Coney Island: A Dream Deferred

Dreamland: Coney Island. Circa, 1907-1911

Prepare yourself. I’m beginning to realize that many scenic locations have to do with developers.

Dreamland was built in 1904, supposedly so fast that the city didn’t have time to remove the fire hydrants from underneath it. Dreamland was in operation until 1911, when it burned down because of fire started on the Hell’s Gate ride. The whole park burned in 18 hours. The rumor is that the park stole water from the city's fire hydrants for years and when the fire took place, the water pressure was too low to save it. The owner William Reynolds (also a senator) was indicted in 1912 for perjury associated with Tammany Hall shenanigans, such as land-grabs for his Dreamland Park construction.

Popular attractions at Dreamland before it burned included Midget City, which was a scaled down version of 15th century Nuremberg and premature babies in incubators (this technology was too new for hospitals to accept, but apparently just right for amusement parks).

Joe Sitt, of the Thor Corporation, is trying to open a new Dreamland on top of Coney Island’s Astroland. A fight ensues with Mayor Bloomberg & the City, who have purchased pieces of Astroland/Dreamland and have refused permits for park rides to thwart his overall development plans. Check out NBC New York’s coverage and the Coney Island Message Board for constant updates on the evils of development.

The Great Divide opened in 1907 and was a "scenic" roller coaster. In Michael Immerso’s book Coney Island: The People’s Playground, he describes The Great Divide as “a scenic rail trip over the Rocky Mountains, which wound its way in and out of tunnels, through canyons, and over a 70 foot wide trestle...” When you hear the description of the Great Divide, you wouldn’t think a ride on the roller coaster could lead to this: “While going at a high speed through that tunnel both cars suddenly jumped the tracks…The passengers, of whom it is said many where children, where thrown from their seats and sent whirling through the air. Some of them, it was said, struck the walls of the tunnel with great force.” (From NY Times article, Dreamland Train Derailed: Seven Persons Hurt When Train Leaves Tracks) This was probably two months after it opened- the article is from July 16, 1907.

There you have it people. Don’t get on rides at any version of Dreamland.



Early rendering of Joe Sitt’s Coney Island re-model. Yeah, that’s a blimp. (From New York Magazine.)