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Dreamland (Coney Island, 1904)

January 31, 2023

Dreamland was an amusement park at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, which operated from 1904 to 1911. It was the last of the three original large parks built on Coney Island, along with Steeplechase Park and Luna Park.[2] The park was between Surf Avenue to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It was arranged roughly as a horseshoe, with a pier facing south toward the Atlantic Ocean. Dreamland contained several attractions that were larger versions of those at Luna Park, and it included a human zoo, several early roller coasters, a Shoot the Chutes ride, and a replica of Venice. Dreamland also hosted entertainment and dramatic spectacles based on morality themes. Several buildings, such as the Pompeiian, Electricity, and Submarine Boat buildings, were dedicated to exhibits.

Dreamland
Seen in 1907
LocationConey Island, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Coordinates40°34′37″N 73°58′44″W / 40.577°N 73.979°W / 40.577; -73.979Coordinates: 40°34′37″N 73°58′44″W / 40.577°N 73.979°W / 40.577; -73.979
StatusClosed
OpenedMay 15, 1904[1]
ClosedMay 27, 1911
OwnerWilliam H. Reynolds

Former state senator William H. Reynolds announced plans in July 1903 for an amusement park rivaling Luna Park, originally known as the Hippodrome. The Dreamland Company started constructing the park in December 1903, and the park opened as Dreamland on May 15, 1904. The park operated between May and September of each year, and Reynolds constantly changed Dreamland's shows and attractions every season. Coney Island had reached its peak popularity by the late 1900s, but Dreamland struggled to compete with Luna Park, which was better managed.

During the early morning of May 27, 1911, just after the start of Dreamland's eighth season, a worker kicked over a bucket of hot pitch, starting a fire that spread through the park's wooden buildings. Firefighters were unable to control the fire because of low water pressure, and nearly all of the structures were quickly destroyed, although no one was killed. The northern portion of the site, on Surf Avenue, was quickly redeveloped with various concessions. The New York City government acquired the southern portion through condemnation in 1912, but disputes over compensation continued for eight years. The site became a parking lot in 1921 and was redeveloped as a recreation center in 1935; the New York Aquarium was eventually built on the site in 1957.

Development

Between about 1880 and World War II, Coney Island was the largest amusement area in the United States, attracting several million visitors per year.[3] Sea Lion Park opened in 1895 and was Coney Island's first amusement area to charge entry fees;[4][5] this in turn spurred the construction of George C. Tilyou's Steeplechase Park in 1897, the neighborhood's first major amusement park.[4][6] Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy opened Luna Park, Coney Island's second major amusement park, in 1903 on the site of Sea Lion Park, which had closed the previous year.[7][8] William H. Reynolds, a former state senator and successful Brooklyn real estate developer, decided to construct Dreamland following the success of Luna Park.[9][10][11] He intended for Dreamland to compete with Luna Park. Dreamland was supposed to be refined and elegant in its design and architecture, compared to Luna Park with its many rides and chaotic noise.[12]

 
Unlike the bright colors found in other parks, Dreamland was painted white.

Reynolds announced plans in July 1903 for an amusement park rivaling Luna Park, which was to be built in a style resembling London's Hippodrome.[13][14] According to local media, he reportedly paid $180,000 for a pier on the Coney Island Beach,[15] as well as $447,500 for two parcels at Surf Avenue and West Eighth Street,[a] measuring 800 feet (240 m) deep and 262 feet (80 m) wide.[14][15] The Times Union subsequently said that the purchase prices for the site were not correct.[17] The Surf Avenue parcels had belonged to John Y. McKane,[14] who had operated a bathing house on the site.[18][19] Previously, the parcels had also included the Coney Island Athletic Club's arena[17] and the Culver Depot, the then-terminal of New York City Subway's BMT Brighton Line and BMT Culver Line.[12][17] Although C. L. Turnbull and P. I. Thompson were nominally the buyers, but they acted as proxies for Reynolds, allowing him to acquire the Surf Avenue site at a discount of more than $50,000.[20] Once Reynolds acquired the site, he made a deal with the New York City Board of Estimate to demap West Eighth Street, which separated McKane's parcels from each other.[12][16] The street, which had taken up one-sixth of the proposed park's width, contained a trolley terminal that needed to be relocated.[16]

Originally, the park was supposed to be known as the Hippodrome.[9][16] In August 1903, Reynolds and several other men established the Wonderland Company, which was capitalized at $1.2 million.[17] The Wonderland Company had been created specifically to develop an amusement park on the site.[21][22] The amusement pier was planned to contain a dance hall and bathing pavilion, while the main portion of the site would be arranged around a large tower that would overtop Luna Park's.[23] The company took title to the plots in September 1903 and received a $200,000 mortgage loan from the Title Guarantee and Trust Company.[21][22] The Edison Company was hired to manufacture the park's lights in late 1903; the new park was expected to have more electric lights than had existed on all of Coney Island during the preceding season.[24][25]

Construction of the park itself began in December 1903.[19][23] General contractor Edward Johnson Company employed about 2,000 workers,[16] who were employed in three eight-hour shifts.[9][23] The park was known as Dreamland by January 1904.[26] Reynolds, wishing to surpass Luna Park by every metric, reportedly spent $3.5 million on Dreamland.[9][27] Dreamland had two Shoot the Chutes and one million lights, compared to one Shoot the Chute and 250,000 lights at Luna Park; even Dreamland's firefighting show was more elaborate than that at Luna Park.[9][16] However, Dreamland also planned to differentiate itself from Luna Park by adding novel attractions, as well as operating a private beach and bath house (something that Luna Park lacked because of its inland location).[9] Samuel W. Gumpertz was among those who helped develop the park.[28]

Operation

1904 to 1907

 
Dreamland Park, a year after opening

Dreamland opened on May 15, 1904, with a fire show that employed 4,000 performers.[29] At the time of its opening, the park was $1.9 million in debt, more than the entire amount invested in the competing Luna Park. Dreamland charged 10 cents for admission on weekdays and 15 cents on weekends, plus an additional fee of up to 25 cents for individual rides.[9] The park closed for the season on September 24, 1904.[30][31] Reynolds said Dreamland had recorded a $400,000 net profit during the operating season,[31] despite erroneous reports that the park had been placed in receivership.[30] Although the Leapfrog Railway roller coaster was completed with the rest of the park, it did not open until the 1905 season.[9]

Reynolds spent $500,000 on new attractions and shows ahead of the 1905 season,[32][33] which ran from May 13[34] to September 24.[35] Among these was a show based on the Creation myth, which had been exhibited at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition;[36][37] this attraction alone cost $250,000.[32][33] The park also added an exhibition of a Roman hippodrome around the lagoon; replaced the submarine ride with the Hell Gate boat ride; and added a Japanese theater.[32][37][38] City officials temporarily closed Dreamland's pier in May 1905, citing the fact that the pier was too narrow to accommodate crowds.[39][40]

Many of the park's shows were replaced for the 1906 season, and park officials also rebuilt the pier.[41] The new attractions for that season included a reenactment of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake's aftermath; a Moqui Indian village; a rebuilt Creation show;[41][42] and the Touring New York car show.[43] The park opened for the 1906 season on May 20,[41] and it began hosting vaudeville shows for the first time that June.[44] Dreamland's third season ended on September 24, 1906.[45] Prior to the 1907 season, concessionaire William Ellis introduced an attraction called the Orient, anchored by a theater that presented several shows.[46][47] Park officials also built a new administration building and installed other shows.[48] Park officials gave $50 to the first guest of the season on May 18, 1907,[48][49] and the park operated through September 21 of that year.[50] At this point, the park hosted several shows that were based on themes of morality,[51][52] such as "The End of the World" and the "Feast of Beshazzar and the Destruction of Babylon".[47][53]

1908 to 1911

 
"Roltair's Arabian Nights Up To Date" contained seven theaters corresponding to days of the week, each of which contained a magical illusion.

