Defunctland: The History of Coney Island

I would like to tell you a few stories of a place like no other the setting new york new york the most populated city in the united states however these stories do not take place under towering buildings or on crowded streets instead on an island just off of the city's coast with attractions big and small famous and infamous some called it America's playground others the nickel Empire its critics called it Sodom by the sea these stories 5 to be precise each star a different person all characters in their own right while not entirely comprehensive when told in succession these stories reveal a history filled with theatrics frustration audacity entry conspiracy and thrills of all kinds welcome to Coney Island welcome to the show [Music] the first story stars frederick law olmsted an architect and social critic who believed that he understood the city's problems in the mid 19th century New York was plagued with issues some unique to its landscape some common problems exacerbated by the tolls of the city most concerning to socialites was crime and poverty Olmstead believed that this was not the fault of the people but of the urban landscape in which they lived he believed that the concrete jungle made people more selfish and crude and the city's vast social issues could be traced back to its dreary setting city planners felt the same and Olmstead and his design partner Calvert Vaux were chosen to design a public park in Manhattan opening in 1858 Central Park was Olmstead solution to the citizens seedy behavior Olmsted believed that the contemplation of nature even manicured nature was critical for the betterment of society an effective method of integrating social and economic classes together a lesson in citizenship and civility put simply plants calm people down while Olmsted's famous public parks would go hand in hand with the social critiques he would also play a large part in the development of a place that would be the antithesis to his ideals [Music] Coney Island was a small island just off of the southern coast of Brooklyn since the early 1800s the land had held a few residents some farmland and over three miles of sandy beaches separating Coney Island from Brooklyn was a small creek in which there was no official way to cross that was until 1829 when the first bridge named shell Road connected the island to the mainland and Coney Island was given its first albeit small hotel over the next four decades development would continue at a slow pace with the addition of a rail line and a horse car line attempting to draw more New Yorkers to the beach it wasn't until after the Civil War that Coney Island's potential would be noticed and it was partly Olmsted's fault in an attempt to better connect Brooklyn to the beach homestead and Vaux designed a Boulevard that would eventually be named Ocean Parkway that would run from Prospect Park to Coney Island the project which was to be completed in 1876 would make traveling to Coney Island much more convenient most significantly the plans caught the attention of people with money not just any money but railroad money wealthy developers began seeing Coney Island's potential as a beach resort space railroad magnate William Engelmann would build a hotel on the island in 1870 named the Ocean Hotel on a beach that he would soon name Brighton Beach after the Brighton seaside resort in Sussex this would draw the attention of another railroad tycoon a notorious robber baron Austin Corbin who had purchased the land to the east of Brighton Beach naming it Manhattan Beach in an attempt to draw in New York's elite he would also publicly declare that Jewish people were banned from his resort also in an attempt to draw wealthy anti-semites which backfired in the press but did appeal to certain members of the upper class as enga men and Corbin continued to grow the resort's tailored to the moderately wealthy and the eerily wealthy the rest of Coney Island would see development appealing to those that were less fortunate this area would become known as West Brighton a significant portion of West Brighton would be owned by railroad investor Andrew Kover another portion would be controlled by the sea Beach railroad company Culver and sea Beach would compete with one another both building rails to the beach as well as vying to construct the longest pier while covert and sea Beach were busy measuring their docks other businesses were setting up shop on the rest of West Brighton this resulted in many unique creative and some questionable ventures attempting captured the eyes and pocketbooks of the lower-income beachgoers casinos restaurants bath houses brothels and cabarets sprout up everywhere a visitor turned there was either someone trying to swindle them with a rigged game or get them drunk enough to rob them outright this was allowed by the Commissioner of common lands john mccain no relation mccain was a corrupt politician who owned a construction company that would build many of coney island structures so it was in his best interest to allow as many businesses as possible regardless of whether they acted ethically or not fires were a common occurrence on the island whether by accident or arson and when McCain's company was not building new structures they were rebuilding charred ones the rising middle class of New York and the growing immigrant population flocked to West Brighton it was an escape from the city the exact opposite of the one Olmstead had presented Coney Island became known not for its tranquil scenery but for its thrills it was an overindulgence in the aspects of human nature that