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Coney Events: Brooklyn Stages

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
7:00 PM

The Brooklyn Collection, Brooklyn Central Library
Presents
Brooklyn Stages
An illustrated talk, by theatre historian Cezar Del Valle,
on the history of Brooklyn’s three entertainment districts:
Fulton Street, Eastern District, Coney Island
The Legitimate Stage, Vaudeville, Burlesque, Minstrel Show

The Trustees’ Room
Brooklyn Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: (718) 230-2762
Henderson's, Coney Island

Coney Shore Theater To Starts Its Landmarking Process

Image courtesy of masnyc (Flickr.com)

This coming Tuesday, February 9th the Landmarks Preservation Commission will put the Shore Theater in Coney Island, and owned by Horace Bullard, on their calendar. According to the Amusing the Zillion blog: this is the first step in the long process and that the public hearing is usually scheduled one to six months after the calendaring.

ATZ writes:

If you wish to attend Tuesday’s public meeting, don’t be late because the calendaring is expected to take a mere five minutes! The Shore is on the schedule from 9:35-9:40 a.m. Sources say the LPC staff will present a PowerPoint on the building’s history and then there might be a brief discussion among the commissioners. They are likely to vote to calendar the building.

So, there is still the vote to place the structure in the calendar.

Vanishing New York website has a photo essay with history information on the theater.

The Shore Theater was nominated for preservation by the Coney Island USA organization. Their other Coney nominations are: Nathan’s Famous, their own Coney Island USA Building, both the Henderson and the Grasshorn buildings.

BP Markowitz Highlights Coney Plan In His State Of The Borough Address

This week, Borough President Marty Markowitzs delivered his 2010 State of the Borough Address. He was sworn in by Mayor Micheal Bloomberg at the Park Slope Armory. He was joined by Deputy Borough President Yvonne NY Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, NYC Comptroller John Liu, NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Mayor Bloomberg, and huge audience both guests and honorees for the 2010 address speech as the city's mayor administered the oath of office for BP Markowitz's third term.

Among the points of initiatives mentioned were:
Loew’s Kings Theater
Bedford-Atlantic and Sumner armories
Brooklyn Book Festival grows!
Brooklyn’s new poet laureate
4th Avenue streetscape
Borough President’s Office

As well as mention of the revitalization plan for Coney Island.

Excerpt from the address announcement regarding Coney Island is reads:

TO THE WORLD AT LARGE — “CONEY ISLAND” STILL CONJUREs “AMERICA’S PLAYGROUND.” I REMEMBER, AS A CHILD, THE EXCITEMENT IN THE LATE ‘40s AND ‘50s — WHAT CONEY ISLAND MEANT TO ME — AND TO GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES. THE APPROVAL OF THE “CONEY ISLAND” PLAN MEANS THE NEXT GENERATION WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE THE SAME SWEET MEMORIES I HAD — KUDOS TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG, DOMINIC RECCHIA, EDC, AND ITS CONEY ISLAND DEVELOPEMENT CORPORATION AND PRESIDENT LYNN KELLY! I SALUTE THOSE WHO BELIEVED IN CONEY THROUGH IT ALL, LIKE CONEY’S “MAYOR,” DICK ZIGUN, CAROL ALBERT, AND THE VOURDERIS FAMILY — YOU KEPT THE FAITH!

CONEY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CIRCUS, AND LAST SUMMER WE ACTUALLY HAD ONE — THE RINGLING BROTHERS “BOOM-A-RING” (THANKS, TACONIC AND FELD ENTERTAINMENT — I KNOW THIS SUMMER WILL BE EVEN BETTER! IN THE CONEY ISLAND PLAN, I CALLED FOR MORE AMUSEMENTS — INSISTING THAT LOCAL CONEY RESIDENTS, WHO WILL BE HOSTING THE WORLD, BENEFIT FROM JOBS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND DISCOUNTED AMUSEMENTS AS WELL.

AND I’M DELIGHTED THAT, THIS SUMMER, ITALY’S ZAMPERLA, SUPPLIERS OF RIDES TO PLACES LIKE EURO-DISNEY IN PARIS — WILL LAUNCH THE 21ST CENTURY “LUNA PARK.” THIS IS YET ANOTHER SHOW OF INTERNATIONAL CONFIDENCE IN BROOKLYN! — AND PROOF POSITIVE THAT CONEY ISLAND’S BEST DAYS ARE YET TO COME!

ONE PART OF CONEY’S REVIVAL THAT I’M ESPECIALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS THE ASSER LEVY PARK PROJECT — WHICH WILL NOT ONLY IMPROVE THE PARK WITH NEW WALKWAYS AND RECREATION AREAS LIKE AN EXPANDED PLAYGROUND — BUT ALSO REFURBISH ITS HISTORIC BANDSHELL ON THE SPOT WHERE JOHN PHILIP SOUSA ONCE PLAYED, WHICH HAS BEEN THE SITE OF LIVE PERFORMANCES FOR OVER A CENTURY — INCLUDING THE THURSDAY SHOWS I’VE HOSTED THERE SINCE 1991.