Coney Island had reached its peak popularity by the late 1900s, when millions of people visited the neighborhood every year.[54] In spite of its many amusements, Dreamland struggled to compete with Luna Park, which was better managed.[12][55] As such, for the 1908 season, the park's management decided to offer free admission during weekdays;[12][56] although the free-admission policy did not extend to individual rides, the policy still attracted visitors.[57] The park opened for the season on May 23, 1908,[58][59] and operated until September 20.[60] For this season, Ellis added an auditorium with more than one thousand seats, and the park also added shows such as Freak Street, the Moroccan Jugglers, and an Old Virginia show.[58] Following the 1908 season, Dreamland hired Wells Hawks of the New York Hippodrome to lead the publicity bureau, and they hired Gumpertz as the general manager.[61]

Prior to the 1909 season, four thousand workmen completely revamped the park's attractions.[62] The ballroom was expanded to accommodate 1,500 couples.[61] Other additions included a wisteria garden on the site of the former hippodrome track, a circus ring near the tower, a scenic railway roller coaster,[61][62] a Deep Sea Divers attraction, and a village of Filipinos.[63] The park's operators said "everything at Dreamland will be new but the ocean".[63] The park's sixth season began on May 15, 1909,[64][65] and ended on September 19.[66][67] That year, New York City mayor George B. McClellan Jr. attempted to prevent the park from staging live shows on Sundays, citing the city's blue laws,[68][69] although Reynolds strongly opposed the laws.[70][71] Dreamland had previously held a license permitting it to present shows seven days a week, but, when the license was renewed in June 1909, the shows were allowed only six days a week.[72] Gumpertz said the city government took issue with Dreamland's circus, which was free of charge.[73] City officials also objected to the Filipino villagers' attire, which exposed their legs.[74]

Kings County sheriff Patrick H. Quinn announced in February 1910 that the park would be auctioned off on behalf of Eugene Wood and Joseph Huber,[75][76] the corporation's two largest bondholders, who wanted to reorganize the company.[77] The auction only involved a nominal change of ownership, as Huber and Wood bought the park the next month.[78][79] Dreamland's seventh season began on May 14, 1910,[80][81] and ran until September 18.[82][83] Among the new attractions for the 1910 season were Alligator Joe's alligator and crocodile farm, a Bornean village, and a ride called Trip to the North Pole.[84][85]

 
Dreamland's Trained Wild Animal Arena with Colonel Joseph Ferari in 1911

In preparation for Dreamland's 1911 season, its operators made additional changes.[86] For instance, the buildings were repainted in white and red,[87][88] and the structures near the Surf Avenue entrance were demolished to make way for a lighting plant with 130,000 additional light bulbs.[89] Various rides such as the Great Divide, Canals of Venice, Tub Ride and Hell Gate were enlarged,[90] while the ballroom and restaurant had been relocated from the pier to near the Surf Avenue entrance.[90][91] The site of the old ballroom was converted to a skating rink, and the bathing pavilion on the ocean was expanded significantly.[92][93] The park added thirty new shows,[94][95] such as Joseph Ferari's animal show, a biblical show known as the Sacrifice, and a village of "human curiosities".[92][93] It also added a miniature subway around the park, a carousel, and a dual-tracked roller coaster.[91] Some existing attractions were retained, such as Bostock's Wild Animals, which included a dwarf elephant named Little Hip and a one-armed lion tamer known as Captain Jack Bonavita.[96] Omar Sami was also hired as Dreamland's carnival barker for the 1911 season,[97] and Dreamland opened for its eighth season on May 20, 1911.[94][95][98]

Destruction

Fire

Although parts of Coney Island had been subjected to strict fire-safety regulations following a conflagration in 1902, these regulations did not apply to Dreamland, which as a result was highly susceptible to fire.[26] During the early morning of May 27, 1911, the Hell Gate attraction was undergoing last-minute repairs by a roofing company owned by Samuel Engelstein.[99] A leak had to be caulked with tar. During these repairs, at about 1:30 a.m.,[b] the light bulbs turned off and a worker kicked over a bucket of hot pitch, causing the light bulbs to explode.[12] The fire quickly spread throughout the park.[100] The Dreamland fire was the first double-nine-alarm fire that the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) had ever fought in Brooklyn.[101][102][c] This alarm, which signified the most severe type of fire, summoned FDNY companies from across Brooklyn.[103]

Fires had been a persistent problem at Coney Island, so a new high-pressure water pumping station had been constructed at West 12th Street and Neptune Avenue a few years earlier.[12] However, on the night of the Dreamland fire, the water pressure was extremely low:[104][105] the pumping station was capable of supplying water at 150 pounds per square inch (1,000 kPa), but the pressure had dropped to 35 pounds per square inch (240 kPa).[99] Furthermore, even though Coney Island's firehouse was within 100 yards (91 m) of Dreamland, the other FDNY companies had to travel long distances to reach Coney Island. By the time other FDNY companies reached the neighborhood, the entire park had caught fire.[105] As a result of the conflagration's intensity, as well as the low water pressure, firefighters could not even enter the park; they attempted to extinguish the fire from its borders.[106][107] As the park burned, tens of thousands of onlookers traveled from across New York City to see the fire.[104][106] Firefighters quickly shifted their focus to saving adjacent structures.[107] Several buildings on the south side of Surf Avenue caught fire, although almost all buildings on the north side remained undamaged.[104][106]

Bonavita and Ferari attempted to save the animals;[108] some of the terrified animals escaped, but about 60 animals died. A lion named Black Prince rushed into the streets, among crowds of onlookers, and was shot by police.[12] Another animal, Sultan, was shot several dozen times before being killed by an axe blow.[104][108] Early editions of The New York Times claimed the incubator babies had perished in the flames,[105] but in fact the infants had all been saved,[12][108] and the Times subsequently corrected itself.[109] According to contemporaneous accounts, New York City Police Department (NYPD) sergeant Frederick Klinck made several trips into the burning structure to rescue incubator babies.[104] The conflagration extended east to Balmer's bathing pavilion at West 5th Street and west to the new Giant Coaster at West 10th Street. The Giant Coaster acted as a firebreak that prevented the fire from spreading,[100][104] as did several brick buildings east of the park's central tower.[110] The tower collapsed just after 3 a.m.,[100] and all attractions were on fire by 3:30 a.m.[110] The water pressure returned to normal at around 4 a.m., but by then most of the park had been burned.[100][101] The fire was extinguished at 5 a.m.[109]

Aftermath

The NYPD initially estimated that the park had sustained $4 million in damage,[104][101] although other estimates ranged between $2.25 and $5 million.[101] Almost everything in the park was destroyed in the fire.[20] The Dicker family's adjacent hotel also burned down in this fire,[12] as did both of Dreamland's piers.[104][111] Only one building remained intact after the fire,[112] and all concessions were destroyed.[100] Conversely, the El Dorado Carousel, which had been relocated to the area shortly before the fire, survived relatively intact.[113] Because the entire complex had been constructed of combustible materials, insurers saw the park as high-risk, and consequently the park was insured for only about $400,000.[104][114] A preliminary investigation found that the fire had started when the tar spread across the floor, creating a short circuit that caused the light bulbs to explode.[99][111]