Olmstead and many other social critics viewed as immoral these negative opinions did little to stop the growth of Coney Island and it was not even able to prevent some members of the upper class from embarking on a day of pleasure unlike Brighton and especially unlike Manhattan Beach West Brian became known as a melting pot of class and culture and this was just the beginning sideshows card games and bath houses dominated West Brighton but more substantial and creative additions were on their way the seven story elephant hotel became an icon of the island despite its eventual transition into its most prominent brothel many amusement rides began to populate West Brighton but the star was inventor of a Marcus Anna Thompson's switchback gravity railway one of America's first roller coasters this wooden coaster had guests climate our board a car and powered by gravity alone braved multiple Camelback Hills ending at the opposite Tower guests would then climb miss Tower as well with their cart being raised to meet them after boarding once again riders would complete the return trip the Switchback railway opened in 1884 and it was an incredible success Coney Island also became known as the possible birthplace of the hot dog which by some accounts was invented and sold on the island by German immigrant Charles Feltman at the very least Coney Island would popularize the dish and some of its unique variations Olmstead now in his late 60s had continued his landscape architecture he still believes strongly in the value of nature and the scenic escapism from the urban landscape but he was not done inadvertently influencing the growth of the amoral oasis of Coney Island in the early 1890s Olmstead was approached by an acquaintance of architect Daniel Burnham Burnham wanted Olmstead to consult on the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago Olmstead initially declined given the quick turnaround and nature of the event but soon accepted after realizing that the fair would give his art a platform for greater appreciation the fair would be massively influential and Olmsted's work would be praised however the exposition would arguably motivate the growth of Coney Island more than it would the field of landscape architecture the white city of the fair would inspire the design of the park soon to populate West Brighton and in no time at all the amusements of the Columbian Exposition --zz Midway including signature ferris wheel would make their way to Coney Island for all of Olmsted's efforts and social criticisms one of his last scene impacts on the Empire City would be the pleasure center off the coast of Brooklyn the subject of our second story was a man that was also present at the 1893 Columbian Exposition perhaps one of the most peculiar visitors the fair had the man's name was Captain Paul Boynton born in 18-49 Boyton had joined the US Mexican and French Navy's by the age of 24 Boyton then turned his attention to life-saving in the early 1870s he helped create the first life-saving service at Atlantic City it was there that he learned of a new aquatic safety invention an inflatable rubber suit that acted as a life preserver poisson experimented with the device and soon found that the rubber suit transformed the user into a vessel allowing them to comfortably stay afloat at sea paddle along with the current and even reach impressive speeds while riding waves Boynton saw great potential in the rubber suit and sought to advocate for its adoption to do so he planned a bold stunt he was going to board a ship in New York sail until he was a few hundred miles off of the coast and then jump overboard and paddled ashore Boynton had thought of everything he had over a week's worth of provisions and he even carried an axe in case of a shark attack the plan seemed foolproof but no captain would allow it on their ship not deterred Boynton snuck on to the Queen a steamer headed for Ireland hiding until it was time to attempt his stunt when 250 miles off of the Irish coast Boynton made his way to the deck inflated the suit and attempted to jump however he was stopped by the crew and taken to the ship skipper captain Bragg Bragg wanted him in the Brig but Boynton began to brag on the suit Bragg Botha Bragg and kept pointing out of the Brig allowing him to attempt his stunts thirty miles off of the coast instead of 250 thankful Boynton inflate at his suit and went overboard he floated for hours braving an unexpected storm and avoiding the sharp rocks off of the coast exhausted and weak after his journey boy crawled ashore the next morning victorious news of his success travelled fast and Boynton attempted more daring stunts his journeys became that of legend and he was recognized around the world often referred to as The Fearless frogmen in the late 1880s he joined PT Barnum's greatest show on earth before semi retiring in the early 1890s when he transitioned from a daredevil to a showman in 1894 he opened Paul boyens water shoots a unique Park in Chicago combining the thrills of the Midway that he had viewed at the 1893 Columbian Exposition and the model used by the circus in which he traveled Boynton created what many refer to as the first modern amusement park by asking visitors to pain and Mission fee before entering a gated park full of mechanical attractions the signature attraction would be shoot the shoots a new water ride concept the Boynton had viewed in Europe by the time Paul boyens water chutes opened Boyton was already dreaming of a second park eyeing a piece of land on New York City's Coney Island around 20 acres near the Elephant Hotel on West Brighton the park