Recent HOOPLA !

Photo by Mrs Smarty Pants (Flickr.com)

Coney Under Thor’s Hammer [Courier Life]
Deno’s Makes Pitch to Keep the ‘Wonder’ In Coney [Courier Life]
Is Wonder Wheel Next Coney Shoe to Drop? [Gowanus Lounge]
Does Thor Suck as Much as Forest City Ratner? [Gowanus Lounge]

Still Image:
Seriously excited! a story, in a few words
Dear Gothamist: Astroland Meets Planet of the Apes [Gothamist]

Moving Image:
Rube and Mandy at Coney Island: Edison Film Archive 1903 [Google Video]
NYCTV Blueprint: New York City, Coney Island [Google Video]
1983 Commercial for Cyclone "Back-Fire" [Google Video]

Vintage Coney Color-Film Gems

Great new Coney vintage film clips in full color found through Getty Images on Google Video. A Coney visitor in the 40's filmed these short footages probably on a Bolex or other 8 millimeter color film. They are probably rare and, so far, have not been seen on any other documentary of Coney that is known to be released. It would be interesting to know if there is more footage circulating around in someone's libary.

Here are the LINKS to 22 very short film clips of stock footage.
1940's Color film (No sound)

Enjoy !

Low angle Parachute Jump and old ferris wheel

High angle of parachute going down near boardwalk

CANTED low angle of looping rocket ride

Low angle of people on rocket ride passing camera

PAN two subway trains entering + leaving Coney Island

Low angle of parachute going up People on an old ferris wheel sweeping passed camera

Close up of people on amusement park ride in Coney Part I

Close up of people on amusement park ride in Coney Part II

People on roller coaster passing passing by

Wide shot of large Wonder Wheel

People riding Tilt-a-Whirl

High angle of looping swinging ride

Low angle of parachute with couple going up and coming down on ride

Wide shot of people riding swing ride inside Steeplechase Pavilion of Fun Part I

Wide shot of people riding swing ride inside Steeplechase Pavilion of Fun Part II

Low angle tilt down of parachute Jump ride

Roller coaster point of view uphill and downhill (notice Trump building not there yet)

Women's skirts blow up as they exit fun house (though can't see skirt blowing up)

High angle of people on revolving Rocket ride passing by

People on Flying Scooter ride passing by

High angle wide shot of revolving Rocket ride

Astrotower's Fate Stands In The Balance

Photo by gritchelle (Flickr.com)

The 43 year old, 275-foot "Space Tower" (15 feet taller than the Parachute Jump) stands still in the balance as its fate is decided upon by the city's decision to keep it in the area. That's if the city is willing to split the cost (approximately $400,000) of relocating it to another spot in Coney Island - most likely west of Keyspan Park. Carol Albert, owner of the recently sold Astroland offered to share cost to move it if the city would accept it.

But Albert added, as the NYPost reported:

If the city doesn't accept her offer, she said, she has a buyer who wants to
move it to an undisclosed amusement park somewhere down South. "It's a real icon
for Coney Island that's just as visible as the Parachute Jump, and it would be a
real shame if it left the area," she said.

The city's Economic
Development Corp. confirmed it received Albert's offer and is considering
it.

"The city, taking ownership of the Astrotower is an interesting
idea that warrants exploration, but we would first need to better understand the
associated costs," said Joshua Sirefman, interim president of the EDC and the
chairman of its Coney Island Development Corp.

Meanwhile, some
Coney Island residents are considering pushing for landmark status for the
Astrotower to ensure it stays.

Built in 1963, the ride is a
rotating, glass-enclosed compartment that takes passengers to the top of the
tower. It serves as a moving observatory, offering magnificent views of
the ocean and city. Astroland will open for a final season next year.

It's quite difficult to imagine the Astrotower to be part of anything Thor if it were to be landmarked. For them it would be an eye sore. And as had been proven in the past, landmark status is reversible. Many landmarked structures have had their landmark status lifted to make way for development. The only options for the fate of the tower would be for the city to cough up the $200,000 to move it and hope that doing so will not destabilize it for further operation - and plant it somewhere near their B&B Carousel. Or if not demolished, it would find itself in a new home showing riders 360◦ panoramic views of Busch Gardens or Weeki Wachee.

Coney I. "Tower" Struggle [NYPost]

Thor's Hammer Smells Like Fish!

Photo by NYC Tom's (Flickr.com)

Many Coney denizens and locals have been and scrutinizing Thor Equities's real plans for Coney Island with many conspiracy theories about what's really going on. As Courier Life reported: Several city officials including some on the city-created Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) are becoming skeptical of Sitt's Thor - or at least publicly doing so. And one, on condition of anonymity.