 
Remains of the balloon swing

As a result of the fire, 1,600 Dreamland employees lost their jobs; another 900 people had worked in neighboring businesses that had also been destroyed.[105] Hundreds of workers were clearing the site several hours after the fire had been extinguished,[111] and some of Dreamland's shows resumed on May 28, 1911, the day after the fire.[115][116] Coney Island attracted 350,000 visitors on that day; concessionaires attracted some of these visitors by exhibiting debris and dead animals,[115][116] and workers also tried to salvage the Giant Racing Coaster.[109] The New York State Legislature also introduced legislation to ban infant incubators in New York state's amusement parks.[99] The Dreamland fire negatively impacted its competitors' business, as the fire drove away visitors who would have gone to Dreamland.[117]

Condemnation proceedings

Immediately after the fire was extinguished, Reynolds indicated that he would not rebuild the burned park.[99][118] Two days after the fire, Reynolds proposed selling Dreamland's site to the New York City government for a "fair price", which would allow the city to convert the land to a public park.[119][120] The Times Union reported the price as $3 million,[121] but Reynolds denied these allegations.[122] He suggested that the New York City government could buy the 40-acre (16 ha) tract surrounding his park for that amount.[123] The New York City Board of Estimate began considering buying the Dreamland site in mid-June 1911,[124][125] and it voted to acquire the Dreamland site via condemnation at the end of July 1911.[126][127] The board approved a revised proposal that October in which it agreed to pay $1 million for a 7-acre (2.8 ha) site.[128][129] The revised proposal excluded the northernmost 200 feet (61 m) of Dreamland's site, on Surf Avenue, thereby splitting the park's site into two section.[130] Brooklyn borough president Alfred E. Steers immediately advocated for selling the site and developing a boardwalk along the ocean.[131][132]

Legal disputes quickly arose over who held the Dreamland site's property title.[133][134] The Morey and Lott families claimed in late 1911 that nearly all of Coney Island fell under a quitclaim deed granted by Nicholas Johnson, who had greed to sell the land even though he had no right to the property.[133] Barnet Morey's heirs sued Dreamland in February 1912,[135] and the city formed a condemnation commission the same month to determine how much compensation the former owners should receive.[136] The city took title to the Dreamland site in March 1912.[137] Although the condemnation commissioners began taking testimony that October,[136] the proceedings were delayed because of the lawsuit.[138][139] A New York Supreme Court justice dismissed the Morey and Lott families' lawsuit in May 1913,[140][141] and the Dreamland Company received $1,000 in damages.[142]

The condemnation commission announced in late 1914 that it would pay $2.189 million to property owners,[137][143] which included the Dreamland Company, the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad (PP&CI), and the Balmer family.[144][145] The award was revised downward to just over $2.1 million in June 1915,[146] but the city appealed the award, and the condemnation proceedings were delayed for years.[130] The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, ruled in early 1916 that Dreamland Company's and PP&CI's awards were too high.[147][148] The city selected a second group of commissioners,[144] which decided in February 1919 to reduce the total award to $1.4 million.[149] The commissioners notified the state government of the revised award in October 1919;[150][151] by then, the cost of the condemnation itself had grown to $800,000.[136] The State Supreme Court was asked to confirm the revised award in June 1920, eight years after the condemnation proceedings had begun.[152][153]

Subsequent site usage

Northern section

By July 1911, independent concessionaires had rebuilt their booths on the northern portion of the site, facing Surf Avenue; the remainder of the park remained ruined.[154] The northern part of the site contained "a sideshow of freaks and some shooting galleries" in 1912.[155] Gumpertz leased the northern parcel in 1914, measuring 400 feet (120 m) on Surf Avenue and 200 feet (61 m) deep;[156] he intended to restore the attractions there.[157] By the next year, the northern part of the site had roller coasters, side shows, and shooting galleries named after Dreamland.[158] Film producer William Fox acquired the northern part of the site at an auction in March 1921 for $407,750,[159][160] and he resold it in June 1921 to Gumpertz and William M. Greve for $450,000.[161][162] Gumpertz and Greve planned to rebuild the park, although this never happened.[163]

Southern section

The remaining buildings on the southern part of the Dreamland site were razed by 1915.[164] The site was supposed to be part of the unbuilt Seaside Park.[165] The New York City government had planned to rebuild Dreamland's pier and fill it with rock;[166][167] the pier was supposed to be completed in mid-1914,[168] but two years later it still had not been rebuilt.[169][170] R. H. Pfoor proposed constructing a bathhouse on Dreamland's site in 1919, but city officials rejected the proposal.[171] The city government converted its portion of the site into a 1,000-by-60-foot (305 by 18 m) parking lot in 1921.[172][173] The city had expanded the parking lot to 2,000 spaces by 1922,[174] and it also operated a seasonal skating rink on Dreamland's site.[175] Morris Auditore and Harry Shea leased the site from the city in 1926;[176][177] the Supreme Court initially issued an injunction blocking the lease, but the Appellate Division reversed the injunction.[178][179] The next year, the New York City Board of Aldermen blocked a proposal for the city to either sell the land or convert it into some "public use".[180]

Auditore and Shea operated the parking lot until 1933, when their lease was canceled because they could not afford to pay $26,000 a year.[181] Although the Park Association of New York City suggested that the site be converted back into a public park, the city leased the parking lot to Irving Rosoff in February 1933.[182][183] Rosoff's lease was canceled the next year.[184] By 1935, the city planned to rebuild Dreamland as a 11-acre (4.5 ha) recreation center with courts for handball, ping-pong, and shuffleboard, as well as a large open field for archery and other games. In addition, the recreation center was to contain more than 600 trees, as well as a connection to the Riegelmann Boardwalk, which was built along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline after Dreamland had been destroyed.[165][185]

The city government first considered relocating the New York Aquarium to the Dreamland site in 1941 after the closure of Castle Clinton, the aquarium's previous home in Manhattan.[186] Although plans for the new aquarium were announced in 1943,[187] it did not open until 1957.[188] The New York Aquarium occupies the entirety of the Dreamland site.[189] A 500-pound (230 kg) bronze bell, which had been installed on Dreamland's pier until the 1911 fire, was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. According to Charles Denson of the Coney Island History Project, the bell was the only surviving major remnant of Dreamland's pier.[190]

Description

 
Map of Dreamland from 1906

The park was on a parcel between Surf Avenue to the north, West 5th Street to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and West 10th Street to the west.[104] At its peak, Dreamland had 14,000 employees and could accommodate at least 100,000 guests at once.[16] Everything in Dreamland was reputed to be bigger and more wide-ranging than in neighboring Luna Park.[9] Dreamland had a larger central tower and one million electric light bulbs illuminating and outlining its buildings,[12][191] four times as many lights as Luna Park.[12] An individual connected with the Edison Company said in 1903 that Dreamland's lighting contract was "the largest contract for lighting ever made in the United States, and I believe in the world".[24] Dreamland's illumination cost $4,000 a week; the illumination of the central tower alone cost $100 a night.[105]

