Hello Coney Fan,
The Norton's Point trolley service ended in November of 1948 and was demolished soon after.
Pictured: trolley ramp over West 15th Street next door to Gargiulo's Restaurant.and on Stillwell Avenue next to the deli.
Do you have a question for Mr. Coney Island? Email it to ask@coneyislandhistory.org.
Hello Coney Fan,
The Norton's Point trolley service ended in November of 1948 and was demolished soon after.
Pictured: trolley ramp over West 15th Street next door to Gargiulo's Restaurant.and on Stillwell Avenue next to the deli.
Hello Kathy,
Washington Baths was on West 21st Street, between Surf Avenue and the Boardwalk, but there was also a Washington Baths Annex a block away on the Boardwalk at West 22nd Street. Both had salt water pools. The main Washington Baths was right next to Ravenhall and had a large entrance on the Boardwalk. There was a smaller Surf Avenue entrance in the middle of the block used mostly by season pass holders.
Pictured is the big Washington Baths pool on West 21st Street.
Hello Marilyn,
The carousel was part of Weber's Baths on West 27th Street near the Half Moon Hotel. Few people remember that the amusement district stretched that far down the Boardwalk. It was known as the "Chafatino Carousel," carved by Illions, and named after the family that owned it when it was on Surf Avenue at West 5th Street before being moved to Weber's in 1932. It operated inside a beautiful glass pavilion until 1957 when it was relocated to Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
Hello Mike, The Space Orbit was an independent ride in Astroland operated by Wally Roberts for one season in 1964. It closed soon after an unfortunate accident injured several riders.
Hello Saskia,
The Astroland Rocket Ship was one of the first amusement park "simulators." It debuted in 1962 at Astroland Park as one of the first of the "imaginary" space voyage simulators constructed during the Space Race. The Rocket showed simulator films of "rocket rides" while the chassis "rocked" its viewers to outer space. The Ride, which has 26 seats, lasted about three minutes, the length of the film. Originally built as the "Star Flyer," the Astroland Rocket operated until the early 70's. It sat atop the boardwalk hamburger/hotdog stand, Gregory and Paul's until just a few week ago when it became of of the early victims of Coney Island's redevelopment.
While the City and Thor Equities continue to negotiate over ownership of Coney Island, Astroland Park moved off the its property at the end of January. Owners Carol and Jerry Albert then donated the rocket to the City, which is storing it in a temporary location. It will eventually return to Coney Island as a centerpiece of a newly developed park.
Hello Martin,
The apartment building was divided in two: the Surf and Neptune. The Surf Apartments had an entrance on 28th Street and the Neptune Apartments entrance was on 29th Street. The building was constructed at the same time as the adjacent Half Moon Hotel in 1927. Weepy's pool hall was a famous fixture for many years, as was Jimmy's luncheonette/pizza joint on the 29th Street side. The building has been replaced by a nursing home.
Hello Arlene,
Tony's Bright Spot was a beautiful but slightly seedy establishment in a building that dated back to the late 1800s. Tony Oleva operated it until his death, and then it was run by his "nephew." It had quite a reputation. The rooming house was an SRO that also was the last hotel in Coney that catered to tourists. It was painted in bright primary colors and decorated with plaster elves, swans, and whirligigs. There was an arbor and grape vines covering the roof and parking lot. At one time the elevated trolley from Norton's point went right over half the building.
Gargiulo's restaurant bought and demolished the building in the late 70s. We'll get back to you with the other information. Hope this helps.
Hello Bruce,
You must be thinking of Williams Candy. At the time it was owned by Al Kirsch. The good news: it's still there! Come back and have a jelly apple!
Hello Dolores,
Luna's devastating fire happened on August 12, 1944. It started in the park's scenic railway on West 12th Street, but the cause is unknown.
Hello Jimmy,
His name was Tony Pellone. He and his family had several other bars and restaurants in Coney including the Hollywood Bar in the Stillwell terminal and the Lido on the Boardwalk. "Tough Tony" was a top welterweight who fought against such champions as Kid Gavilan and Bob Montgomery. He died at Coney Island Hospital in 1996.