A volunteer leading a tour.

The first walking tour of Coney Island’s historic buildings was a tremendous success.  We had thirty more participants than the twenty we expected.

Several people, at the walk and by email, strongly encouraged us to do these historic tours on a regular basis.  We had expected this to be a one time thing to celebrate the opening of Luna Park.  But given the level of interest, we’re hoping to organize a tour every few weeks — provided, of course, that Thor Equities has not torn down the historic buildings that we’re there to see.  If you could not join us the first time around, we hope that you’ll join us next time!

If you missed this one, you can download the informative brochure we provided to tour-goers:

tour_brochure_advocacy 6.15.10sm.pdf

Also, here’s a short clip of one of the tours, led by Save Coney Island spokesperson Juan Rivero. Many thanks to the tour attendee who was kind enough to film and post this quick taste of the experience!

Save Coney Island today hailed the opening this weekend of Zamperla USA’s Luna Park as a key step toward the revitalization of Coney Island.

But, at the same time, Save Coney Island warned that Coney Island’s historic heritage is in grave danger, with speculator Thor Equities planning to demolish several of Coney Island’s most historically significant buildings.

“The opening of Luna Park is a cause for great celebration, a step toward restoring Coney Island to its glory days,” said Save Coney Island spokesman, Juan Rivero. “But at the same time, our celebration is tempered by the fact that the last remnants of those glory days are in danger of imminent demolition.”
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Join us this Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of Luna Park with a walking tour of Coney Island’s remaining historic buildings.  The guided tour will cover the Coney Island Historic District that we are urging the Landmarks Preservation Commission to create, as well as some of Coney’s existing landmarks.

Learn more about Coney Island’s rich history, the importance of preserving it, and what Save Coney Island is doing to protect what remains of this extraordinary heritage.

WHERE – In front of the Shore Theater, on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Aves
WHEN – Saturday, May 29th at 11:00 am
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Prominent voices are joining the chorus calling for Coney Island’s historic buildings to be saved from Thor’s wrecking ball. Both Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the Municipal Art Society have called for the threatened structures to be saved.

Markowitz wrote in a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission:

Although Coney Island was once the Playground of the World, much of its historic past has been razed due to fire or disinvestment. The remaining buildings represent the last remaining elements of historic Coney Island. Preserving the structures will not only maintain the historic context of the amusement district but enhance the new development.

New York’s oldest planning and preservation group, the Municipal Art Society, issued a statement saying:

…much of the public appeal of Coney Island lies in its heritage, and there is great public support for preserving the best of Coney’s past while building new buildings and rides on the acres of vacant land that currently exist. MAS believes that steps should be taken to protect the historic buildings that remain at Coney, including those that are threatened by demolition this summer.

On Tuesday May 11 State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower issued a decision rejecting grassroots activist group Save Coney Island’s lawsuit seeking to overturn the rezoning of Coney Island. In response to this decision, Save Coney Island issued the following statement:

Save Coney Island is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to restoring Coney Island as a world-class amusement destination — the Playground of the World.

Last November, we filed a lawsuit to prevent the implementation of a rezoning plan that would make this goal impossible to achieve by permanently shrinking Coney Island’s outdoor amusement area and blocking it off with a wall of high-rise buildings.

We are disappointed with Judge Rakower’s decision rejecting our claim. We continue to believe that the environmental review failed to adequately explore the impact of 27-story high-rise buildings along the South Side of Surf Avenue, among other issues.

However, our lawsuit was a means to an end: to prevent Coney Island’s extraordinary potential from being lost so that a truly successful revitalization can occur. We will continue to aggressively fight for this goal through every mechanism possible.

Over the last few weeks Save Coney Island volunteers, working with other groups, have pushed for the preservation of several historic buildings now threatened with demolition by Thor Equities; written a paper titled “Completing Coney’s Comeback” published by a leading New York think-tank that listed the short-term steps the city and other stakeholders can take to ensure a successful summer of 2010; and much more.

While this week’s court decision was a setback, our committed team of volunteers and supporters from across the city will continue these and other efforts to push for the successful revitalization of Coney Island — and keep the dream of its return as a 21st century “Playground of the World” alive.