Manhattan-based architectural firm Kirby, Petit & Green designed Dreamland's buildings.[19][192] The structures were generally painted in light colors.[192] At the time of the park's opening, the buildings were reported to be clad with artificial stone,[16][192] and 1,700 short tons (1,500 long tons; 1,500 t) of asbestos fireproofing and 90 miles (140 km) of utility pipes were used.[16] However, the frames of the buildings were made of lath (thin strips of wood) covered with staff (a moldable mixture of plaster of Paris and hemp fiber).[12] Consequently, the entire park was highly susceptible to fire.[104] Throughout most of Dreamland's history, the attractions were painted white with small touches of green or yellow; the exception was the 1911 season, when the buildings were all repainted red and white.[88]

Layout and attractions

The park was arranged roughly as a horseshoe, with a pier facing south toward the Atlantic Ocean.[19][27] Several rides were imitations of Luna Park's, such as a submarine ride and a Shoot-the-Chutes replica.[12][27] Several buildings, such as the Pompeiian, Electricity, and Submarine Boat buildings, were dedicated to exhibits.[19] The side shows were owned by the Dicker family, who also owned the hotel next to the park.[12] New attractions were added every season.[20] To facilitate circulation, the paths were designed with gentle slopes and few steps.[193]

Entrance and lagoon

 
Dreamland's large central tower at night. The park was lit with one million electric lights.

Dreamland's primary landside entrance was on Surf Avenue, where there was an arch measuring 150 feet (46 m) deep, 75 feet (23 m) high, and 50 feet (15 m) wide; the portal was intended to resemble a theater's proscenium arch.[19][16] There were several smaller, similarly designed portals along Surf Avenue.[19] Guests paid a ten-cent entry fee to pass through the gates, then paid an additional fee for the attractions.[16]

The center of the park contained a lagoon surrounded by a promenade.[27] Originally, Dreamland's operators had planned to install flood gates that allowed salt water into the lagoon during high tide. The lagoon measured 130 feet (40 m) wide and 300 feet (91 m) long and was spanned by a large pedestrian bridge at its southern end.[16] The footbridge over the lagoon had ornate columns with glass globes, as well as carved lions on either end. There was a miniature railway underneath the promenade.[19] The side shows were arranged around the lagoon.[194] Kirby, Petit & Green designed the buildings around the lagoon in numerous architectural styles that complemented each other, in contrast to Luna Park.[16] A hippodrome track was built around the lagoon in 1906.[32][38] The track was replaced with bathhouses by 1910, and a pergola was also constructed on the lagoon's shore.[16]

At the northern end of the lagoon was the Beacon Tower, a French Renaissance-style edifice[27][195] measuring 50 by 50 feet (15 by 15 m) square at its base and approximately 375 feet (114 m)[d] tall.[18][192][194] The tower's gold-and-white facade contained large arches; bas-reliefs carved by Perry Hinton; and 100,000 electric lights.[27][195] Elevators transported visitors to the roof,[192][194] which was decorated with a ball and eagle.[27] The tower contained water-storage tanks with a capacity of 600,000 U.S. gallons (2,300,000 L).[16] An attraction called Hiram Maxim's Airships was added just north of the tower in 1905;[16] it consisted of airships that were hung from a 150-foot (46 m) tower.[51]

East side

 
Entrance to the exhibit "Creation", a spectacle portraying the first 6 days in the Book of Genesis, which opened onto Surf Avenue. This amusement was originally built for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition and moved to Dreamland.[196]

On the north side of the park, to the left of the Surf Avenue entrance, was a medieval-style entrance with a show called Our Boys in Blue.[192] Another structure, just south of Our Boys in Blue, hosted an illusion presented by Ben Morris.[16] Just right of the entrance, at the park's northeast corner, was Bostock's wild animal exhibit,[18][27] housed in a Grecian-style structure with motifs of wild animals.[19] Next to this structure was another edifice that contained the Chilkoot Pass attraction,[19][29] which was essentially a massive bagatelle board where guests used their own bodies to play the game.[29][197] The Chilkoot Pass building was situated within a classical-style structure whose main entrance resembled a proscenium arch.[19] The Haunted Swing and Funny Room were housed within a Mission Revival-style building next to the Chilkoot Pass.[19][29][198] South of that was a fishing pond operated by comedian Andrew Mack, located inside a building that resembled a boat and a lighthouse.[19][198]

East of the lagoon, next to the fishing pond, was an imitation of Venice, featuring canals with gondolas, as well as a replica of Doge's Palace.[19][27] The latter building housed the Canals of Venice ride,[198] which contained additional replicas of various Venetian landmarks.[19][194] Next to the Doge's Palace was a scenic railway called Coasting Through Switzerland, which ran through a Swiss alpine landscape.[12][20] The scenic railway building was designed in the Art Nouveau style,[18][29] with a golden proscenium arch measuring 60 feet (18 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) high.[19][198] Attached to Coasting through Switzerland was a structure housing the Fighting the Flames show, where two thousand people pretended to put out a fire every half-hour.[12][19] The show building, measuring 520 by 250 feet (158 by 76 m),[192][198] was meant to resemble a seven-story hotel and several small stores;[19] it was replaced in 1906 by a show themed to that year's earthquake in San Francisco.[42]

West side

Near the park's southwest corner was a human zoo called the "Lilliputian Village", designed as an imitation of a 15th-century German village.[18] It was populated by three hundred little people,[12][199] who had their own livery tent, stable, laundry, and fire department.[29][199] Next to the Lilliputian Village was the Destruction of Pompeii, a Greek-style structure with an exhibit that displayed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.[19] An adjacent structure, the Electricity Building, had a facade that depicted machinery;[19] the building contained the park's actual mechanical plant.[16] A third structure, next to the Pompeian and Electricity buildings,[19][198] contained a submarine ride called Over and Under the Sea;[19][27] the submarine ride was replaced in 1905 by the Hell Gate boat ride, which featured a whirlpool.[32] LaMarcus Adna Thompson's Thompson Scenic Railway, which predated the park, was accessed via an Art Nouveau-style structure.[16]

The attractions on the southwestern corner of the park were replaced in 1907 with the Orient attraction, which consisted of a massive staff arch measuring 200 feet (61 m) high, as well as a series of structures surrounding a theater.[16] In addition, in 1909, Gumpertz added a "Filipino village" which featured two hundred Igorot hunters.[55]

A building with baby incubators, designed as a German farmhouse, was at the park's northwest corner. The lower half of the building was clad in brick, while the upper half of the building had a timber facade and a tiled gable roof.[27][29] The baby-incubator building cared for and exhibited premature babies, triplets who were members of the Dicker family. At the time, the technology was not allowed in hospitals, but the incubators were allowed in side shows; two of the triplets survived to adulthood.[12] Yet another building housed Wormwood's Dog and Monkey Show,[27] housed in a building that was decorated with motifs of monkeys and dogs.[18][29]

Oceanfront

Dreamland's oceanfront pier contained a structure with a restaurant and a ballroom.[192] The ballroom was described as measuring about 100 by 250 feet (30 by 76 m),[19] with a ceiling measuring 50 feet (15 m) high,[195] and was surrounded by a balcony.[18][29] The ballroom was supposedly the largest in New York state at the time of its construction.[16] Adjoining the ballroom was the restaurant, measuring 60 by 240 feet (18 by 73 m).[19] The lower part of the structure was a ferry landing with booths and small shows.[194] When Dreamland opened, the landing was served by ferry lines to Harlem, 23rd Street, and the Battery in Manhattan;[18][19] the ferry rides cost up to 35 cents, but that price included admission.[16] The lower deck of the pier was known as the Bowery,[18][19] a replica of Manhattan's Chinatown, which the Times Union described as a place where "the lid will be off".[192] The adjoining segment of the Coney Island Beach was originally a private beach.[9]

