Coney Island was discovered by Henry Hudson in 1609, and in the 1870s and 1880s, already had luxury hotels, and the first rollercoasters and carousels came to the area, as people were able to access it after the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company electrified the rail lines. This image, colorized by Marina Amaral, shows the bustling Bowery at Coney Island in 1903.
The Bowery, Coney Island, 1903. Source: (Detroit Publishing Company. Colorized by Marina Amaral).
During the first tourist boom in the 1880s, the soon-to-be notorious Elephantine Colossus a.k.a., the Elephant Hotel was built; the 200-foot tall structure was actually a hotel in the shape of an elephant. Because you could get a hot dog or knish for only a nickel, or ride any of the rides, it was sometimes called the “Poor Man’s Paradise.”
Early On, There Was An Elephantine Hotel
Source: (Detroit Publishing Company/Pinterest).
The Elephantine Colossus also housed a concert hall and museum, but soon lost its luster and the prostitutes took up residency. In 1895, Paul Boyton opened the first enclosed amusement park, Sea Lion Park, just behind the Elephant Hotel and the following year, the Elephant Hotel burnt down.
Sea Lion Park, The First Of The Greats
Reproduction of a postcard for the Flip Flap Railway. Source: (Wikipedia).
As an enclosed amusement park, at Sea Lion Park, all of the rides were behind a wooden fence, and people had to pay an admission to get into the park. The park featured the “Shoot the Chute” ride, in which passengers rode in a rowboat down an incline and into a lake. The park also had the Flip-Flap Railway, the first looping roller coaster in America. Additionally, Sea Lion Park had water shows which included trained sea lions and Boyton’s water inventions, including inflatable shoes which allowed performers to walk on water. 1902 proved to be a financial disaster as the rain kept visitors away. Boyton sold the park to Thompson and Dundy.
And Then Came Steeplechase
Steeplechase Park. Source: (Wikimedia).
In 1897, George Tillyou opened Steeplechase Park; it would become the longest-lived amusement park of the early parks. Although it was enclosed like Sea Lion Park, it was a park that did not rely on extravagant rides, which made its operational costs lower. The central attraction was a ride which allowed visitors to race on wooden horses down parallel metal tracks. The park also had benches, gardens, and picnic areas as well as characters who wandered the park. Tillie, a man with too many teeth in a wide grin became the face of the park, a fitting representative because the philosophy of the park was to make people laugh.
Steeplechase Had Staying Power
View along the Bowery, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, New York, mid 1900s. Pedestrians, funhouses, advertisements visible. (Photo by Geo. P. Hall & Son/The New York Historical Society/Getty Images)
On July 28, 1907, a cigarette started a fire which destroyed a large part of the park. Tillyou rebuilt the part by the 1908 season, but with an improvement designed in reaction to the rain which caused the demise of Sea Lion Park: an indoor amusement called the Pavilion of Fun. Eventually, after a long run, Steeplechase shut down in 1964 as crime in New York kept families from coming to the park. Fred Trump bought the site, tore down the park, and tried unsuccessfully to build condos there. It is now the site of the Brooklyn Cyclone’s baseball stadium.
Luna Park Took People To The Moon
Luna Park Promnade. Colorized by Dana Keller.
Frederic Thompson and Elmer Dundy who bought Sea Lion Park had created a ride called A Trip to the Moon for the 1901 Buffalo World’s Fair. Riders boarded a spaceship called the Airship Luna which they rode to the “moon.” On arrival, riders disembarked and walked around the “moon.” In 1902, they took the ride to Steeplechase Park, where it was a hit. On October 1. 1902, they then bought out Sea Lion Park and created Luna Park, with the Trip to the Moon ride as the centerpiece. Thompson, who had trained to be an architect, designed his own fantasy, and it was unlike anything anyone had seen before. He also added hearts around the park, calling it the “Heart of Coney Island.” To begin construction of Luna, they tore down all of Sea Lion Park, leaving only the Chutes. Dundy incorporated elements of the circus including animals throughout the park. Luna Park had 250,000 lights which illuminated lakes, streams, and towers. The park’s midway included three attractions: Over the Sea, On the Sea, and Under the Sea. It also had numerous exhibits of foreign lands, an aquarium, as well as fine dining. In 1907, Dundy contracted pneumonia and died. Thompson lost the park to creditors in 1912, and in 1944, one of the remaining rides, the Dragon’s Gorge caught fire.
Dreamland Didn't Last
Dreamland, 1905. Colorized by Marina Amaral.
Dreamland, founded by William Reynolds, tried to compete with Luna Park, using their own versions of Luna Park’s successful rides, often just making them bigger. Reynolds also added its own unique rides, like the Leapfrog Railway. Dreamland also utilized its beachfront access as a draw. Because of Dreamland’s location, you could arrive either by land or by steamship. Dreamland’s most popular amusements included Midget City, also called Lilliputian Village, Bostock’s Animal Arena, Dreamland Ballroom, Canals of Venice, and Fighting Flames. Dreamland competed vigorously with Luna Park from the time that it opened in 1904. On the opening day of 1911, a fire started which devastated the park, and by 1920, the city condemned and purchased part of the land.
And Nathan's Outlasts Them All
In 1916, Nathan Handwerker opened the first Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand at the corner of Surf and Stillwell, and unlike the original amusement parks, it still operates today, selling their famous hot dogs.