would also feature the exciting shoot the shoots water ride as well as North America's first looping coaster the flip-flap Railway designed by inventor alina Beecher the uncomfortable ride had guests brave a circular loop resulting in intense g-forces that disoriented or injured riders boyens Park would be named after the parks elaborate water shows which featured performers demonstrating some of Bolton's signature aquatic contraptions accompanied by trained sea lions boyens West Brighton Park named sea lion Park would open on July 4th 1895 as Coney Island's first amusement Center it was marketed as a clean both quote morally and physically environment the success of sea lion park was overwhelming in the first few seasons the crowds could not be controlled on some particularly busy days people were renting bathing suits so quickly that the staff had no time to wash them instead yes returning them simply handed their used suits directly to the next renter to keep up with demand Boyton would add one of the first old mill rides an old mill ride is a boat ride through dark tunnels this encouraged couples to hold one another in the darkness at a time where any public physical touching was considered taboo that behavior was reserved for the privacy of the home or the giant elephant brothel a few yards away Boyton would also add caged wolves and a ballroom to the park in 1901 another looping coaster named loop the loop was added this ride featured an elliptical loop reducing the pain and discomfort caused by the flip-flap railways inversion however by this point it was becoming more difficult to compete with the other attractions of Coney Island the main commercial traffic of West Brighton did not draw crowds naturally to sea lion park which was closer to the islands less friendly bars and restaurants with fewer and fewer guests coming to the park Boyton made a last-ditch effort to bring the crowds back investing $100,000 in improvements ahead of the 1902 season this included the purchase of Topsy an elephant that had killed his hater the previous month labeling her as a bad elephant and generating a media frenzy one that Boyton was hoping to take advantage of despite the attempt at a revitalization a rainy summer season in 1902 negated Boyd's efforts now in his mid-50s and having operated the park for eight seasons Boynton seemed ready to move on and when he was approached by two men to sell sea lion Park its attractions and some of its animals he agreed these two buyers were motivated by another person who is present at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 a man named George till you till you like Boynton was a showman but while Boyton traded in bravery till you was intelligent even tempered as cool as an ice box he could sell sand to beachgoers which he actually did on Coney Island at the age of 14 his father owned a restaurant and hotel on West Brighton so the island was all till you ever knew and he knew it well at the age of 20 George with the help of his father built Coney Island's first vaudeville theater and created a boardwalk outside which would become one of Coney Island's main avenues of commerce being dubbed the Bowery despite the Tilly's efforts to keep the area decent and family-friendly John McCain's corrupted business partners soon infiltrated the strip however McCain's unethical practices would finally come under scrutiny in 1887 when he was investigated by the State Department no one dared testify against McCain no one except George till you unfortunately nothing came with the investigation no doubt due to McCain's influence in retaliation for blowing the whistle on his operation McCain made it nearly impossible for the till use to do business on Coney Island forcing them out of many of their ventures but George till you remained and lucky for him a political shake-up in 1894 led to McCain's imprisonment for election fraud with the powerful boss of West Brighton banished till you was finally able to expand his operations on Coney Island having been inspired in the meantime at the 1893 Columbian Exposition till you was moved by Ferris wheel and he believed its permanent home should be on Coney Island however it was already planned to be moved to Chicago's Lincoln Park it would then be moved to st. Louis for the 1904 World's Fair before eventually being blown up by dynamite but by then till you had already come up with an alternative after his offer was rejected for Ferris wheel he decided to build his own on newly rented land till you put up a sign stating quote on this site will be erected the world's largest ferris wheel this was not the case but till you would succeed in renting land near the Bowery for a 125 foot ferris wheel half the size apheresis original attraction to pay for its construction till you leased the land immediately surrounding it to other vendors until you himself owned other amusement rides throughout West Brighton such as the aerial slide in early predecessor to the zipline the intramural bicycle railway and the double-dip chutes in 1895 till you took notice of Captain Paul Boyd and sea lion park and it's effective admission set up till you realize that he could build a similar park simply by centralizing his various attractions on the lucrative land on the Bowery till you knew that if he was to compete with sea lion park he would need a signature attraction to compete with buoyant shoots on a trip to England till you found the perfect ride it was a racing contraption in which guess rode wooden horses down parallel tracks considering the popularity of horse racing at the time the ride was a perfect fit for Coney