The oceanfront featured a Japanese building, a two-story structure capped by a central tower, which led to an airship attraction and some tea rooms.[19][198] The airship attraction was an exhibition of Santos-Dumont Airship No. 9.[198] Another show, called the Seven Temptations of St. Anthony,[19] was targeted toward male guests.[16] At the foot of the park's lagoon were two Shoot-the-Chutes with two ramps that could handle 7,000 hourly riders.[12][27] Two boats, each carrying 20 people, slid down the ramps, which extended 300 feet (91 m) into the ocean.[195][27] Another oceanfront attraction was the Leap-Frog Railway, a switchback railway-style attraction on a 500-foot-long (150 m) pier, where two 40-person carts were accelerated toward each other at high speed before passing each other at the last second.[19][195][200]

Concessions

External video
  Coney Island at Night, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., 1905. Available through the National Screening Room at the Library of Congress.

In a bid for publicity, Reynolds awarded a concession for the park's peanut-and-popcorn stands to Broadway actress Marie Dressler,[201] with young boys dressed as imps in red flannel acting as salesmen. Dressler was said to be in love with Captain Jack Bonavita, who was Dreamland's one-armed lion tamer.[191] Bonavita, who commanded lions in the Bostock animal arena, had one arm amputated when his hand was severely clawed by one of the lions, and a blood infection spread through that hand.[12]

Impact

When Dreamland first opened, the New-York Tribune wrote: "Nothing but a personal visit and inspection can do anything like justice to the subject."[19] A writer for The Brooklyn Daily Eagle called Dreamland "a city of amusement in itself", which was successful because of "the intelligent use of unlimited money expended for the best interest of unnumbered patrons in search of innocent amusement".[193] During its last full season of operation, in 1910, a writer for Billboard said: "It's a great big Dreamland this year, and it's good clean through".[202] The design of Dreamland also inspired the creation of similar amusement parks around the world, such as Magic-City in Paris.[203]

The park has been depicted in various works of popular culture. Artist Philomena Marano created a body of work inspired by the park in the papier collé method, American Dream-Land.[1][204] Brian Carpenter wrote a play treatment which he used as a springboard for lyrics and compositions behind his second studio album for Beat Circus entitled Dreamland. The album featured Todd Robbins, alumnus of Coney Island, and its booklet includes historical images of Dreamland donated by the Coney Island Museum.[205] The Public Theater also staged the play Fire in Dreamland in 2018, which is based on the park's 1911 conflagration.[206][207]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ According to Jeffrey Stanton, one of McKane's parcels cost $200,000, while the other cost $247,000.[16]
  2. ^ Immerso 2002, p. 83, cites the fire as having started at 1:45 a.m.
  3. ^ Prior to the Dreamland fire, the FDNY had only ever responded to one other "two-nine" fire in 1904, when the Adams Express Building burned down.[103]
  4. ^ Some sources give an alternate height of 370 feet (110 m).[195]

Citations

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  2. ^ Goldfield, David R. (2006). Encyclopedia of American Urban History. Thousand Oaks. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-4522-6553-7. OCLC 162105753.
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  5. ^ Immerso 2002, p. 55.
  6. ^ Immerso 2002, p. 56.
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Sources

  • Immerso, Michael (2002). Coney Island: the people's playground (illustrated ed.). Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-3138-0.
  • Kasson, John F. (1978). Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century. American century series. Hill & Wang. ISBN 978-0-8090-2617-3.
  • Parascandola, L.J. (2014). A Coney Island Reader: Through Dizzy Gates of Illusion. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-53819-0.
  • Stern, Robert A. M.; Gilmartin, Gregory; Massengale, John Montague (1983). New York 1900: Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism, 1890–1915. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 0-8478-0511-5. OCLC 9829395.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dreamland (1904 amusement park).
  • Maps and postcards of Dreamland
  • Dreamland Park History
  • Dreamland and William Reynolds at Heart of Coney Island
  • Panoramic photo, "Destruction of Dreamland", 1911, from the Library of Congress
  • Oral histories about Dreamland (1904-1911) collected by the Coney Island History Project

