boardwalk Businesses Invited Back – November 1, 2010
On the day after the 2010 season ended, we were shocked to hear from Boardwalk folks that Ruby’s Bar and several other Boardwalk businesses had received vacate notices from CAI/Zamperla. We phoned Zamperla USA CEO Valerio Ferrari for confirmation. “They didn’t have the vision that we have for the Boardwalk,” Ferrari told ATZ. “It’s a business decision.” He said Zamperla/CAI’s vision is to revitalize the Boardwalk by making it a lively place open 365 days a year. But it’s also a matter of investment dollars. Luna Park is investing $1.4 million in a new restaurant at the corner of Surf and 10th Street, formerly occupied by Gregory & Paul’s. A Boardwalk restaurant/bar hoping to get a lease renewal would have had to make a million dollar investment as well, Ferrari said.

Ruby's Bar & Grill, Coney Island. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

5. Friends of Ruby’s Bar Launch Petition, Plan Nov 6 Rally – November 3, 2010
After the Monday Morning Massacre of the Boardwalk businesses, friends of Ruby’s Bar spread the word via Facebook and email to “all Ruby’s family and friends” to gather for “last call” on November 6th. “We are not going quietly,” Rubyshost said in an email. A petition was launched that began: “Dear Mayor Bloomberg and Mr. Ferrari, It has been brought to my attention that a historic piece of Coney Island is being kicked out. How does a business that has been there since 1934 get kicked out?”

The eviction hearing of the Coney Island 8–Ruby’s, Paul’s Daughter, Cha Cha’s, Steve’s Grill House, Gyro Corner, Coney Island Souvenir Shop, Beer Island and Shoot the Freak–has been adjourned till January 10, 2011. UPDATE: In March 2011, all eight of the Coney Island 8 signed an agreement with property manager Zamperla’s Central Amusement International and the City that will allow 7 of them–Shoot the Freak is out– to lease their City-owned Boardwalk locations for one final summer.

Scott Fitlin at Coney Island's Eldorado. Photo © Charles Denson

6. Rest in Peace: Scott Fitlin, Coney Island’s Eldorado Man – October 13, 2010

Our eulogy to our friend Scott Fitlin, who operated the Eldorado Bumper cars for his family, was read by Scott’s many, many friends in Coney Island and around the world. Commenters from several audio forums paid tribute to Scott’s knowledge and generosity of spirit.

Scott was the DJ extraordinaire of Surf Avenue’s legendary disco palace of bumper cars and a steadfast defender of the amusement zone. Coney Island will miss him more than we can say. Coney Island raconteur Stan Fox, whose family operated the Playland arcade, recalled saying that when Mike Saltzstein of the B & B Carousell died in 2001, the music died. “Today’s another day when the music died,” Fox said. As we reported in November, the Fitlin family will reopen the Eldorado Bumper cars in 2011.

Vintage postcard of Tickler Ride at Luna Park circa 1906. © Jeffrey Stanton. http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/

7. New Coney Island Coaster Pays Homage to Luna Park’s 1906 Tickler – April 28, 2010

When we heard that the new Luna Park’s Wild Mouse spinning coaster would be renamed “The Tickler,” we were delighted to be able to write about the innovative 1906 thrill ride in the original Luna Park and pay homage to its inventor Willliam F. Mangels. The Tickler was the first amusement ride “designed to jostle, jolt and jounce its riders about in their seats when the ride was in motion,” according to Mangels, who had his shop in Coney Island.

In his book The History of the Outdoor Amusement Industry, Mangels recalls bringing his sketch of the ride to Luna Park to apply for a location for the following season: “Frederic Thompson, then the manager, took the picture, held it at arm’s length and gazed at it a minute. Then in his brusque way, he said, ‘You will need barrels to take away your money. Come in tomorrow morning for your contract.’ The contract specified that twenty per cent of the gross receipts should go to the park.”

