Relics of Coney Island’s glory days, like the B&B Carousel and
the boarded-up Shore Theatre, could earn starring roles in the neighborhood’s
revival, according to a draft master plan unveiled this week that aims
to combine modern glitz with honky-tonk gold.
Released on May 3, the draft plan envisions plenty of new rides, outdoor
restaurants and even hotels, but also more than a few of the neighborhood’s
legendary staples, some of which have sat idle for years.
“We’re working on a coherent story that balances the history
and authenticity of Coney Island while also recognizing the importance
for new growth,” said Joshua Sirefman, chairman of the Coney Island
Development Corporation (CIDC) and CEO of the city Economic Development
Corporation.
Although the plan was short on specifics, Kate Collignon, a special projects
coordinator with the EDC, said officials hoped to turn Coney Island into
a year-round destination, in part by offering indoor amusement attractions
like, perhaps, a water park, bowling or shopping, as have been suggested
at previous meetings.
And if artist renderings can be trusted, visitors can expect a whole lot
more — like fire juggling stilt-walkers, new public art and enough
neon lights to illuminate the entire neighborhood.
The proposal, the fruits of a yearlong CIDC study, come as the neighborhood
is experiencing a slight resurgence, thanks to a $280 million reconstruction
of the subway hub on Stillwell Avenue and the Brooklyn Cyclones bringing
thousands of baseball fans out to Keyspan Park during the summer.
But for some preservationists in Coney Island, plans to restore the neighborhood’s
historic charm proved the most exciting. Both Sirefman and Collignon said
that the B&B Carousel, hidden away on Surf Avenue near West 12th Street
since 1935, could be moved below the Parachute Jump, a landmark that was
restored last year and could be brought back into action.
The 2,300-seat Shore Theatre, closed decades ago, could also be renovated
for a new generation of moviegoers, and dancing on the Boardwalk, once
a common sight in Coney Island, could see a new heyday.
Dan Pisark, a carousel historian, said that the B&B is one of only
a handful that still survive from nearly a hundred years ago when William
Mangels helped turn Brooklyn into the nation’s leading carousel manufacturer.
His shop on West Eighth Street turned out hundreds of the rides, but aside
from the famous one at Prospect Park, and another stored away in DUMBO,
few remain.
Although he hesitated to say how much the carousel is worth, he said that
the 50-wooden-horse attraction could easily fetch $250,000, but likely
much more.
“It’s one of the rarest privately owned carousels we know of,”
said a beaming Pisark. “But right now, it’s a little bit hidden.”
Although Sirefman acknowledged that, for now, the plans were only guidelines
for property developers, incentives would likely be offered in future
drafts.
Such incentives would be particularly important for the landmark Childs
Restaurant, which for decades has sat vacant on the Boardwalk at West
21st Street. Michael Harari, a broker with Massey Knakal Realty, says
that at least four national entertainment developers are involved in a
bidding war for the 25,400-square-foot landmark building. Graffiti-strewn
and abandoned, the marbled-columned, three-story building went on the
market with an asking price of $7.9 million.
Citing confidentiality clauses, Harari declined to name all the suitors,
but allowed that one was Thor Equities, the national mall developer that
last month acknowledged its own plans to build an entertainment complex
in Coney Island.
“I can tell you, however, that two of them have developed over 10
new sites each across the country that include bowling centers, arcades
and high-end restaurants,” said Harari.
Councilman Domenic Recchia said that besides crowd-pleasing new amusement
rides, the introduction of a shuttle bus and a revitalized New York Aquarium,
the plans would also include new retail businesses that could provide
jobs in the area. A new community center near the western edge of the
neighborhood is also being discussed.
“We’re looking at the future of Coney Island and we’re
looking after the future of its residents,” said Recchia, who formed
the 13-member CIDC along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council
Speaker Gifford Miller.
For Kenneth Weatherspoon, that growth should include new jobs for the
neighborhood’s residents, many of who he said struggle to find employment
in Coney Island. A chef in Manhattan, Weatherspoon said that despite recent
development, few new jobs have surfaced.
“The biggest problem is the job market,” said Weatherspoon,
who said that Tuesday’s meeting at Coney Island Hospital was the
first such meeting he had attended. “If that could be addressed,
it would be great.
“This neighborhood needs a boost.”