Island till you purchased the rights to the ride and built one as the centerpiece of his park which he would name steeplechase Park after the ride the park would open for the 1897 season till you would go all-out for the parks signature steeplechase attraction he employed the use of people dressed as jockeys announcers - voiceover the races and details such as quarter mile posts and a finish line to create a sense of immersion however the rides main appeal for guess was the seating setup in which men and women rode on the same car forcing them to hold on to one another in the light of the shining Sun otherwise known as gods I tell you being an intelligent showman that studied his guests found that any attraction that hung spun or swung women into the laps arms or bodies of male riders was inherently more popular until you and soon the other showman of Coney Island purposefully searched for and designed attractions that did just this this was key in transforming West Brighton into a place for everyone those that came to the island for a safe day of entertainment were not mortified by the physical interaction as the rides provided an excuse for the behavior but for those that had always come to Coney Island for an escape from the expectations of proper society they were not disappointed either because they got to touch woman's shoulders or as it was known in 1897 third base till you continue to grow the park as the 20th century neared in 1901 he met two men named Frederick Thompson and Elmer skip Dundee Thompson had created an attraction for the 1901 pan-american exposition named a trip to the moon in early darkride that simulated a trip for 30 passengers to the moon aboard a rocket ship called Luna 3 the large vehicle was suspended from the ceiling and as the vehicle moved throughout the building fans blew to sell the effect guests would pass over a few locations depicted by paintings before landing on the moon there the guests would disembark but the attraction was not over after exiting the vehicle guests would walk around a paper mache cavernous lunar world filled with costumed characters known as Selenites who had furiously munch on green cheese within the ride itself was a gift shop selling the green cheese guests were then led to the palace of the man on the moon with dancing moon maidens before making the trip back to earth through the mouth of a lunar monster climbing down a rope ladder to the rides exit a trip to the moon was elaborate and expensive both in terms of construction and operation but it was also incredibly profitable its mastermind was Thompson an ambitious artists that enjoyed the social rewards of his creations his partner Dundee was the business side of the operation and he was charismatic and competitive their partnership worked perfectly their enormous success at the pan-american exposition drew the attention of till you who believed the ride would be a hit at steeplechase Thompson and Dundy were very interested in a permanent attraction at Coney Island both seemed to be interested in climbing the social ranks of New York City and from the start the duo had more entertainment ventures planned but till you knew Coney Island and placing a trip to the moon at steeplechase was a perfect first step the ride was once again a success savings steeplechase from the rainy summer that would plagued the resort and sink Boyton sea lion park it wasn't long until Thompson and Dundy were considering opening their own park some speculate that till you knew this and when it came time to renegotiate the lease for a trip to the moon till you demanded 60% of the profits from the ride instead of the 40% in the original agreement one theory is that till you with all of his insights into the islands business wanted the duo to create their own Park because he believed it could only draw more business to the island and to steeplechase no matter the reason till use negotiation tactic pushed Thompson and Dundy to create their own Park offering to purchase C Line park from Boyton who agreed and left the amusement park business that he had revolutionized the duo got to work renovating sea lion park into a brand new amusement park named Luna Park partly after the ship from their popular attraction many of the attractions at sea lion park were removed in the renovation but Thompson and Dundy made sure to keep Boynton's most popular ride the water shoots the park would use short-term leases for many of its attractions as till you did with steeplechase however the aesthetic differences between the two parks was striking Luna Park was a pageant of fantastical architecture it would become known as the electric Eden from the quarter of a million lights used to illuminate it at night it exude the elegance of the Columbian Exposition while stripping it of its pretension replacing the rigidity of the White City with a curved world of fantasy an important design element was the creation of a visual focal point for the park which came in the form of a 200-foot tall tower which was decorated in 20,000 lights and flanked at the bottom by fountains the park was planned to open for the 1903 season however there was one piece of business that Thompson and Dundy had to attend to topsy the elephant the duo had inherited almost everything from Boyton which included his animals and while animal trainer Carl Hagenbeck would put on shows at the park topsy the elephant would not be part of them Thompson and Dundy made an effort to turn Topsy's bad reputation around showcasing her transporting the dirigible from a trip to the moon in its move from steeplechase to Luna Park however they soon gave