By Jacqueline Hlavenka
Brooklynites knew this day would come.
Rumors buzzed through the streets; developers put up signs; storefronts slowly started to become vacant. Nevertheless, New Yorkers still schlepped their beach chairs on the D train, scrambled for a space on the beach and wolfed down hot dog-after-hot dog at Nathan’s. Little did they know, these were the last true days of summer at Coney Island-and possibly forever.
With the summer season gone and class back in session, Sept. 9 was the last day of the season for Astroland Amusement Park in Coney Island-packing up its space-age rocket ships, bright neon lights and carnival-esque rides for good.
In 1955, Brooklyn natives Dewy Albert and his neighborhood chums Nathan Handwerker, Herman Rapps, Sidney Robbins and Paul Yampo founded and created Astroland along the boardwalk. After the extravagance of Coney’s former theme parks, Dreamland, Luna Park, and the ever-loved Steeplechase, Astroland was a bright symbol for the future for Coney Island.
Once the Steeplechase closed in the late 1960s, the neighborhood plummeted into an economic downfall in the 1970s-and many thought the neighborhood would never again become the world’s playground.
The 1980s brought a turn for the better: community activist and artist Dick Zigun founded Coney Island USA, a nonprofit group preserving and protecting the culture that defined its people and character of the neighborhood.
The Cyclone roller coaster and Wonder Wheel became New York City landmarks. With a clean, new design, the renovation of the Stillwell Avenue subway terminal in 2005 brought people from around the city safely and more efficiently. At the Sideshow by the Seashore, the infamous Coney freaks are still tattooed from head-to-toe, pushing nails up their nose and breathing fire.
Sure, it’s bizarre. It’s quirky. The streets often smell of sea, sand, urine and exhaust (disgusting, yes) but Coney Island is made for New York. Unique and hard-working, tough and thrilling, constant yet unpredictable-Coney Island is as essential as the Empire State Building, Central Park or any other New York landmark.
As most good things come to a close, the Albert family sold Astroland for $30 million to Thor Equities, a Manhattan-based developing company planning to develop Coney into a miniature Atlantic City-complete with five-star hotels, flagship chain stores and luxury condominiums.
Middle and working class New Yorkers will soon have no place to go once rent skyrockets. The wealthy will move into the condos (a few feet away from the projects no less) and Astroland will be no more.
So, what’s in store for Coney in the next few years?
Post Thor, there will be a homogenous mix of everything else in America-a mall, chain restaurants and a hotel no one can afford. Worst, a once vibrant community will now be in danger of losing its identity.
I already miss the mayhem.
Jacqueline Hlavenka is a junior print journalism student. You may e-mail her at [email protected].
A nearly deserted Coney Island might have seen its final days.