Coney Island photographer Eric Kowalsky, who documented the demolition of the Bank of Coney Island in November, has eloquently captured the destruction-in-progress of the historic Henderson Music Hall in this series of images.
Eric put his camera through the gate on Henderson Walk to take the above photo of the crushed remains of part of the Henderson Building formerly occupied by Faber’s Fascination. “They took the front and side of the building down. The Bowery is still standing,” he said this morning.
Last week we posted historian Charles Denson’s video tribute to the Henderson Theater. As we previously noted, the City aided and abetted Joey “Bulldozer” Sitt by rezoning the Henderson parcel for a high rise hotel. There are however no immediate plans to build a hotel on the site. The City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission denied landmark designation and also declined to create a historic district, which would have created tax incentives to rehab the building.
The Henderson Building is the first sight you see on Surf Avenue when you step out of Stillwell Terminal. It is at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. We should probably use the past tense, though the demolition is still underway. The first sight you see when you step out of Stillwell will soon be another empty lot to add to Joe Sitt’s collection of empty lots.
Coney Island’s Shore Hotel was built circa 1903 and demolished by Thor Equities on December 10, 2010. It took only a couple of days for the demo men to take down the century-old wood frame building. There’s nothing left but a pile of sticks to be hauled away. Vanishing New York’s post from August 2009, which we linked to on Friday could serve as its epitaph.
In the post-demolition photo below taken on Saturday, Surf Avenue looks like a dowager with a tooth knocked out. Demolition is also underway at the Henderson Building, seen on the right hand side of the photo. The buildings on the left–the Eldorado Bumper Cars and the Popper Building–are NOT owned by Thor Equities and are NOT endangered.
View of Surf Avenue after the Demolition of the Shore Hotel. December 11, 2010. Photo by Anonymouse
Last week photographer Lindsay Wengler took this photo of workers putting demolition scaffolding to the top of the former Henderson Music Hall. The building, which is at the corner of Surf and Stillwell across from Nathan’s, is next on Thor’s hit list of historic properties. You can see more pix from the set on the photoblog Single Linds Reflex.
We’ve received a few emails asking why these historic buildings were not saved. The short answer is these Thor-owned properties were rezoned for high-rise hotels by the City in July 2009. The long answer is the effort to save these buildings goes back to 2004, when Coney Island USA received a grant from the JM Kaplan Fund to “protect the legacy of old Coney Island” and nominated six buildings for landmark designation. But the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission dragged its feet and would not calendar any of the buildings until 2010, months after the lots had been rezoned. Of the nominated buildings, only two–the Childs Restaurant (owned by CIUSA) and the Shore Theater (owned by Horace Bullard)– are under consideration for landmark designation.
The Municipal Art Society had the Shore Hotel and the Henderson Building on their list of seven to save in Coney Island when MAS testified at a City Planning hearing on the rezoning in May 2009. Among the other structures identified by Coney Island USA, MAS and Save Coney Island were Nathan’s Famous, Childs Restaurant (CIUSA Building), the Grashorn Building, the Bank of Coney Island and the Shore Theater. “Under the NYC Landmarks Law, structures can be designated as landmarks for architectural, historical and cultural reasons,” said MAS’s Lisa Kersavage in her testimony. “Although some of these structures have been altered over the years, their ties to the legendary Coney Island of the past gives them a cultural significance that should be recognized and protected.” The City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission denied landmark designation and also declined to create a historic district, which would have created tax incentives to rehab the buildings.
In celebration of the birthday of Harpo Marx, who made his stage debut in Coney Island’s soon-to-be-demolished Henderson Music Hall in 1908, we’ve assembled some of our fave scenes from Harpo’s film and television career. Happy Birthday to Harpo (born November 23, 1888) and Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers. Enjoy!
When Harpo appeared on “I’ve Got A Secret” in 1961 to plug his new memoir Harpo Speaks!, he acted out the answers to interview questions from host Garry Moore while the panelists, including Johnny Carson, try to figure out what he’s miming.
As for Harpo’s debut in show business on June 1, 1908, here’s what he had to say about it in Harpo Speaks…
It was not until Minnie got me on the El that the awful truth of her mission struck me, like a bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky. We were headed for Coney Island. I was being shanghaied. I was being shanghaied to join Groucho, Gummo and Lou Levy. On a stage. Singing. In front of people.
On the train, Minnie screened me with a newspaper, while I changed into a white duck suit, my costume. At the same time she tried to teach me the words to “Darling Nelly Grey.” I was too weak with dread to protest. My mind went blank. I couldn’t possibly learn the song before we got to Coney Island.
As one of “The Four Nightingales” performing at Henderson’s, Harpo had such a bad case of stage fright that he wet his pants…
It was probably the most wretched debut in the history of show business.
Nobody could hear me sing that night in the quartet at Henderson’s. It was all I could do to open my mouth at approximately the same time that Groucho, Lou and Gummo opened their mouths. But I sang, a voiceless swan song. I sang farewell to the streets of the East side, to hurtling and hopping trolleys and swindling ticket choppers, farewell to happy-go-lucky hired today and fired tomorrow wandering from job to job…Like it or not I was in show business for the rest of my days.
Harpo’s Place, a website lovingly put together by Harpo’s son, Bill Marx, features a wonderful collection of family photos and memorabilia. From a list of the Harpo Marx Family Rules–we like #8: “If things get too much for you and you feel the whole world’s against you, go stand on your head. If you can think of anything crazier to do, do it.”
As his father’s “prop man” for 12 years, Bill Marx has a complete list of the unusual items that were part of Harpo’s repertoire, including knives that come out of a coat (and the coat), a clarinet (with mechanical bubble machine and tube), and signs for sewing on the singers’ rear ends! In this BBC clip, a rare voice recording of Harpo speaking is played and Bill explains why Harpo never spoke in film or TV appearances.
In Coney Island, preservationists have tried to save the historic Henderson Music Hall where music and vaudeville acts such as the Marx Brothers, Al Jolson and Sophie Tucker performed. But the building failed to win consideration for landmark status since it has been altered extensively. The City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission also rejected an application by Coney Island USA, Save Coney Island, the Coney Island History Project, the Historic Districts Council and the New York City Landmarks Conservancy to create a historic district. Ironically, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation wrote that “the historic core of Coney Island appears to meet the criteria for listing to the Registers as a historic district.”
There’s also the unfortunate fact that the Henderson is owned by real estate speculator Joe Sitt of Thor Equities and occupies a prime site at the corner of Surf and Stillwell that was rezoned for a high rise hotel in 2009. A demolition permit has been issued and the former music hall is expected to be demolished soon, though there are no immediate plans to build a hotel.
At the same time, the 93rd Street Beautification Committee has been advocating for the preservation of “Marx Brothers Place” in Manhattan. The grassroots group wants the City to extend the Carnegie Hill Historic District one block to include the Marx brothers childhood home at 179 East 93rd Street. For info, visit their blog or e-mail 93rdst.beautification[AT]gmail.com.
RT @ConeyHistory: Happy #StPatricksDay from 1940's and '50s Coney Island! Shamrock Irish House had orchestra, singing waiters, and more. Li… 1 week ago
Amusing the Zillion 