up on the creature after having to fire its trainer a notorious drunk for letting the elephant loose on the streets and riding her while he was intoxicated into a police station since Thompson and Dundy were running low on construction funds in early 1903 just a few months before their opening season they decided to put Topsy down by hanging her from the neck in front of a paying audience this caused the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to step in the ASPCA refused to allow Thompson and Dundy to charge admission and they took issue with a plan to hang Topsy from the neck on the grounds of Cruelty alternatives were discussed what if they could poison Topsy with cyanide or electrocute her or perhaps choke her to death with a mechanical wench the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said that all three would be perfect and Thomas Edison's company who would assist in the elect you ssin asked if they could film the event and sell the footage on kinetoscopes the more the merrier said Thompson Dundee in the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Topsy was poisoned electrocuted and choked On January 4th 1903 the ASPCA said that they had quote never seen a more humane manner of causing death which unfortunately was probably true at the time after this construction continued new rides were created for Luna Park such as the war of the worlds in which guests would you a simulate a naval battle with miniature ships another attraction inspired by the works of Jules Verne named 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and yes enter a submarine and look out of portholes the submarine was then submerged and over three miles of canvas on multiple spools passed by to give the illusion of a voyage to the North Pole complete with refrigeration equipment simulating the change in temperature not all the signature rides would be ready by opening but this would not matter Luna Park was an immediate and massive success its beauty dazzled guests and it showcased the true potential for the concept of an amusement park fifty thousand people entered the park on Memorial Day and Luna Park was soon a destination drawing millions of paying guests in its first season its brilliant design helped the park avoid the trouble the buoyancy lion park had in attracting crowds and the park increased more friendly foot traffic to its section of West Brighton the park helped improve Coney Island's image as a whole significantly further separating West Brighton from the corrupt days of McCain and Company and bringing it into a new era of elaborate entertainment and dazzling thrills till you still operating steeplechase Park was not left out of his former collaborator success weather till you had correctly predicted it or not the competing park did results in an increase in attendance for steeplechase Coney Island now had to modern amusement parks and they would soon be joined by a third Luna Park success was destined to draw imitators and it did so quickly one visitor to Luna Park in its opening season was William H Reynolds a wealthy Brooklyn real estate developer and former New York State Senator using his political connections Reynolds rumored Lee convinced the sheriff's office to auction a significant portion of West Brighton real estate that had been seized for McCain after his imprisonment Reynolds purposefully bid modestly try not to reveal his interests and intentions to build a park to other developers he even purposefully lost both bids but it was soon revealed that the winners were working for him Reynolds then began seeking investors attracting many wealthy and some corrupt New Yorkers including William Angermann the founder of Brighton Beach that no longer wanted to miss out on the revenue of the pleasure kingdom west of his resort construction began in October of 1903 in the park to be named dream land was set to open toward the end of the 1904 season despite it being created in a greedy attempt to dip into Luna parks profits dreamland would not be a cheap knockoff the park would cost 3.5 million dollars around 100 million dollars today and with dreamland Reynolds was determined to render the year old Luna Park obsolete if munna Park had an attraction Reynolds had a bigger or better version of it dreamland would have a submarine ride water shoots a taller tower and even more lights with the park advertising 1 million bulbs even its animal shows were to be bigger and better Frank Bostock an animal trainer who had been competing with Luna Parks hanging aback for years was asked by Reynolds to set up a show in dreamland Bostock would invite the famous lion tamer Captain Jack Bonavita to perform with his big cats this would be a huge draw for the park but in 1904 while attempting to train a lion named to Baltimore Bonavita zarm was mauled eight months later he would be forced to amputate it but Bonavita went back to work trying bigger crowds billed as the one-armed lion tamer another dreamland attraction was the baby incubators featuring real premature infants that guests could pay to view Dreamlands lucrative piece of real estate even had a private beach for visitors dreamland had a clear advantage over Luna Park and blue steeplechase Park out of the water but the large investment would be hard to recoup and unlike Thompson and Dundy who were able to turn a profit in Luna park's first season he was unclear when Reynolds and company would make back the expense of building costs dreamland would open ahead of schedule on May 14th 1904 now with three Parks Coney Island amusement offerings had finally outgrown the demand instead of drawing more