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Coney Island-Blog-O-Rama: Fave Blog Finds #1

Posted in Blogs, tagged Coney Island, Donny Vomit, Lola Staar, New York City, Photography, Underwater New York on October 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Welcome to ATZ’s Coney-centric blog finds, which we’ve come across recently and not so recently. We wanted to do this kind of feature for awhile, but our blog was launched at the beginning of Coney’s 2009 season and it’s been a hectic five months reporting from the trenches of the amusement zone. Now that summer’s over, we’ll have more time to explore the blogosphere. Unless we decide to run away with another carnival…

Diving from the Pier. Photo © Bruce Handy (Pablo57) via flickr

“What is Coney to you?” A Canadian photographer in Kevin Downs‘ 2009 Coney Island USA Summer Photography Workshop asked the group members at the end of the summer. Coney Island resident and ATZ contributor Bruce Handy/pablo 57 posted a 14 point “My Coney Credo” on the group’s discussion board on flickr. We like #5: “It is timeless, like baseball, Coney reminds me of 1940. Summer after summer they play the game, the players change, but the excitement, the mathematics of chance never changes. It’s a place where Zoltar grants you the wish to remain young forever.”

The summer season is over at the Coney Island Sideshow, but you can find out what Human Blockhead and Escape Artist Donny Vomit and friends are up to over at his blog. The Vomitorium was launched at the beginning of the 2009 season. Look for news about upcoming events, the new Krissy Kocktail documentary, behind the scenes photos at the sideshow taken with an antique camera, and Donny’s visual diary of a road trip to the Pima County Fair. More! More!

Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York followed up must-reads on Coney Island’s historic and endangered Shore Hotel and the Henderson Building with a look back at Lillie Santangelo’s World in Wax Musee, which was in Henderson’s until it closed in the 1980s. Featured are seldom seen photos by Costa Mantis of the wacky and macabre waxworks.

Lola Staar’s Dreamland Roller Rink and Boutique in the Childs Building is closed for the season, but her online boutique has been redesigned and is open for biz 24/7. According to Lola’s diary, you can shop for her Coney Island T’s and souvenirs at various flea markets around the City such as Green Flea and West Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue.

At Underwater New York’s launch party, Lawrence Kim and his Boss performed their original song (at 2:30 in the vid) “There’s a Dreamland under the ocean, there is silver under the sea…” The editors of the online anthology are seeking submissions of art, music and creative writing inspired by objects found underwater. Coney-related items on their list include Mermaid, Dreamland Bell, Island Growing on a Submerged Barge in Coney Island Creek, and 1968 Lincoln Continental found off Steeplechase Pier. The last one is new to us. “We are not looking for explanations, but rather for the stories these objects evoke, in whatever form such stories might take,” say the editors. “Tell us if you find an object to add to our list.” UNY’s bloggy new website was designed by our friend Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn photoblog and features some of his photos of Coney Island Creek.

All summer long we’ve been cheered by blog reports about what visitors love about Coney Island. Here’s one of ’em. The blogger Wisconsin Girl in the UK, formerly known as Wisco Girl in NY, gave three reasons why she loves New York’s Coney Island. We’ll go with #2: “I always witness some bizarre activity going on while I’m there. Last time it was a group of Polar Bear swimmers in March or April and then this time some Jewish guy was reading his giant prayer book while throwing food at seagulls. The gulls went absolutely nuts and it was actually really pretty (I have photos).”

Thank you to everyone who visited this season despite the bad weather and rumors that Coney Island was closed for redevelopment! See you again soon…

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A Rare Peek Inside Endangered Old Bank of Coney Island

Posted in Coney Island Redevelopment, historic preservation, tagged Bank of Coney Island, Brooklyn, endangered, historic preservation, New York City on October 9, 2009| 8 Comments »

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ATZ’s inside look at a rarely photographed Coney Island building begins at the entrance to the long vacant bank on West 12th Street across from Coney Island USA. The public hasn’t had access to the Bank of Coney Island building since the 1990s, when sideshow operator Bobby Reynolds moved into the defunct bank with his museum of curiosities.