January 31, 2023
dreamland, coney, island, 1904, dreamland, amusement, park, coney, island, brooklyn, york, city, which, operated, from, 1904, 1911, last, three, original, large, parks, built, coney, island, along, with, steeplechase, park, luna, park, park, between, surf, ave. Dreamland was an amusement park at Coney Island Brooklyn New York City which operated from 1904 to 1911 It was the last of the three original large parks built on Coney Island along with Steeplechase Park and Luna Park 2 The park was between Surf Avenue to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south It was arranged roughly as a horseshoe with a pier facing south toward the Atlantic Ocean Dreamland contained several attractions that were larger versions of those at Luna Park and it included a human zoo several early roller coasters a Shoot the Chutes ride and a replica of Venice Dreamland also hosted entertainment and dramatic spectacles based on morality themes Several buildings such as the Pompeiian Electricity and Submarine Boat buildings were dedicated to exhibits DreamlandSeen in 1907LocationConey Island Brooklyn New York United StatesCoordinates40 34 37 N 73 58 44 W 40 577 N 73 979 W 40 577 73 979 Coordinates 40 34 37 N 73 58 44 W 40 577 N 73 979 W 40 577 73 979StatusClosedOpenedMay 15 1904 1 ClosedMay 27 1911OwnerWilliam H ReynoldsFormer state senator William H Reynolds announced plans in July 1903 for an amusement park rivaling Luna Park originally known as the Hippodrome The Dreamland Company started constructing the park in December 1903 and the park opened as Dreamland on May 15 1904 The park operated between May and September of each year and Reynolds constantly changed Dreamland s shows and attractions every season Coney Island had reached its peak popularity by the late 1900s but Dreamland struggled to compete with Luna Park which was better managed During the early morning of May 27 1911 just after the start of Dreamland s eighth season a worker kicked over a bucket of hot pitch starting a fire that spread through the park s wooden buildings Firefighters were unable to control the fire because of low water pressure and nearly all of the structures were quickly destroyed although no one was killed The northern portion of the site on Surf Avenue was quickly redeveloped with various concessions The New York City government acquired the southern portion through condemnation in 1912 but disputes over compensation continued for eight years The site became a parking lot in 1921 and was redeveloped as a recreation center in 1935 the New York Aquarium was eventually built on the site in 1957 Contents 1 Development 2 Operation 2 1 1904 to 1907 2 2 1908 to 1911 3 Destruction 3 1 Fire 3 2 Aftermath 3 2 1 Condemnation proceedings 3 3 Subsequent site usage 3 3 1 Northern section 3 3 2 Southern section 4 Description 4 1 Layout and attractions 4 1 1 Entrance and lagoon 4 1 2 East side 4 1 3 West side 4 1 4 Oceanfront 4 2 Concessions 5 Impact 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Notes 7 2 Citations 7 3 Sources 8 External linksDevelopment EditBetween about 1880 and World War II Coney Island was the largest amusement area in the United States attracting several million visitors per year 3 Sea Lion Park opened in 1895 and was Coney Island s first amusement area to charge entry fees 4 5 this in turn spurred the construction of George C Tilyou s Steeplechase Park in 1897 the neighborhood s first major amusement park 4 6 Frederic Thompson and Elmer Skip Dundy opened Luna Park Coney Island s second major amusement park in 1903 on the site of Sea Lion Park which had closed the previous year 7 8 William H Reynolds a former state senator and successful Brooklyn real estate developer decided to construct Dreamland following the success of Luna Park 9 10 11 He intended for Dreamland to compete with Luna Park Dreamland was supposed to be refined and elegant in its design and architecture compared to Luna Park with its many rides and chaotic noise 12 Unlike the bright colors found in other parks Dreamland was painted white Reynolds announced plans in July 1903 for an amusement park rivaling Luna Park which was to be built in a style resembling London s Hippodrome 13 14 According to local media he reportedly paid 180 000 for a pier on the Coney Island Beach 15 as well as 447 500 for two parcels at Surf Avenue and West Eighth Street a measuring 800 feet 240 m deep and 262 feet 80 m wide 14 15 The Times Union subsequently said that the purchase prices for the site were not correct 17 The Surf Avenue parcels had belonged to John Y McKane 14 who had operated a bathing house on the site 18 19 Previously the parcels had also included the Coney Island Athletic Club s arena 17 and the Culver Depot the then terminal of New York City Subway s BMT Brighton Line and BMT Culver Line 12 17 Although C L Turnbull and P I Thompson were nominally the buyers but they acted as proxies for Reynolds allowing him to acquire the Surf Avenue site at a discount of more than 50 000 20 Once Reynolds acquired the site he made a deal with the New York City Board of Estimate to demap West Eighth Street which separated McKane s parcels from each other 12 16 The street which had taken up one sixth of the proposed park s width contained a trolley terminal that needed to be relocated 16 Originally the park was supposed to be known as the Hippodrome 9 16 In August 1903 Reynolds and several other men established the Wonderland Company which was capitalized at 1 2 million 17 The Wonderland Company had been created specifically to develop an amusement park on the site 21 22 The amusement pier was planned to contain a dance hall and bathing pavilion while the main portion of the site would be arranged around a large tower that would overtop Luna Park s 23 The company took title to the plots in September 1903 and received a 200 000 mortgage loan from the Title Guarantee and Trust Company 21 22 The Edison Company was hired to manufacture the park s lights in late 1903 the new park was expected to have more electric lights than had existed on all of Coney Island during the preceding season 24 25 Construction of the park itself began in December 1903 19 23 General contractor Edward Johnson Company employed about 2 000 workers 16 who were employed in three eight hour shifts 9 23 The park was known as Dreamland by January 1904 26 Reynolds wishing to surpass Luna Park by every metric reportedly spent 3 5 million on Dreamland 9 27 Dreamland had two Shoot the Chutes and one million lights compared to one Shoot the Chute and 250 000 lights at Luna Park even Dreamland s firefighting show was more elaborate than that at Luna Park 9 16 However Dreamland also planned to differentiate itself from Luna Park by adding novel attractions as well as operating a private beach and bath house something that Luna Park lacked because of its inland location 9 Samuel W Gumpertz was among those who helped develop the park 28 Operation Edit1904 to 1907 Edit Dreamland Park a year after openingDreamland opened on May 15 1904 with a fire show that employed 4 000 performers 29 At the time of its opening the park was 1 9 million in debt more than the entire amount invested in the competing Luna Park Dreamland charged 10 cents for admission on weekdays and 15 cents on weekends plus an additional fee of up to 25 cents for individual rides 9 The park closed for the season on September 24 1904 30 31 Reynolds said Dreamland had recorded a 400 000 net profit during the operating season 31 despite erroneous reports that the park had been placed in receivership 30 Although the Leapfrog Railway roller coaster was completed with the rest of the park it did not open until the 1905 season 9 Reynolds spent 500 000 on new attractions and shows ahead of the 1905 season 32 33 which ran from May 13 34 to September 24 35 Among these was a show based on the Creation myth which had been exhibited at the 1904 St Louis Exposition 36 37 this attraction alone cost 250 000 32 33 The park also added an exhibition of a Roman hippodrome around the lagoon replaced the submarine ride with the Hell Gate boat ride and added a Japanese theater 32 37 38 City officials temporarily closed Dreamland s pier in May 1905 citing the fact that the pier was too narrow to accommodate crowds 39 40 Many of the park s shows were replaced for the 1906 season and park officials also rebuilt the pier 41 The new attractions for that season included a reenactment of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake s aftermath a Moqui Indian village a rebuilt Creation show 41 42 and the Touring New York car show 43 The park opened for the 1906 season on May 20 41 and it began hosting vaudeville shows for the first time that June 44 Dreamland s third season ended on September 24 1906 45 Prior to the 1907 season concessionaire William Ellis introduced an attraction called the Orient anchored by a theater that presented several shows 46 47 Park officials also built a new administration building and installed other shows 48 Park officials gave 50 to the first guest of the season on May 18 1907 48 49 and the park operated through September 21 of that year 50 At this point the park hosted several shows that were based on themes of morality 51 52 such as The End of the World and the Feast of Beshazzar and the Destruction of Babylon 47 53 1908 to 1911 Edit Roltair s Arabian Nights Up To Date contained seven theaters corresponding to days of the week each of which contained a magical illusion Coney Island had reached its peak popularity by the late 1900s when millions of people visited the neighborhood every year 54 In spite of its many amusements Dreamland struggled to compete with Luna Park which was better managed 12 55 As such for the 1908 season the park s management decided to offer free