Owners of the Astroland Amusement Park on Coney Island have announced that Sunday, September 7th will be the final day of operation for the park. The 46 year old park has been threatened ever since Thor Equities bought the property.

Co-owner Carol Albert stated, “Coney Island’s future as a tourism and amusement destination is clearly in peril. Thor Equities, which now owns most of Coney Island, came onto the development scene showing beautiful renderings of this great 21st Century amusement park they were promising to build. All indications, however, are that their real priority is retail and high-end housing.”

This basically sums it up. A big developer moves in, says how great the property is and how they want to help keep history alive…and then demolish it. Thankfully the Cyclone rollercoaster is protected as a national landmark.

Coney Island’s Astroland will join the long list of closed down seaside parks come Sunday. September 7th, 2008 will mark the end of an era.

 

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