Today the 1923 Classical Revival style Bank of Coney Island could be draped in black bunting and a rephrasing of Dante’s “Abandon hope all ye who enter….” Abandon hope of this historic building surviving in the upzoned Coney Island. The Bank of Coney has been sentenced to the circle of hell reserved for buildings considered unlikely to win landmark designation from the powers that be. Is it destined for demolition? Probably. The City of New York has rezoned the lot to accommodate one of the four high rise “hotels” placed on the south side of Surf Avenue by city planners. The Coney Island Rezoning Plan was passed by the City Council in July.

In recent years, the building has been among the historic structures kept empty and shuttered by Coney Island’s largest property owner Thor Equities.

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These photos were taken last year by a potential tenant who was interested in leasing and rehabbing the bank building to open a business for the 2009 season. Alas, Joe Sitt’s price to lease the property– $500,000– was too steep. Same story on the west side of Jones Walk, which remained shuttered and devoid of activity all summer. One tenant from last season was told the rent for his stand on the Walk had tripled from $8,000 to $24,000. ATZ was given these photos of the bank building months ago, but we made the decision not to post them until the season was over. Photos of vacant buildings and shuttered stores are bad for business because they tend to reinforce the public misperception that all of Coney Island is closed. Coney Island is open and not only that, it’s open year round!

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Delving into the history of the Bank of Coney Island, we found this description of the building in the city’s resource list: “The limestone-clad 3-story building has a double-height arched entrance flanked by pilasters, two double-height arched windows with keystones, a projecting cornice, and an attic story. The north façade is a nondescript party wall where there used to be an adjoining building. On the West 12th Street façade, the arched entrance and windows have been boarded up, as have the attic windows, and the façade details appear to have been removed from the southwest corner.”

William J. Ward (1867-1937), the founder of the Bank of Coney Island and its president for two decades, was inducted into the Coney Island Hall of Fame in 2008. “The Wards were early Coney pioneers, and the family, which still owns Jones Walk, is the last of the original landowners from the 1870s,” said Charles Denson of the Coney Island History Project at the Hall of Fame ceremony in August 2008. “William Ward was the proprietor of the block-long Ward’s Baths and Ward’s carousel, roller coaster, and kiddie park.” Ward was also the developer of the Half Moon Hotel and president of the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce.

The Ward family has since closed on the sale of their Coney Island property to the City. As for the Thor-owned Bank of Coney Island building, the Coney Island Rumor Mill is sayin’ Joe Sitt will sell all of his Coney property except Stillwell to the city after the election. If Mayor Mike gets re-elected. No matter who ends up owning the Bank of Coney, the best chance for its survival is the Municipal Art Society‘s recommendation that the city decrease the incentive to develop low rise buildings on lots where the FAR (floor to area ratio) has been increased. As MAS’s Lisa Kersavage testified at the City Planning Commission hearing in May: “The City should consider a follow up corrective action that would create a designated area eligible for the transfer of development rights from landmarks, comparable to the Grand Central Subdistrict. This catchment area (or subdistrict) should be a place appropriate for higher density development north of Surf Avenue.”

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“The Bank of Coney Island building ceased being a bank circa 1990 and Bobby Reynolds moved there in 1992,” recalls Dick Zigun, whose Sideshows by the Seashore moved to West 12th Street from the Boardwalk in 1996. That summer the tabloids had fun writing about duelling sideshows on opposite sides of the street. After Reynolds and his two headed babies went back to California, the building fell vacant and was plundered. “The owner, Mike Weiss, had a salvage company come in and rip out each and every door and each and every fixture,” says Zigun. “The vandals broke in and stole the copper wiring and plumbing. The salvage company built a big pile of garbage in a corner and eventually it caught fire. There is smoke damage, water damage, etc. but the building is structurally sound.”

