Recently I went to the Brooklyn Museum and for a tour of the "Coney Island: Vision of an American Dreamland exhibit." Coney Island is an extension of my backyard, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that I knew very little of the area's history. The exhibit started at the very beginning when there was no United States and the world was on the road to major change. The progression of the island from a tourist destination to a wonderland for adults really is true to the societal changes that propelled Coney Island into the attraction that we now know of it. So let's take a stroll back in time and visit the area in all of its glamour, grandeur and secrets.
1. Coney Island - The Urban Beach Resort
When the Dutch landed upon the sandy shores of southeast Brooklyn they proclaimed the land to be called Konijnen Eiland, or “Rabbit Island,” for the abundance of the animals living in the area. The location of the beach played a big role in the rise of Coney Island as a getaway for rich families living in Manhattan. For them, the Island was a resort away from the global center that was New York City. Coney Island would change the idea of beach resorts forever.
2. The Elephant Hotel
In order to accommodate the growing number of people visiting Coney Island, the Coney Island Hotel was built in 1829 introducing a new level of glamour to the area. Fine dining restaurants and attractions began to fill the beach, inviting people to visit on holidays or anytime they needed a vacation. The Elephant Hotel was built on the shores of the beach, a huge structure in the shape of an elephant that began the legacy of amusement on Coney Island. The hotel was a house of 'ill repute', an oasis away from bustling everyday life.
3. "If Paris is Franc, then Coney Island, Between June and September, is the World." - George C. Tilyou
Soon the biggest playground in the world got its toys. Opportunists from all over the world used Coney Island as a way to build rides and gain attention for themselves. The amusement park was filled with a multitude of lights and colors, beckoning and twinkling hypnotically. When this (original) Luna Park opened in 1903, people called it the "Electrical Eden," as the millions of lights were something that many people had not seen before. The introduction of the subway also helped to draw attention to the place dubbed the "People's Playground."
4. A Time for the Adults
Unlike places such as Disneyland or Disney world, the attractions and atmosphere of Coney Island were projected to the adults. The entertainments allowed adults to leave their children at home and indulge in a good time with alcohol and one night flings. The absurdity of the attractions such as men who could breathe fire and women with beards really did make the island, as Marie Roberts put it, "a congress of curious people."
5. A History to Remember