Before Thor: Miniature Golf Course on Stillwell West. Photo via coneyislandbattingrange.com

8. Thor’s Coney Island: What Stillwell Looked Like Before Joe Sitt – March 3, 2010

Visitors to Coney Island still ask us: Where are the batting cages? What happened to the go karts? ATZ discovered that the website of this popular and much missed Stillwell Avenue attraction lives on! Never mind that Thor Equities evicted amusement operator Norman Kaufman and bulldozed the property in 2007 to make way for “redevelopment” (translation: empty lots). This attractive mini-golf course was located on the west side of Stillwell behind the Grill House. We miss the bumper boats on the Bowery most of all.

Velocity Nightclub in the Henderson Building, 2007. Photo © Charles Denson

9. Photo of the Day: Interior of Coney Island’s Doomed Henderson Music Hall – April 28, 2010

The Velocity Nightclub occupied the second floor on the Bowery side of the former Henderson Music Hall until Thor Equities bought the building and proceeded to empty it of tenants. Charles Denson’s photo provides a rare glimpse inside the building, which a Thor spokesman described as “structurally questionable and potentially dangerous.” Thor announced plans to demolish the building and replace it with a one-story shopping mall. In the last months of 2010, the Thor-owned Bank of Coney Island and Shore Hotel were demolished and the Henderson is currently being taken down. See the “Video: Tribute to the Henderson Theater by Charles Denson” for a recent look inside the doomed building.

Tile floor in historic Feltman's kitchen. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

10. Nathan Slept Here! Coney Island’s Feltman’s Kitchen Set for Demolition – January 19, 2010

The first demolition of 2010 was the old Feltman’s kitchen on the former Astroland site. The City demolished the structure to make way for the new Luna Park. This humble building was the last remnant of the block-long restaurant and entertainment complex owned by Charles Feltman, the inventor of the hot dog. Before Nathan Handwerker founded Nathan’s, he worked for Feltman and legend has it that he slept on the kitchen floor! Tiles from Feltman’s kitchen were retrieved by the Coney Island History Project.

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New Restaurant Building Next to Coney Island’s Stillwell Terminal

Posted in Real Estate, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island, New Construction, Stillwell Terminal, Surf Avenue, Vacant Lot on December 29, 2010| 3 Comments »

Surf Ave. Lot for Lease next to Stillwell Terminal. December 23, 2010. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

Last week leases went out to two fast food restaurants for space in a two-story commercial building to be built on the long vacant lot next to Coney Island’s Stillwell Terminal. Built to suit/subdivide, the new building will have 10,000 square feet on the first floor and 5,000 square feet on the second floor.

Although the broker could not disclose the names of the restaurants until the leases are signed, the Coney Island Rumor Mill has been saying for weeks that Popeye’s Chicken would reopen at this location. Popeye’s owner began looking at space on the north side of Surf after getting booted out of the Henderson Building by Thor Equities. Popeye’s had been at the Henderson location for 27 years.

ATZ obtained the plans for the 1223 Surf Avenue building from broker Joe Vitacco of Jacob Gold Realty. “We sent out leases for two spaces, both on the left side of the property. They will be fast food,” said Vitacco. But there’s still room for more. “The remaining space, which is about 4,500 square feet, could be a restaurant by itself or in conjunction with the 5,000 square foot second floor that will have a 4,500 square foot terrace overlooking Surf. There will be an elevator connecting the first and second floors. The second floor will be 22 feet above grade and will have a panoramic view of the ocean.” The plans for the second story show a terrace that is approximately 27 feet deep by 65 feet wide. Takers?

Second Floor: Plan for Two Story Commercial Building at 1223 Surf Avenue in Coney Island

When ATZ asked what’s the other fast food restaurant? Vitacco said, “You’ll be surprised.” If you’d like to hazard a guess, go right ahead and post a comment. Keep in mind that Stillwell Terminal already has Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins and Subway franchises. There’s a McDonald’s Cafe at Stillwell and Mermaid Avenues.