Coney Island USA received a grant from the JM Kaplan Fund in 2004 to “protect the legacy of old Coney Island.” Says Zigun: “Our grant from the Kaplan Fund to hire an architectural historian and do proper nominations for landmarks was only enough money to pay for five buildings and we stretched it to six. The six nominations was an arbitrary list based on finances not architectural merit. The bank was #7 on our list so it was not nominated which does not mean it is not worth saving. It would be a natural for a nightclub or music or theatre venue.”

The Municipal Art Society had the bank building on their list of seven to save in Coney Island when MAS testified at City Planning in May 2009. Among the other structures identified by CIUSA, MAS and Save Coney Island are Nathan’s Famous, Henderson’s Music Hall, Shore Hotel, Childs Restaurant (CIUSA Building), the Grashorn Building, 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. “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.”

According to Zigun, discussions with Landmarks suggests that they probably will landmark the Coney Island USA building and the Shore Theater. “They are still discussing Nathan’s so there is still room for hope,” he says.

UPDATE August 14, 2010:

We’re sorry to report the demolition permit for the bank building was issued yesterday– Friday the 13th. It was no surprise because on Wednesday the sidewalks around the Thor-owned building were being dug up to disconnect sewer and water lines in preparation. How inexpressibly sad to see the potential here and what will be gone forever in a matter of days. Don’t bother calling the DOB to complain either. It’s final! According to the permit: “This job is not subject to the Department’s Development Challenge Process. For any issues, please contact the relevant borough office.” Yeah we have an issue. A piece of Coney Island’s history is being sacrificed to the mighty Thor. Joe Sitt will soon have another empty lot to add to his collection of empty lots.

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Photo Album: Coney Islanders and Carnies at San Gennaro

Posted in festival, Photo Album, tagged carnival, festival, game, Italian feast, Little Italy, New York City, photograph, ride, San Gennaro, street fair on September 24, 2009| 1 Comment »

Floss & Apples at San Gennaro. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Last Friday marked ATZ’s first weekend away from Coney Island and first weekend off since Memorial Day! After winding up the season at the People’s Playground on September 13, we soon began to miss the noise and the crowds. We headed over to the closest carnival—the 82nd Annual Feast of San Gennaro.

Strolling along Mulberry Street from Houston to Canal, we met quite a few Coney Islanders who’d brought their games, sideshows and food stands to Little Italy. In fact, the stand where we finally stopped for calamari because it looked the most appetizing turned out to be owned by the proprietors of Gyro Corner on Coney Island’s Boardwalk. Different menu in Little Italy, thanks to Mama’s sauce.

Carnival Rides on Grand Street. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Hit the Hammer, Ring the Bell. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Lucys Fabulous Marquee. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Lucy’s Palace is famous for their sausage sandwiches, but I was struck by the fabulous hand-painted marquee on their vintage trailer. A lot on Mulberry was filled with game concessionaires from Surf Ave and Dreamland and a trio of single-o’s direct from Coney Island. Kima “The Elephant Woman” made her sideshow debut this summer in Coney at John Strong’s Strangest Show on Earth. A ten-in-one sideshow with some former Coney freaks including Eak the Geek was there early in the week. You just never know who or what will turn up at this 10 day extravaganza in the narrow streets of Little Italy. This is the place where Coney Island’s world famous Shoot the Freak got its start!

Direct from Coney Island! Stephen was the talker at the Elephant Woman's single-o. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Toy Store Amusements Festival Wheel at San Gennaro. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Toy Store Amusements’ Festival Wheel and three kiddie rides nudged up against the apartment buildings on Grand Street. In the increasingly gentrified streets of New York City, amusement rides at street fairs are becoming a rare sight. As far as carnival games, water race fun and one ball in wins were it.. The iPod Touch was the most hyped prize. The complete Photo Album: Coney Islanders and Carnies at San Gennaro can be viewed on flickr.