admission during weekdays 12 56 although the free admission policy did not extend to individual rides the policy still attracted visitors 57 The park opened for the season on May 23 1908 58 59 and operated until September 20 60 For this season Ellis added an auditorium with more than one thousand seats and the park also added shows such as Freak Street the Moroccan Jugglers and an Old Virginia show 58 Following the 1908 season Dreamland hired Wells Hawks of the New York Hippodrome to lead the publicity bureau and they hired Gumpertz as the general manager 61 Prior to the 1909 season four thousand workmen completely revamped the park s attractions 62 The ballroom was expanded to accommodate 1 500 couples 61 Other additions included a wisteria garden on the site of the former hippodrome track a circus ring near the tower a scenic railway roller coaster 61 62 a Deep Sea Divers attraction and a village of Filipinos 63 The park s operators said everything at Dreamland will be new but the ocean 63 The park s sixth season began on May 15 1909 64 65 and ended on September 19 66 67 That year New York City mayor George B McClellan Jr attempted to prevent the park from staging live shows on Sundays citing the city s blue laws 68 69 although Reynolds strongly opposed the laws 70 71 Dreamland had previously held a license permitting it to present shows seven days a week but when the license was renewed in June 1909 the shows were allowed only six days a week 72 Gumpertz said the city government took issue with Dreamland s circus which was free of charge 73 City officials also objected to the Filipino villagers attire which exposed their legs 74 Kings County sheriff Patrick H Quinn announced in February 1910 that the park would be auctioned off on behalf of Eugene Wood and Joseph Huber 75 76 the corporation s two largest bondholders who wanted to reorganize the company 77 The auction only involved a nominal change of ownership as Huber and Wood bought the park the next month 78 79 Dreamland s seventh season began on May 14 1910 80 81 and ran until September 18 82 83 Among the new attractions for the 1910 season were Alligator Joe s alligator and crocodile farm a Bornean village and a ride called Trip to the North Pole 84 85 Dreamland s Trained Wild Animal Arena with Colonel Joseph Ferari in 1911In preparation for Dreamland s 1911 season its operators made additional changes 86 For instance the buildings were repainted in white and red 87 88 and the structures near the Surf Avenue entrance were demolished to make way for a lighting plant with 130 000 additional light bulbs 89 Various rides such as the Great Divide Canals of Venice Tub Ride and Hell Gate were enlarged 90 while the ballroom and restaurant had been relocated from the pier to near the Surf Avenue entrance 90 91 The site of the old ballroom was converted to a skating rink and the bathing pavilion on the ocean was expanded significantly 92 93 The park added thirty new shows 94 95 such as Joseph Ferari s animal show a biblical show known as the Sacrifice and a village of human curiosities 92 93 It also added a miniature subway around the park a carousel and a dual tracked roller coaster 91 Some existing attractions were retained such as Bostock s Wild Animals which included a dwarf elephant named Little Hip and a one armed lion tamer known as Captain Jack Bonavita 96 Omar Sami was also hired as Dreamland s carnival barker for the 1911 season 97 and Dreamland opened for its eighth season on May 20 1911 94 95 98 Destruction EditFire Edit Although parts of Coney Island had been subjected to strict fire safety regulations following a conflagration in 1902 these regulations did not apply to Dreamland which as a result was highly susceptible to fire 26 During the early morning of May 27 1911 the Hell Gate attraction was undergoing last minute repairs by a roofing company owned by Samuel Engelstein 99 A leak had to be caulked with tar During these repairs at about 1 30 a m b the light bulbs turned off and a worker kicked over a bucket of hot pitch causing the light bulbs to explode 12 The fire quickly spread throughout the park 100 The Dreamland fire was the first double nine alarm fire that the New York City Fire Department FDNY had ever fought in Brooklyn 101 102 c This alarm which signified the most severe type of fire summoned FDNY companies from across Brooklyn 103 Fires had been a persistent problem at Coney Island so a new high pressure water pumping station had been constructed at West 12th Street and Neptune Avenue a few years earlier 12 However on the night of the Dreamland fire the water pressure was extremely low 104 105 the pumping station was capable of supplying water at 150 pounds per square inch 1 000 kPa but the pressure had dropped to 35 pounds per square inch 240 kPa 99 Furthermore even though Coney Island s firehouse was within 100 yards 91 m of Dreamland the other FDNY companies had to travel long distances to reach Coney Island By the time other FDNY companies reached the neighborhood the entire park had caught fire 105 As a result of the conflagration s intensity as well as the low water pressure firefighters could not even enter the park they attempted to extinguish the fire from its borders 106 107 As the park burned tens of thousands of onlookers traveled from across New York City to see the fire 104 106 Firefighters quickly shifted their focus to saving adjacent structures 107 Several buildings on the south side of Surf Avenue caught fire although almost all buildings on the north side remained undamaged 104 106 Bonavita and Ferari attempted to save the animals 108 some of the terrified animals escaped but about 60 animals died A lion named Black Prince rushed into the streets among crowds of onlookers and was shot by police 12 Another animal Sultan was shot several dozen times before being killed by an axe blow 104 108 Early editions of The New York Times claimed the incubator babies had perished in the flames 105 but in fact the infants had all been saved 12 108 and the Times subsequently corrected itself 109 According to contemporaneous accounts New York City Police Department NYPD sergeant Frederick Klinck made several trips into the burning structure to rescue incubator babies 104 The conflagration extended east to Balmer s bathing pavilion at West 5th Street and west to the new Giant Coaster at West 10th Street The Giant Coaster acted as a firebreak that prevented the fire from spreading 100 104 as did several brick buildings east of the park s central tower 110 The tower collapsed just after 3 a m 100 and all attractions were on fire by 3 30 a m 110 The water pressure returned to normal at around 4 a m but by then most of the park had been burned 100 101 The fire was extinguished at 5 a m 109 Aftermath EditThe NYPD initially estimated that the park had sustained 4 million in damage 104 101 although other estimates ranged between 2 25 and 5 million 101 Almost everything in the park was destroyed in the fire 20 The Dicker family s adjacent hotel also burned down in this fire 12 as did both of Dreamland s piers 104 111 Only one building remained intact after the fire 112 and all concessions were destroyed 100 Conversely the El Dorado Carousel which had been relocated to the area shortly before the fire survived relatively intact 113 Because the entire complex had been constructed of combustible materials insurers saw the park as high risk and consequently the park was insured for only about 400 000 104 114 A preliminary investigation found that the fire had started when the tar spread across the floor creating a short circuit that caused the light bulbs to explode 99 111 Remains of the balloon swingAs a result of the fire 1 600 Dreamland employees lost their jobs another 900 people had worked in neighboring businesses that had also been destroyed 105 Hundreds of workers were clearing the site several hours after the fire had been extinguished 111 and some of Dreamland s shows resumed on May 28 1911 the day after the fire 115 116 Coney Island attracted 350 000 visitors on that day concessionaires attracted some of these visitors by exhibiting debris and dead animals 115 116 and workers also tried to salvage the Giant Racing Coaster 109 The New York State Legislature also introduced legislation to ban infant incubators in New York state s amusement parks 99 The Dreamland fire negatively impacted its competitors business as the fire drove away visitors who would have gone to Dreamland 117 Condemnation proceedings Edit Immediately after the fire was extinguished Reynolds indicated that he would not rebuild the burned park 99 118 Two days after the fire Reynolds proposed selling Dreamland s site to the New York City government for a fair price which would allow the city to convert the land to a public park 119 120 The Times Union reported the price as 3 million 121 but Reynolds denied these allegations 122 He suggested that the New York City government could buy the 40 acre 16 ha tract surrounding his park for that amount 123 The New York City Board of Estimate began considering buying the Dreamland site in mid June 1911 124 125 and it voted to acquire the Dreamland site via condemnation at the end of July 1911 126 127 The board approved a revised proposal that October in which it agreed to pay 1 million for a 7 acre 2 8 ha site 128 129 The revised proposal excluded the northernmost 200 feet 61 m of Dreamland s site on Surf Avenue thereby splitting the park s site into two section 130 Brooklyn borough president Alfred E Steers immediately advocated for selling the site and developing a boardwalk along the ocean 131 132 Legal disputes quickly arose over who held the Dreamland site s property title 133 134 The Morey and Lott families claimed in late 1911 that nearly all of Coney Island