On Wednesday, demolition scaffolding was erected around Thor Equities-owned Bank of Coney Island on 12th Street at Surf Avenue. In Eric Kowalsky’s stunning photo, the long, black boards resemble a coffin for the doomed bank. A demolition permit has been issued and the work is expected to be finished within 40 days.
ATZ has already spent–some would say wasted–considerable time advocating for the preservation of this building. “A Rare Peek Inside Endangered Old Bank of Coney Island” was posted over a year ago on October 9, 2009. Nothing whatsoever has changed since then. A few weeks ago, Save Coney Island’s splendid rendering of the building re-imagined as the “Banker’s Ballroom” was a hit in the blogosphere. But it was a quixotic effort because real estate speculator Joe Sitt never gave it the time of day. Shame on Thor Equities for not even responding to the written pleas of individuals and organizations to re-purpose the building or at least save the facade. Shame on the City of New York for sacrificing the building by rezoning the parcel for a 30-story high rise in July 2009.
In the lovely archival photo below sent to us by historian Charles Denson, the Bank of Coney Island is a branch of Banker’s Trust (1928-1950). The bank was later sold to Manufacturer’s Hanover. In December 1987, the branch closed and the property was offered for sale, with a minimum acceptable bid of $225,000, all cash. The building has remained vacant since real estate speculator Joe Sitt bought the Bank of Coney Island building in 2005 for $3 million.
Historian Charles Denson, author of Coney Island: Lost and Found, shot this video of the Faber’s Fascination sign on September 9th and 10th. An employee of the arcade lit up the Faber’s sign one last time before all of the letters were removed from the facade. As ATZ reported last week, the arcade, which has been in the Henderson Building since the 1930s, closed on Labor Day 2010.
Denson says in the video’s intro: “The iconic sign was the last remaining example of Coney’s bare bulb Electric Eden illumination that began with Luna Park in 1903. It is also the latest victim of predatory real-estate developer Thor Equities’ self-described summer of demolition, spurred on by the City’s rezoning of the site for a 30-story high-rise hotel that will most likely never be built. These images are from the sign’s last night of illumination.”
In “Four Coney Buildings to Fall,” Friday’s Story of the Day on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s website, Denson cited the new Luna Park and the rehab of the Parachute Jump as the kind of direction we should keep going in. “Coney Island is really down to a handful of what you could call ‘landmark’ buildings,” Denson said in the article. “It would be good if Thor Equities would at least save one of them.”
“Predatory developer Thor Equities is evicting small businesses while preparing to demolish the historic Henderson Building…” In this video, you’ll meet two business owners who after 3 decades of operating year-round businesses in the Henderson Building have lost their leases and have to move out.
On Saturday we took a few lousy pix of Popeye’s knowing it would be our last chance. After 27 years in Coney Island, Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits was expected to serve its last supper to customers on Sunday. Today we’re hearing Popeye’s may have gotten a few days reprieve, if you want to head over for a last snack. The Henderson Building at the corner of Surf and Stillwell is one of four lots in Coney Island rezoned last summer for 30-story high rise hotels, which set the stage for the current evictions and demolitions.
The historic building once known as the Henderson Music Hall is slated to be demolished next month. In the video, the business owners comments are punctuated by the drill of machinery. You’ll see workers carrying out asbestos abatement/demolition on the building’s roof without any protection for the people below. (But that’s another story, which ATZ has been reporting.)
Maritza, who has operated the souvenir stand on the Stillwell Ave side of the Henderson building for 30 years, began packing up and moving out on August 11. In the video, she says she got one week’s notice. “When [Thor Equities] makes the new building he promised to give me a 10 year lease, but I don’t know. They’re supposed to talk to me about it, but I’m still here waiting,” Maritza says in the video. After Thor announced demolition plans in April, a rendering was released of a cheesy looking temporary one-story building occupied by hamburger and taco food joints. At the time we thought it was a ploy to get demo permits from the City and put an end to preservationists’ efforts to get approval for an historic district in Coney Island.
Will Popeye’s and Maritza find a spot in Joe Sitt’s future Mall of Coney Island? That depends on whether you think such a thing will ever be built. From where we stand, Joe Sitt is just creating another empty lot in Coney Island to add to his collection of empty lots. If you’re skeptical, we suggest you take a look at what the now decimated Stillwell Avenue looked like before Joe Sitt.
Popeyes Chicken reopened today at 1220 Surf Avenue, a new doors down from their original location, in a building owned by another landlord. The popular fast-food restaurant’s new home is in the Popper Building, which has a distinctive old copper sign that says “Herman Popper & Bro.” and a colorful history. “Relocated Popeyes Set to Open Today in Coney Island,” ATZ, April 10, 2010
UPDATE August 24, 2010:
Popeye’s last chicken dinner will be served tonight! After 27 years at this location, the restaurant will close at midnight. Thirty people, including 20 year-round employees, are now out of work. The owner has until the end of the month to move out his equipment. He hopes to stay in Coney Island and is looking at two locations- one on the south side of Surf Avenue and another on the north side. We wish him luck and hope to see Popeye’s back soon!
Save Coney Island is giving free walking tours every Sunday through the end of September. The tours highlight the four soon-to-be demolished buildings owned by Thor Equities along Surf Avenue as well as some of Coney’s existing landmarks. This Sunday’s guest tour guide will be historian Charles Denson, author of Coney Island: Lost and Found.
Amusing the Zillion 