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Avalon Fort Greene

Coney is ‘Jonesing’ for concerts

By Mike McLaughlin
The Brooklyn Paper
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Kathryn Kirk
The aging bandshell in Asser Levy Park will be replaced by a modern venue to draw big name live acts on par with Jones Beach.

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It’s the ultimate battle of the band-shells: Coney Island may someday have an outdoor summer concert venue to rival the seaside theaters at Jones Beach and the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey.

Borough President Markowitz’s dream of building a modern ampitheater in Asser Levy Park is finally becoming a reality as the city gears up to begin construction next year on the $64-million stage set to open in 2012.

“It will make our borough a natural stop on the summer concert circuit for entertainers,” Markowitz said.

The taxpayer-financed coliseum, on Surf Avenue near West Fifth Street, is just blocks away from Keyspan Park, the publicly funded Brooklyn Cyclones baseball stadium that also hosts concerts.

Stadium officials told The Brooklyn Paper they were not concerned about competing to schedule hot acts. They added that the presence of another attraction in Coney Island would have an overall positive impact by bringing more people to the amusement cradle of America.

The planned Coney Island Center, which has acquired the nickname “The Saddle” due to the shape of its roof, would have 5,000 covered seats, plus lawn space for 3,000 people.

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©2008 The Brooklyn Paper

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