A theory that is becoming predominant is of "flipping". Sitt has a reputation for buying properties and then marketing them as something else, before “flipping” them for a large profit. As they did when they bought the former Washington Bathhouse House building at 2015 Boardwalk West in 2005 and sold it a little over a year later for a hefty $77 million profit.

CIDC President Lynn Kelly has announced that they will stay the course and see
to it that whoever and whatever is built in Coney will follow their guidelines for the enhancement of a year-round destination to facilitate the best economic growth and opportunities for the local community. She also states that any rezoning demands extensive amount of analysis. "Coney Island is unique in it has big and little picture issues that are very complicated,” Kelly said.

“This is history making. We don’t want to do anything in a vacuum and want to be thorough and transparent in our approach. I can understand why a landowner might want to say go faster, but what is paramount is to stay true to the vision,” she added.

Though her words may sound comforting for those who have been skeptical, they are not enough to convince the theorists of the probability that Thor is playing with a fishy hammer. Or for that matter that the city has their hands in the net as well. It would be interesting to see what realities surface as more develops.

Coney Under Thor’s Hammer [Courier Life]
Is Thor Coney Ticking Off City Officials? [Gowanus Lounge]

Costumed Characters Strolling Around New Coney

With the same gangly slumming Bugs Bunny and Batman do at Great Adventure, Sponge-Bob and Dora the Explorer want to emulate them and waylay children and adult visitors of the Nickelodeon resort they hope will thrive at the New Coney.

Upon the increasing rumblings of Coney gearing up its purposed “revitalization” the children network’s parent company Viacom has set their eyes on Coney to have their Nickelodeon themed resort (Similar to their resort: Nickelodeon Family Suites in Orlando, Florida) as part of the 3.1 acres of Astroland which was purchased by Thor last week. This comes after city and state officials previously axed plans for a children's theme park by Nickelodeon on Governor’s Island, which also included an indoor theme park.

Yet, as the NY Post reported yesterday, it is unclear whether the water park has come up again in preliminary talks with Thor. “Companies are interested in Coney Island now that there is a serious proposal for the area's revival." said Lee Silberstein, Thor Equities spokesman. Nickelodeon Senior VP Howard Smith said, "We think a Nickelodeon-themed family resort hotel would be hugely popular with New Yorkers."

Sponge-Bog & Pals Eyeing Move To Coney [NYPost]

Vague Arquitectonica Designs for New Coney

Strange illustrations from Arquitectonica's landscape architecture and planning division: ArquitectonicaGEO. These drawings seem to be of structures on some part of the proposed Thor development. Cleary, noticeable, surrounding these structures, are what appear to be high rises. The same high rises that appeared in the earlier drawings found on the Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects website that were immediately retracted this past summer when they started popping up on blogs.

The recent Thor releases seemed cluttered and whimsical but these look vague and tamely dismal. The mini-parachutes that appeared to be a running theme seem to have morphed into jellyfish on sticks or mushroom lamps.
Whatever they are supposed to be - be it part of the midway, a hotel or condo's front entrance, or another area away from the “amusement” side - it sure is in a completely different direction from what the last Thor renderings have presented. If those were unConey these are of another world very far from Coney.

Perhaps these are merely experimental sketches and only fodder for the ArquitectonicaGEO website.

ArquitectonicaGEO is a landscape architecture firm, focused on environmentally sensitive design. The firm explores the complex challenges of the contemporary built and natural environments, developing design solutions that balance a modern aesthetic with environmental concerns to create an aesthetic and sustainable landscape.

Thor UnHoopla!

photo by Stefan Falke (Stefan Falke's Eye)

Comments and reactions to sale of Astroland gathered by the great Brooklyn blog: Gowanus Lounge

Coney Island Deathwatch:
Reactions to Astroland Demise

More Eulogies

Gowanus Lounge's own emotional reaction:

Killing one of the last two Coney Island amusement parks--no matter how unspectacular Astroland might be--is like ripping out part of Coney's soul. It verges on being an act of cultural violence. This is the point at which a mayor with a sense of history and a borough president who utters more than empty cheers would step in to say, 'enough' and work to ensure that Astroland stays a genuine amusement park and that the amusement zone--which is Coney Island's historic heart--is protected by zoning.

We would love to know exactly what Mr. Sitt has in mind for Coney Island, especially in purchasing Astroland.

Other bulletin boards and threads.
Stern Fan Network excerpt: It also means that the entire area between the new baseball stadium and the aquarium

will all become private property, and that includes the beach in front. That means from now on if you want to go swimming you have to walk several blocks west from the train station.
SubChat.com excerpt: Thor Equities Has Purchased Coney Island Yards from the MTA!!!


Cool Images: Taken by Stefan last night
Stefan Falke's Eye