Walking into the deli to buy my daily ration of Manhattan Special I glanced over the cover of the Bay News. The local paper that I rarely read past the front page and almost never buy, and there it was: Astroland was sold on Wednesday to Thor Equities. The Cyclone will continue to stand, being property of the Parks Department and a historical landmark (set to turn 80 this summer) but not much else will survive.
Im not sure what the fate of the Wonder Wheel is. I can only hope that after this summer season when the rest of Astroland will be torn away bit by bit that it will continue to stand, but there has been no mention. Whats for sure is that the pirate ship, the haunted house, the "Break-Dance" and the massive Astrotower are all coming down. There has been some talk of relocation but not for the tower. Too big, too old, too late for salvation.
So whats to come of Coney? A massive overhaul. Indoor amusements to run year-round. Luxury beach front property ( I hope a selling point is all the Coney Island Whitefish....) and even a legitimate, non-hourly, hotel. This is currently the plan but many don't buy it seeing that developer Joseph Sitt has already talked big about projects only to later flip land for millions more than what he initially paid, leaving property undeveloped and abandoned. Look into his purchase of former Washington Bathhouse House building at 2015 Boardwalk West in 2005 and sold a little over a year later for a hefty $77 million profit. Its all a bit suspect.
All I know is this, Coney Island has always held a bit of majesty, even in its grey stained off-season. There will always be a fear and a fascination involved with it. At least in my memories and those of my fellow Brooklyn babies who were raised on that bumblebee ride and had nightmares, and later fantasies, about the Cyclone and the Wonderwheel.
I intend on spending many a free afternoon documenting the last bits of this dusty gem. Call if you feel like getting lost in a cotton-candy fantasy......enjoy
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