business to the island for everyone the parks now began drawing business away from each other till you had to quickly improve steeplechase to compete making modifications for the 1905 season famously adding the suggestive and creepy funny face which would become an icon of the park but till you did not have the budget that Thompson and Dundy or Reynolds have and his competitors were not waiting for him to catch up Luna Park having only been open for two seasons and dreamland having only been open for one were already undergoing elaborate and expensive renovations dreamland submarine attraction was replaced by Hell Gate a thrilling ride in which guests traveled in a boat down a whirlpool and beneath the earth's surface achieved by a funnel slide into a long tunnel with dark ride scenes Luna Park would change their submarine attraction to a ride called dragon's gorge in indoor rollercoaster that took guests to the North Pole the Grand Canyon and even Hell dreamland would add creation in attraction from the 1904 st. Louis World's Fair creation was a moving panorama an illusion based show depicting the story of genesis for audiences the attraction was impressive but the real draw was the 40-foot tall statue of a bare-breasted angel at the entrance the depiction of a naked woman was grotesquely inappropriate at the time but there was not the expected outrage as religious groups came to the statues defense claiming that breasts are okay if they're for Bible reasons this was yet another example of Coney Island finding the perfect overlap between conservative families and local perverts Coney Island remained a relatively accepting and tolerant environment relatively many of the bath houses were segregated and the parks featured human zoos lilliputian villages and blackface among other exploitative attractions there were some opportunities for minority run shows and businesses such as inventor Granville T Woods figure-eight roller coaster one of the first electric coasters the biggest news in the following few seasons at Coney Island came on July 28th 1907 when a single cigarette set steeplechase Park ablaze burning down the park and multiple buildings on the Bowery till you watch the flames consume his creation before quietly walking away and taking his family to Sunday Mass while his part continued to burn the next day till you returned walked on the ashes of steeplechase and placed aside stating quote I have troubles today that I did not have yesterday I have troubles yesterday that I have not today on the site will be erected shortly a better bigger greater steeplechase Park admission to the burning ruins 10 cents Tilly was true to his word and he rebuilt steeplechase adding his own personal Crystal Palace the pavilion of fun this enclosed many attractions into a weatherproof building built with fireproof steel and concrete the pavilion of fun housed the insanitary 'm or blowhole theatre the attraction began with couples going through a dark passage called the doghouse they've been emerged onto a bright stage upon standing women refined their dresses blown up by compressed air while two carnival actors a clown and a little person with spanked men's backsides with an electric prod and a slapstick respectively as a couple would escape they would have to pass a sliding floor covered in barrels which made them fall over even more and expose their underwear all to an audience of people who had just had the same experience the protection from the rain alone made the pavilion of fun a huge success the voyeurism was just icing on the cake the fire resulted in a better part and the new steeplechase was more equipped to compete with Luna Park and Dream Land also in 1907 skip Dundee would die of pneumonia leaving Thompson to run their venture alone without his partner Thompson's lavish spending and drinking would result in him losing Luna Park to creditors in just a few years after dundies passing for the next few years steeplechase Luna Park and dreamland entertained Coney Island but despite business being good Reynolds and his investors were not profiting the initial investment was just too high so in 1910 Reynolds made a desperate attempt to cash out the plan was simple Reynolds would buyback Dreamlands bonds from his investors at a discounted price the investors understood that their choice was between selling their bonds to Reynolds at a discount taking a small loss from their initial investment or keeping the bonds which in the case of bankruptcy would result in a much more substantial loss once Reynolds had collected a significant amount of discounted bonds he would then sell dreamland to the city at an inflated price using his political connections the city would then assume Dreamlands debts Reynolds or profit the difference between the bonds original value and what he bought them for even if the city did not pay the debts in full any debt payments made would be issued in order of seniority and if Reynolds could collect enough bonds he would theoretically be the first to benefit there was one issue with this even if Reynolds allies in the city were willing to buy back the land they would need an explanation for the citizens there was no way that the city could justify buying the expensive debt rid and amusement venture however they could justify buying land for a public park but that would require all of the attractions and buildings to be removed which came with more monetary and political issues if only there was another way Dreamlands 1911 season began on May 27th or at least it would have early that morning at around 1:30 a.m. a crew was working on the roof of the