According to Vitacco, the price of the lease depends upon how much work the tenant requires of the landlord beyond a shell. “We are leaving that on a case by case decision,” he says. “The plans have been filed we need approval then permits then we will have an idea as when it will be ready.” The 1223 Surf Avenue property was previously owned by Horace Bullard, who also owns the nearby Shore Theater, which is for sale for $12 million. Vitacco represented Bullard in the sale of this property to Fox 18 Realty LLC and now has the exclusive to represent the owner in the leasing of the property.

First Floor: Plan for Two Story Commercial Building 1223 Surf Avenue in Coney Island

The lot has been vacant since 2001, when the Giuliani administration repeatedly ticketed and finally got rid of the flea market that had operated on the lot since the 1980s. The headline in the Daily News read “CONEY SMALL BIZ BLITZ STORM OF TICKETS TIED TO DEBUT OF CYCLONES.”

Prior to the flea market, independent rides have come and gone for as far back as anyone can recall. In the late 1940s and 1950s, the Pinto Brothers, who also manufactured kiddie rides on 8th Street in Coney Island, operated a Whip here and a Crazy Ghost ride nearby. In the 1960s this location was home to McCullough’s Illions carousel, which was moved from Surf and 15th Street, until it was dismantled in 1968. A Sky Rapids water slide a Jumbo coaster that resembled a Jumbo Jet, and go karts took turns operating there in the 1970s.

UPDATE August 2, 2012

New Building Breaks Ground Next to Coney Island’s Stillwell Terminal

Sky Rapids Ride on Surf Avenue, Coney Island January 1, 1979. Photo by Abe Feinstein via Coney Island History Project

Photo of the Day: Shoot the Freak Is Boarded Up

Posted in Photo of the Day, Redevelopment, tagged Amanda Burden, Boardwalk, Coney Island, Mayor Bloomberg, Shoot the Freak on December 22, 2010| 1 Comment »

Shoot The Freak. Dec. 22, 2010. Photo © Rubys Host via flickr

If you were hoping to take one last souvenir photo in front of Shoot the Freak on New Year’s Day, fuhgeddaboutit. This afternoon, construction workers boarded up the front of the vacant lot where the famed Coney Island paintball game has been played since 2002. Central Amusement International/Zamperla has a DOB permit for “the installation of temporary fencing and site preparation.” Workers told the photographer: “It’s the new entrance to one of the roller coasters coming into Scream Zone for 2011.”

“The back wall/fences are now gone and the stuff inside removed, but that’s it,” said Rubyshost in an email. “They were bringing in new material for fencing, poles etc – part of the wall was open so I could see the entire back.”

Shoot the Freak is one of the eight Boardwalk businesses being evicted by CAI, which has leased the property from the City. The Coney Island 8’s court date was postponed till January 10, 2011

When news of the Boardwalk evictions broke in November, New York Magazine chimed in with “Let Us Now Mourn the Loss of Coney Island’s ‘Shoot the Freak’” to remind us that city planning commissioner Amanda Burden once assured New York that she “loved” and “would vote for” Shoot the Freak. That was back in 2007. No love now! Here’s the vid of the Mayor, Burden and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff answering a reporter’s question about the future of Shoot the Freak and other Coney Island attractions. The videographer is the late Bob Guskind of Gowanus Lounge. Bob would have appreciated the irony of this video showing up three years later in a post about the demise of Shoot the Freak.

UPDATE… December 23, 2010…11:00 pm

This afternoon, “The Coney Island 8” issued a press statement on the shuttering of Shoot the Freak. It says in part: “We are angered and saddened that, just a few days before Christmas, one of our businesses, ‘Shoot the Freak,’ has had its entrances illegally boarded up and all of its property removed. This was done without the knowledge of the owner Anthony Berlingieri.” The businesses, which are fighting their eviction in court, also launched a new website to tell their story and ask New Yorkers to call the Mayor’s office in support of the Coney Island 8. The url is www.coneyisland8.com.