Source: w00kie via Flickr
While we didn’t plan on doing another Coney Island story today, with summer on its way and Coney Island still in a transitional period, there’s simply an above average amount of chatter out there. With so many changes on the horizon, we want to give Bensonhurst Bean’s readers a heads up on what to expect at the beach this summer.
Coney Island developer Joe Sitt – who has become very unpopular with preservationists in recent years – says the suburban mall-like building erected by his firm Thor Equities on the Stillwell Avenue site of an historic structure he had demolished is only temporary, and is just one of many changes (shudder) in store for the People’s Playground. Continue Reading »
We were recently on Avenue U near West 8th Street when we saw something that made us smile. Some great examples of turn of the 20th Century architecture – a few of which actually appeared well maintained – called out to our senses like some sort of oasis in the Fedders Desert.
From the tight joints of mortar between their bricks to the wonderful eye candy texture of their brick and stone facades – as well as the generous scale of their construction, these buildings are neighborhood gems that probably deserve landmark status.
If you’re looking for some nice pre-1920 buildings in Southern Brooklyn, a good rule of thumb is to stick close to subway lines. The blocks immediately surrounding train tracks serve as sort of miniature brownstone belts. Lots located near what were once excursion railroads to Coney Island were usually the first to be built-up in a particular area, as evidenced by these old beauties – which went up on Avenue U over a century ago near the Sea Beach Line, otherwise known as the N train. Click Here For More Photos
