Coney Island is one of New York City’s gems, appearing front and center on advertisements, brochures, and guides. For more than a century, the famed destination at the southern tip of Brooklyn has brought in tourists from all over the world to ride the Cyclone, take in views of Brooklyn from the Wonder Wheel, and have a bite of a Nathan’s Famous hot dog. Many of Coney Island’s historic structures still remain, some from the late 1800s when Coney Island developed as the nation’s foremost amusement destination. Coney’s Island Riegelmann Boardwalk, which may soon be changed from wood to plastic, was constructed in 1922 and 1923.

But over the years, Coney Island’s look has changed significantly, and lesser-known occurrences such as fires altered the landscape. There were over a dozen major fires throughout Coney Island’s history, including five in the 1890s when the three competing amusement parks—Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park—began being planned and constructed. Steeplechase Park was partially burned down in 1907, while Dreamland dealt with a major fire in 1911.

Perhaps the most destructive fire took place in 1932, when 40-mile-per-hour winds drove a fire that burned four square blocks and resulted in $5 million in damages. The wooden boardwalk also faced numerous fires shortly after it was constructed, and half of Luna Park was destroyed in 1944. Two such fires in 1939 took a major toll on Coney Island’s boardwalk and Steeplechase Park, and a series of photographs that NYC Parks shared with Untapped New York showcase some structures just days before their eradication.

Howard Johnson's ice cream shop at Coney Island in 1940
South side of the Boardwalk looking NW at West corner of Jones Walk, NYC Parks Photo Archive.

The Demolition Series consists of 223 images that were taken by the NYC Parks Department Photo Unit on January 6 and 7, 1940. According to Rebekah Burgess, Photo Archivist with NYC Parks, the images survey the damage from two consecutive fires in 1939 that damaged or destroyed much of Steeplechase, the surrounding boardwalk, and a number of bathhouses, concessions, and amusements.

According to the book Coney Island Lost and Found, “The amusement area boasted sixty bathhouses, thirteen carousels, eleven roller coasters, two hundred restaurants, and more than five hundred small businesses. Perhaps the most symbolic change during the 1930s was the rise of Nathan’s Famous and the decline of Feltman’s Restaurant. Nathan’s was a nickel ‘grab-joint’ and Feltman’s was a sit-down restaurant with tablecloths. Cheap thrills were replacing the refined entertainment proposals of the 1920s. Slideshows and strip joints became popular forms of entertainment.”

NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses was already pushing to expand the boardwalk and beach as part of a $3,200,000 Coney Island Improvement project that would open 24 acres of the new beach area, widen the narrow beach to 500 feet, straighten the wooden boardwalk, realign Surf Avenue, and get rid of the riff raffy establishments that had taken over in the 1930s. These fires were the perfect excuse for Moses to push many of these changes to go through. He ordered a survey organized geographically by Tax Lot to itemize and quantify the accrued damage. After this, on January 22, bulldozers began demolition on the Municipal Baths and the damaged boardwalk.

Feltmans Seafood Bar at Coney Island in 1940
South edge of Boardwalk looking Northeast at Feltmans Restaurant Bar and Grill, NYC Parks Photo Archives

Moses’s takeover began with a November 30, 1937 report called The Improvement of Coney Island, Rockaway and South Beaches, in which he proposed radical changes that would fix much of Coney Island’s “sad commentary on the lack of foresight of the citizens.” Moses complained that the boardwalk was constructed too near the water, little land was in public ownership, it was way too crowded, and there was no strict enforcement of ordinances and rules.

As one of his first acts in 1938, he banned new advertising along the Boardwalk, banned loudspeakers near the beach, and put up very explicit signs with rules and regulations. He then tried to realign the Boardwalk between Stillwell Avenue and Ocean Parkway. The Boardwalk was relocated inland and extended to the border of Manhattan Beach, which proved damaging to the amusement area. He further intimidated property owners as a way of planning a playground and Parks Department headquarters, later announcing plans to move the New York Aquarium to Coney Island’s old Dreamland site after Mayor La Guardia vetoed his decision to move it to the Bronx Zoo. Years later, he set up the destruction of Coney Island’s West End as part of an urban renewal project.

These are the last extant views, both interior and exterior, of many older buildings and businesses along the boardwalk:

Feltman's restaurant in Coney Island in 1940
South edge of Boardwalk looking Northeast at Feltmans Restaurant Bar and Grill, NYC Parks Photo Archives
Feltman's Seafood Bar at Coney Island in 1940
South edge of Boardwalk looking NW at Feltmans, W corner of W 10th, NYC Parks Photo Archives
German Village of Feltmans in Coney Island
Curb line on the E of W 10th St, German Village of Feltmans, NYC Parks Photo Archives
German Village portion of Feltmans in Coney Island
View from East side of W 10th St near Surf Ave, German Village portion of Feltmans, NYC Parks Photo Archives
Feltmans in Coney Island in 1940
North side of Surf Ave, east of W 10th St, Surf Ave section of Feltman’s, NYC Parks Photo Archives
closed up restaurants in Coney Island in 1940
Center line of SurfvAve between Jones Walk and W W 12th St. NYC Parks Photo Archives
Motor Parkway in Coney Island in 1940
The East side of Jones Walk btw Boardwalk and Bowery, NYC Parks Photo Archives
buildings in Coney Island in 1940
E side of Jones Walk between Boardwalk and Bowery, NYC Parks Photo Archives
establishments on the Coney Island boardwalk in 1940
South edge of Boardwalk East of W 8th St looking NW. NYC Parks Photo Archives
closed businesses in Coney Island in 1940
South edge of Boardwalk east of W 8th St, NYC Parks Photo Archives
a roller coaster in Coney Island in 1940
East side of W 8th St, looking NW on W side of 8th, NYC Parks Photo Archives
A roller coaster in Coney Island in 1940
East side of W 8th St near Surf Ave looking NW on the W side of W 8th St. NYC Parks Photo Archives
The Comet roller coaster in 1940
E side of W 8th St and Surf Ave, looking at South side of Surf Ave, NYC Parks Photo Archives
Comet and Cyclone roller coasters in 1940
North side of Surf Ave looking at South side of Surf Ave between W 8th and W 10th NYC Parks Photo Archives
a roller coaster in Coney Island, 1940
W side of W 10th looking NE on the E side of W 10th, NYC Parks Photo Archives
closeup shot of a roller coaster in  1940
East side of West 10th St looking NE in Children’s playground, NYC Parks Photo Archives
Giant Baths and Philip's Salt Water Taffee in Coney Island, 1940
Center line of Boardwalk along W 10th St looking NE, NYC Parks Photo Archives
under the boardwalk in Coney Island, 1940
Under center line of Boardwalk looking NW, pole is at W corner of W 8th St, NYC Parks Photo Archives
a restaurant and poker house on the Coney Island boardwalk, 1940
South side of Boardwalk looking NE at Ward’s Baths concessions, NYC Parks Photo Archives

Next, check out 27 Secrets of Coney Island!