The attorney representing Save Coney Island in this case, Albert K. Butzel, issued the following statement:

Needless to say, my clients and I are disappointed by the Judge’s decision.  We appreciate the fact that she struggled with the issues and did not treat the case lightly.   However, I believe the Judge was mistaken in her conclusion that the City was not required to consider the very specific alternative originally developed by the Municipal Art Society which concluded that 24 acres of dedicated amusement area were required to reestablish and make economically feasible a Coney Island approaching its past glory.  If the City is not required to evaluate the only alternative that was put forward by experts in the field, but rather has the discretion to ignore it, then the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act regarding the study of alternatives are now meaningless.

I also believe the Judge was mistaken in her conclusions regarding the visual impacts of new hotels that will block views into the amusement area and to the ocean.  Unfortunately, the decision makes it possible for an EIS to offer any explanation it wants, with no expert backing, and the courts are prepared, or even required, to take the explanations at face value.

Grassroots activist group Save Coney Island today condemned the announcement by Thor Equities that it would immediately move toward demolishing several historic buildings that it owns in the heart of Coney Island’s amusement district.

SEE OUR ACTION PLAN

“Thor’s demolition plan would destroy Coney Island’s history and undermine its unique appeal,” said Save Coney Island spokesman Juan Rivero. “It is a short-sighted squandering of the tremendous potential of these buildings to provide a distinctive Coney Island experience.”

Thor announced yesterday that it will immediately move toward demolishing all the properties it owns along Surf Avenue. Among the structures immediately in danger are some dating back more than 100 years, including the amusement district’s oldest remaining building, the Grashorn Building (built in the 1880s), and the Henderson Music Hall building (built circa 1900), where Harpo Marx first performed with his brothers Groucho and Gummo). The respected Municipal Art Society has expressed its support for landmarking these structures. Other endangered historic structures include the Shore Hotel and the Bank of Coney Island.

As Coney Island gets ready for an exciting summer of revitalization with the opening of Zamperla USA’s new Luna Park, Thor Equities is threatening to turn the commercial heart of Coney Island into a vast demolition zone during peak season. Thor says that the retail structures it hopes to build to replace the historic structures it wants to destroy won’t even be ready until 2011.

Thor’s rush to begin demolition appears to be an attempt to get rid of these historic buildings to foil efforts by Save Coney Island and other groups to landmark them and establish a historic landmark district in Coney Island’s amusement area to preserve what little remains from Coney Island’s heyday.

“Thor’s rush to demolish these historic buildings is a transparent, underhanded attempt to head off the landmarking process,” Rivero said. “Thor apparently fails to realize the tremendous value that could be generated by the restoration and reuse of the buildings along this historic corridor”

Since it began buying up land in Coney Island’s amusement district several years ago, Thor Equities has established a clear track record of broken promises and has turned much of Coney Island into a wasteland. For instance Thor forced the closure of the famed Astroland amusement park. Thor also forced out the amusement operators along what had been a lively entertainment corridor on Stillwell Avenue in the heart of Coney Island, leaving behind dirt lots and tattered tents.

“Thor’s record speaks for itself,” Rivero said. “For the past several summers, Thor has consistently chosen to undermine the amusement district and passed up every opportunity to enhance it. Now, Thor’s reckless demolition plan is threatening to disrupt what should be a summer of revitalization and rebirth for Coney Island.”

UNDERSTANDING THOR’S DEMOLITION PLANS:

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This Sunday, March 28 is the opening day of Coney Island’s 2010 Season!
We hope you’ll be on hand to participate in the day’s festivities – from the Open House at the Coney Island History Project from 12 – 3PM to the season’s first rides of the Cyclone.
*Several Save Coney Island volunteers will be enjoying a post-ride beverage at Ruby’s – so stop by at 4PM!

And there’s more to come. We’re eagerly awaiting the Memorial Day opening of the new Zamperla amusement park “Luna Park” on the former site of Astroland. The Coney Island USA Sideshows by the Seashores will be back, freakier than ever; Lola’s Dreamland Roller Rink will return to the wonderful Child’s building; the Coney Island History Project will unveil new exhibit items, the Ringling Brothers Circus will re-pitch its big top, and that’s just the start of it… Let’s not forget the big ticket events: the Mermaid Parade, Siren Festival, and Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, all of which will be coming back this summer.

We hope to see you on Sunday for the start of a spectacular season!