Hell Gate attraction all they needed to do was fix a few weeks and the popular ride would be operational for another season at dreamland but instead this is when everything would go wrong everything suddenly the light system for the crews began to explode in the darkness one of the crew members knocked over a bucket of hot tar setting the whole gate ablaze which is quite fitting luckily dreamland had a state-of-the-art firefighting system unluckily it wasn't working fire crews which were only a few hundred feet away raced to the scene grabbing the hoses we defined that there was no water pressure some had to place their hands over the nozzles just to enable the stream of water to reach the fire at this point more of Dreamland was in flames in the entire island was aware of the fire people gathered around to watch the show while Luna Park and West Brighton's hotels began to preemptively hose down their buildings only making Dreamlands water pressure worse Dreamlands tall iconic tower was set ablaze by then it was clear that dreamland was going to burn but there were still things inside that needed to be saved namely the caged animals and the babies despite reports claiming that the infants were killed in the fire all of the incubator babies were later found to be saved the same could not be said for the animals Colonel Joseph Ferrari the animal trainer that had recently purchased Vostok Circus and Captain Jack Bonavita rushed into the flames they began to unlock the endless cages and prepared to move them to safety with the cages unlocked and the move beginning it seemed that many of the animals were going to be saved then the firemen cut the power to the park in the darkness the animals attacked one another and Ferrari and Bonavita rushed out reportedly shooting many animals on their way to put them out of their suffering Black Prince a famous lion was able to make it out but was then promptly shot by the police 60 animals perished in the flames the fire continued throughout the early morning and by Sunrise dreamland was gone the estimated damage was 5.2 million dollars Reynolds could only collect around $400,000 from insurance as insurers were notoriously wary of placing policies on the fiery island where most of the structures were made of wood however Reynolds was not determined to rebuild as till you was a few contemporary historians question whether Reynolds had anything to do with the fire or at the very least whether he had a hand in any of the factors that prevented it from being extinguished there's no proof that Reynolds was behind the blaze but he certainly benefited from it with dreamland gone the city could justify buying back the land doing so for 1.8 million dollars despite the official estimate being 1.5 million reportedly Reynolds bond scheme worked and he ended up profiting off of dreamland despite its failure to turn a profit and the fact that it was completely destroyed by flames with that Reynolds was done with Coney Island and the Golden Age of the islands amusement parks was over [Music] for our final story we find Coney Island 20 years later in the early 1930s during the height of the Great Depression all of our previous characters have passed George tell you from pneumonia in 1914 Frederick Thompson from Bright's disease in 1919 captain Paul poison from pneumonia in 1924 William Reynolds from heart disease in 1931 Captain Jack Bonavita from a polar bear in 1917 steeplechase and Luna Park are still operating but their glory days are behind them the final story of Coney Island stars a new character a man named Robert Moses Moses was born into a well-off family his father a real estate mogul and department store owner moved his family to New York before Moses was 10 Moses will go on to earn a PhD in political science from Columbia he then net worked his way into the company of Al Smith who after becoming governor appointed Moses to Secretary of State by this point Moses as many social critics had thought before him believed that he had the answer to the city's problems but unlike Olmstead Moses's plan was not as flowery as a return to nature Moses wanted to turn New York into an automobile Haven with many expressways and bridges and if they destroyed a few low-income neighborhoods in the process so be it Moses had a complicated relationship with the lower class and that he did not seem to like them very much but definitely could not say that out loud after becoming the Commissioner of New York City's department of parks in 1934 Moses took control over not just parks but beaches as well which gave him control over Coney Island the island had always attracted members of the middle and lower class but after the subway line to the island was completed in 1920 anyone could travel to Coney for just five cents this did result in a less wealthy clientele but Kony's popularity only grew consequently Moses drafted ambitious plans for Coney Island he dreamed of dance pavilions rollerskating rinks tennis and handball courts playgrounds and wide walking prominence none of these plans included any semblance of saving the parks in his 1937 plan titled the improvement of Coney Island Rockaway and South Beach's Moses stated how he found the state of Coney Island deplorable calling it a quote commentary on the lack of foresight of the citizens with his major complaints being that the boardwalk had been constructed too close to the water and the lack of public land leading to overcrowding in the area in the 1920s the island had seen a shift away from the elaborate parks to independently owned thrill rides including the famous edition of the Coney Island cyclone