THIS PROJECT WILL MAKE THE PARK MORE USABLE FOR RESIDENTS AND CREATE THE REVITALIZED GATEWAY THAT OUR NEW CONEY ISLAND DESERVES. THANK YOU DDC COMMISSIONER DAVID BURNEY, COUNCIL MEMBER DOMINIC RECCHIA, SENATOR CARL KRUGER AND EVERYONE AT CITY HALL.

I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT MUSIC, LIKE SPORTS, BRINGS COMMUNITIES TOGETHER — IT’S WHY I’VE HOSTED FREE CONCERTS EVERY SUMMER FOR OVER 30 YEARS. HERE’S ANITA BAKER AT WINGATE FIELD’S MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CONCERT SERIES LAST YEAR. AND THE SEASON FINALE — DONNA SUMMER AT THE SEASIDE CONCERT SERIES IN CONEY ISLAND — WHICH ATTRACTED OVER 15,000 FANS.

The plan's flawed areas like the hotels were downplayed in the statement. Jobs for the locals were left generalized. This perhaps so not to stir further bubbling controversy about the plan that diminishes the amusement are while creating an oxymoron that most probably is a ploy. Upon further realistic and concrete developments this part of the plan will have nowhere to go but out. There will not be a need to stay at a high rise hotel for a small amusement park that could be covered in a couple of hours.

New Coney Documentary: "Last Summer At Coney Island" As We Knew It

Back in 2007 when the film's director, JL Aronson (a.k.a. Sonny), invited me to his home to show me an early version of this documentary, I knew he had something wonderful. Having free roam in Astroland during its last two seasons and capturing almost every event in the last three years, Sonny has a real story to tell. A story of the last summer in Coney as we know it.

The director has partnered with Kickstarter to help this project obtain some more of the needed funds for its completion. You can see the trailer at Kickstarter here, and if you like also pledge your support for this project.

JL Aronson describes his project and needed funds:

Now, having edited a 106 minute rough cut from over 150 hours of footage, the end is in sight. But the end is the most expensive part! Independent filmmaking is a tricky business. Broadcasters and distributors rarely want to get involved before your project is completed and has premiered in a major film festival and yet getting to that point requires significant expenditures such as a sound mix, graphics, music licensing and color processing (or what we call "color correction" in the video world.) And that short list doesn't include the costs of applying to festivals and marketing expenses once your film gets into the festivals.

"Last Summer at Coney Island" has been supported by grants from the Brooklyn Arts Council and the Puffin Foundation, but those funds have been long used up. That's why I'm partnering with Kickstarter and a wonderful non-profit organization called The City Reliquary to try and bring this film to greater awareness. Kickstarter works with a limited number of projects at a time to provide a platform through which artists can raise money while being completely accountable to their investors. The project artist sets the amount he or she would like to raise. Individuals like you pledge any amount you'd like and then, to assure that donors are not spending their money on a project that will never get finished, the transaction is only completed when the funding goal is met.

Coney Vid: Congregation Paintings

Coney Island Congregation Paintings -The American Riviera

Description:

...For her, Coney Island was the American Riviera. And we went often to the beach via subway. My aunt Lila, years later, recounted her childhood journeys to Coney Island, not by subway, but in her mother's horse and wagon...

Posted by latenightfantasy [YouTube]

Did Coney Lovers Save The Future Of The Astrotower?

Images courtesy of Captain Nemo (left) and Pablo57 (right)

This past week Captain Nemo and Pablo57, regular posters on the Coney Island USA message board, noticed a huge but easliy overlooked pool of gushing water on the former Astroland lot. They called 311 and were able to get the problem temporarily fixed by the city. If left to the woes of neglect as we have seen in the past couple of years with the likes of Thor Equities, the city could have easily overlooked this problem which could have damaged the base of the Astrotower. Or could it have? Perhaps. But thanks to the help of these two with their keen eye, we don't have to worry about it.

Here is Captain Nemo's account of the situation:

Walking along the site, it struck me strange to see the large water pond in the middle.

Now what bothers me about this water leak, think about what is very nearby, a 200 foot steel tower. How much soil erosion can happen before it undermines the base of the observation tower??

I called 311 today, emphasized the danger and the amount of water and how long its been like this, and asked if they will dispatch someone today. She said yes, will have to see.Forgot to mention this. NYC law says in each building they have to post a sign giving a number to complain to the DEP about water leaks, forget it, the number been disconnected.Bruce

I asked him what were the chances it did any damage to the foundation of the tower, he asked when it started, I told him I noticed it yesterday at least, he didnt know the answer.He told me there is a crew who will get here later today and by tonight it will be fixed. Said this isnt a major job.