Beer Island
no trip to Coney is complete without a stop at "Beer Island"
Brooklyn, NYC
August 20, 2010
It's now a sort of peninsula off the main part of Brooklyn, but Coney Island was once a barrier island like the ones further east on Long Island. It appears on an 1639 Dutch map as "Conyne Eylandt", or "Rabbit Island". Rabbit hunting seems to have been the primary draw of this place until rail and steamboat connections were made with Manhattan after the Civil War. In the late 19th century and early 20th, Coney Island had its heyday as throngs of New Yorkers flocked here to the resorts or for daytrips, escaping the heat of the city. The crowds you see in the old pictures and newsreels are staggering.
With the advent of the automobile and air-conditioning, Coney Island, which had already always had a seedy undercurrent, began to lose its appeal and economic base. It's basically been in decline since the 1950's, and most of the rides, hotels, and attractions which were once the hallmarks of a NYC summer for so many have been torn down and relegated to memory. In recent years there has been much talk about revitalizing the area, and it seems that some measures have worked. Unfortunately, every year more and more disappears- Many of the signs and buildings I've photographed since 2005 no longer exist.
AND- instead of trying to restore what is left, the latest idea is to raze everything and turn much of the area to housing, much of which will be priced beyond the range of the average Coney Island resident. The buildings in the crosshairs of the bulldozer include some classic structures from a century ago- buildings, which, if simply restored, would not only help revitalize the neighborhood, but also preserve the aesthetic and spirit which made Coney Island so well-known throughout the world. The most promising redevelopment efforts have been by those who sought to preserve the history of the neighborhood, while infusing it with new energy and creativity- places like Lola Star's Dreamland Roller Rink (housed in an otherwise vacant classic bank) and the Coney Island Sideshow School. These places have either been shut down, or are under constant pressure.
The redevelopment of Coney Island is one of the most contentious real estate issues in the city today. Unfortunately Big Business seems (as usual in NYC), to have the upper-hand here. And the sad fact is, the percentage of New Yorkers who take advantage of Coney Island is pretty small. It's not the nicest beach in the world, and certainly the neighborhood has a bit of grit, but coming here is not a cookie-cutter experience- an characteristic which should hold some value in an increasingly homogenized world.
People in New York forget that if you're willing to part with $2.25 and read a book on the subway for an hour, you can hang out in the sun and air, on a free beach; and need only to walk a few yards to eat or drink-
Beer Island
no trip to Coney is complete without a stop at "Beer Island"
Brooklyn, NYC
August 20, 2010
It's now a sort of peninsula off the main part of Brooklyn, but Coney Island was once a barrier island like the ones further east on Long Island. It appears on an 1639 Dutch map as "Conyne Eylandt", or "Rabbit Island". Rabbit hunting seems to have been the primary draw of this place until rail and steamboat connections were made with Manhattan after the Civil War. In the late 19th century and early 20th, Coney Island had its heyday as throngs of New Yorkers flocked here to the resorts or for daytrips, escaping the heat of the city. The crowds you see in the old pictures and newsreels are staggering.
With the advent of the automobile and air-conditioning, Coney Island, which had already always had a seedy undercurrent, began to lose its appeal and economic base. It's basically been in decline since the 1950's, and most of the rides, hotels, and attractions which were once the hallmarks of a NYC summer for so many have been torn down and relegated to memory. In recent years there has been much talk about revitalizing the area, and it seems that some measures have worked. Unfortunately, every year more and more disappears- Many of the signs and buildings I've photographed since 2005 no longer exist.
AND- instead of trying to restore what is left, the latest idea is to raze everything and turn much of the area to housing, much of which will be priced beyond the range of the average Coney Island resident. The buildings in the crosshairs of the bulldozer include some classic structures from a century ago- buildings, which, if simply restored, would not only help revitalize the neighborhood, but also preserve the aesthetic and spirit which made Coney Island so well-known throughout the world. The most promising redevelopment efforts have been by those who sought to preserve the history of the neighborhood, while infusing it with new energy and creativity- places like Lola Star's Dreamland Roller Rink (housed in an otherwise vacant classic bank) and the Coney Island Sideshow School. These places have either been shut down, or are under constant pressure.
The redevelopment of Coney Island is one of the most contentious real estate issues in the city today. Unfortunately Big Business seems (as usual in NYC), to have the upper-hand here. And the sad fact is, the percentage of New Yorkers who take advantage of Coney Island is pretty small. It's not the nicest beach in the world, and certainly the neighborhood has a bit of grit, but coming here is not a cookie-cutter experience- an characteristic which should hold some value in an increasingly homogenized world.
People in New York forget that if you're willing to part with $2.25 and read a book on the subway for an hour, you can hang out in the sun and air, on a free beach; and need only to walk a few yards to eat or drink-