in 1927 these mechanical rides had no place in Moses's vision Moses was not against public recreation areas and through his City Planning he would help create many the issue was that Moses thought that all parks should be for the same purpose and motivate the same behavior Moses's goal was to make Coney Island sterile and controlled which was the very antithesis to its appeal by this point the island could benefit from more cleanliness but it was clear that Moses was planning more than a beach cleanup he wanted the sideshows and the parks gone and in their place a more predictable standard boardwalk experience Moses knew that Coney Island would not go down without a fight so he implemented a variety of harassment techniques to break down the lineup of entertainment Moses banned advertisements and loudspeakers human pyramids and street performers he planned to extend the boardwalk requiring the destruction of many existing amusements including the municipal bathhouse the strategies paid off investors pulled out of properties on Coney Island fearing that any venture would soon be rendered impossible by one of Moses's plans in 1939 steeplechase experienced yet another devastating fire once again taking it as an opportunity to improve the park after the 1939 World's Fair which Moses had assisted in building the parachute jump attraction was moved to steeplechase becoming the modern-day icon at the island Moses the Great Depression and then World War 2 were sinking the remains of what was once America's greatest playground the Luna Park would not end at the hands of the economic downturn or even the hands of the ruthless Moses it would end as its neighbor had in flames on August 12th 1944 a fire started in the Dragons gorge attraction because of course it did the exact reason was unknown just a week prior it was announced that Luna Park had been bought by three park employees including general manager William Miller who planned to rename Luna Park to bill Miller's Luna Park the world would be deprived of bill Miller's vision as the physical and financial damage to Luna Park was too great the park would close completely by 1946 steeplechase the least ambitious of the original Three Harkes was the last standing and it was still owned and operated by till use children with the end of World War two in 1945 steeplechase saw some stability with efforts to modernize certain areas and add new rides for children but in 1949 a polio epidemic caused a large drop in attendance the park crawled throughout the 50s as Moses abandoned some of his initial plans to turn the island around instead choosing to build a high-rise low-income housing for the citizens that he was displacing in other parts of New York City steeplechase would make it until the early 60s when Murray tell you daughter of George finally closed the park on September 20th 1964 the following year she sold it to Fred Trump who threw a demolition party for the park tore it down to build residential housing that he never built and in the end all that remained was the parachute Tower Coney Island state continued to worsen for the next two decades before a revival effort fueled by the nostalgia for its heyday helps it out of its slump in the last 40 years the island has undergone renovations as well as preservation efforts revival parks and attractions have sprouted up capturing a bit of the flavor of Coney Island in its prime although the thrills and amusements present at the turn of the century are impossible to recapture sea lion park steeplechase Park Luna Park and dreamland were key and establishing the concept of the modern day amusement park while also laying the groundwork for elaborate theme parks at their peak there were glorious and elegant works of art that showcased a type of escapism that soon spread throughout the rest of the country their demise was a tragedy but their very existence was a miracle as for Moses his urban planning projects in New York extended far past his hatred of Coney Island and as he expanded roadways and displaced citizens throughout the mid 20th century he continued to influence amusement and theme parks he had already seen two new york amusement parks closed under his watch and he would soon play a part in a third but that is another story [Music]

Channel: Defunctland

Views: 2,763,166

Keywords: defunctland, kevin perjurer, theme park, extinct, abandoned, defunct, history, previous, attractions, on ride, lights on, coney island, new york, coney island history, new york history, roller coaster, roller coaster history, roller coaster videos, old roller coasters, coney island parks, luna park, dreamland, steeplechase park, robert moses, brooklyn history, coney island hot dog, coney island amusement park, coney island roller coasters, coney island theme parks

Id: 7C5kxkBPhpE

Length: 40min 9sec (2409 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 13 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/The-Bigger-Fish]

Kevin's snark has been on point this season. I love it!

[u/alamotexas]

A Trip to the Moon looked so cool

[u/butiamsotired]

https://youtu.be/ypqSHg1YvZA

[u/BossHoover]

I go to Coney Island often and I love it. It is really crazy to see how it was in its prime. Fuck Fred Trump and the rest of the Trumps.

[u/[deleted]]

Jack Bonita had a life.....

Great episode. Easily my favourite channel on YouTube.

[u/Mazzocchi]

As someone who lives on Long Island, when Kevin mentioned Robert Moses

[u/pnavas]

This is one of the best ones. The animations were cool. I'm a history buff, but only knew that Robert Moses was a land developer and has a beach named after him.