fell under a quitclaim deed granted by Nicholas Johnson who had greed to sell the land even though he had no right to the property 133 Barnet Morey s heirs sued Dreamland in February 1912 135 and the city formed a condemnation commission the same month to determine how much compensation the former owners should receive 136 The city took title to the Dreamland site in March 1912 137 Although the condemnation commissioners began taking testimony that October 136 the proceedings were delayed because of the lawsuit 138 139 A New York Supreme Court justice dismissed the Morey and Lott families lawsuit in May 1913 140 141 and the Dreamland Company received 1 000 in damages 142 The condemnation commission announced in late 1914 that it would pay 2 189 million to property owners 137 143 which included the Dreamland Company the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad PP amp CI and the Balmer family 144 145 The award was revised downward to just over 2 1 million in June 1915 146 but the city appealed the award and the condemnation proceedings were delayed for years 130 The New York Supreme Court Appellate Division ruled in early 1916 that Dreamland Company s and PP amp CI s awards were too high 147 148 The city selected a second group of commissioners 144 which decided in February 1919 to reduce the total award to 1 4 million 149 The commissioners notified the state government of the revised award in October 1919 150 151 by then the cost of the condemnation itself had grown to 800 000 136 The State Supreme Court was asked to confirm the revised award in June 1920 eight years after the condemnation proceedings had begun 152 153 Subsequent site usage Edit Northern section Edit By July 1911 independent concessionaires had rebuilt their booths on the northern portion of the site facing Surf Avenue the remainder of the park remained ruined 154 The northern part of the site contained a sideshow of freaks and some shooting galleries in 1912 155 Gumpertz leased the northern parcel in 1914 measuring 400 feet 120 m on Surf Avenue and 200 feet 61 m deep 156 he intended to restore the attractions there 157 By the next year the northern part of the site had roller coasters side shows and shooting galleries named after Dreamland 158 Film producer William Fox acquired the northern part of the site at an auction in March 1921 for 407 750 159 160 and he resold it in June 1921 to Gumpertz and William M Greve for 450 000 161 162 Gumpertz and Greve planned to rebuild the park although this never happened 163 Southern section Edit The remaining buildings on the southern part of the Dreamland site were razed by 1915 164 The site was supposed to be part of the unbuilt Seaside Park 165 The New York City government had planned to rebuild Dreamland s pier and fill it with rock 166 167 the pier was supposed to be completed in mid 1914 168 but two years later it still had not been rebuilt 169 170 R H Pfoor proposed constructing a bathhouse on Dreamland s site in 1919 but city officials rejected the proposal 171 The city government converted its portion of the site into a 1 000 by 60 foot 305 by 18 m parking lot in 1921 172 173 The city had expanded the parking lot to 2 000 spaces by 1922 174 and it also operated a seasonal skating rink on Dreamland s site 175 Morris Auditore and Harry Shea leased the site from the city in 1926 176 177 the Supreme Court initially issued an injunction blocking the lease but the Appellate Division reversed the injunction 178 179 The next year the New York City Board of Aldermen blocked a proposal for the city to either sell the land or convert it into some public use 180 Auditore and Shea operated the parking lot until 1933 when their lease was canceled because they could not afford to pay 26 000 a year 181 Although the Park Association of New York City suggested that the site be converted back into a public park the city leased the parking lot to Irving Rosoff in February 1933 182 183 Rosoff s lease was canceled the next year 184 By 1935 the city planned to rebuild Dreamland as a 11 acre 4 5 ha recreation center with courts for handball ping pong and shuffleboard as well as a large open field for archery and other games In addition the recreation center was to contain more than 600 trees as well as a connection to the Riegelmann Boardwalk which was built along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline after Dreamland had been destroyed 165 185 The city government first considered relocating the New York Aquarium to the Dreamland site in 1941 after the closure of Castle Clinton the aquarium s previous home in Manhattan 186 Although plans for the new aquarium were announced in 1943 187 it did not open until 1957 188 The New York Aquarium occupies the entirety of the Dreamland site 189 A 500 pound 230 kg bronze bell which had been installed on Dreamland s pier until the 1911 fire was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 According to Charles Denson of the Coney Island History Project the bell was the only surviving major remnant of Dreamland s pier 190 Description Edit Map of Dreamland from 1906The park was on a parcel between Surf Avenue to the north West 5th Street to the east the Atlantic Ocean to the south and West 10th Street to the west 104 At its peak Dreamland had 14 000 employees and could accommodate at least 100 000 guests at once 16 Everything in Dreamland was reputed to be bigger and more wide ranging than in neighboring Luna Park 9 Dreamland had a larger central tower and one million electric light bulbs illuminating and outlining its buildings 12 191 four times as many lights as Luna Park 12 An individual connected with the Edison Company said in 1903 that Dreamland s lighting contract was the largest contract for lighting ever made in the United States and I believe in the world 24 Dreamland s illumination cost 4 000 a week the illumination of the central tower alone cost 100 a night 105 Manhattan based architectural firm Kirby Petit amp Green designed Dreamland s buildings 19 192 The structures were generally painted in light colors 192 At the time of the park s opening the buildings were reported to be clad with artificial stone 16 192 and 1 700 short tons 1 500 long tons 1 500 t of asbestos fireproofing and 90 miles 140 km of utility pipes were used 16 However the frames of the buildings were made of lath thin strips of wood covered with staff a moldable mixture of plaster of Paris and hemp fiber 12 Consequently the entire park was highly susceptible to fire 104 Throughout most of Dreamland s history the attractions were painted white with small touches of green or yellow the exception was the 1911 season when the buildings were all repainted red and white 88 Layout and attractions Edit The park was arranged roughly as a horseshoe with a pier facing south toward the Atlantic Ocean 19 27 Several rides were imitations of Luna Park s such as a submarine ride and a Shoot the Chutes replica 12 27 Several buildings such as the Pompeiian Electricity and Submarine Boat buildings were dedicated to exhibits 19 The side shows were owned by the Dicker family who also owned the hotel next to the park 12 New attractions were added every season 20 To facilitate circulation the paths were designed with gentle slopes and few steps 193 Entrance and lagoon Edit Dreamland s large central tower at night The park was lit with one million electric lights Dreamland s primary landside entrance was on Surf Avenue where there was an arch measuring 150 feet 46 m deep 75 feet 23 m high and 50 feet 15 m wide the portal was intended to resemble a theater s proscenium arch 19 16 There were several smaller similarly designed portals along Surf Avenue 19 Guests paid a ten cent entry fee to pass through the gates then paid an additional fee for the attractions 16 The center of the park contained a lagoon surrounded by a promenade 27 Originally Dreamland s operators had planned to install flood gates that allowed salt water into the lagoon during high tide The lagoon measured 130 feet 40 m wide and 300 feet 91 m long and was spanned by a large pedestrian bridge at its southern end 16 The footbridge over the lagoon had ornate columns with glass globes as well as carved lions on either end There was a miniature railway underneath the promenade 19 The side shows were arranged around the lagoon 194 Kirby Petit amp Green designed the buildings around the lagoon in numerous architectural styles that complemented each other in contrast to Luna Park 16 A hippodrome track was built around the lagoon in 1906 32 38 The track was replaced with bathhouses by 1910 and a pergola was also constructed on the lagoon s shore 16 At the northern end of the lagoon was the Beacon Tower a French Renaissance style edifice 27 195 measuring 50 by 50 feet 15 by 15 m square at its base and approximately 375 feet 114 m d tall 18 192 194 The tower s gold and white facade contained large arches bas reliefs carved by Perry Hinton and 100 000 electric lights 27 195 Elevators transported visitors to the roof 192 194 which was decorated with a ball and eagle 27 The tower contained water storage tanks with a capacity of 600 000 U S gallons 2 300 000 L 16 An attraction called Hiram Maxim s Airships was added just north of the tower in 1905 16 it consisted of airships that were hung from a 150 foot 46 m tower 51 East side Edit Entrance to the exhibit Creation a spectacle portraying the first 6 days in the Book of Genesis which opened onto Surf Avenue This amusement was originally built for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition and moved to Dreamland 196 On the north side of the park to the left of the Surf Avenue entrance was a medieval style entrance with a show called Our Boys in Blue 192 Another structure just south of Our Boys in Blue hosted an illusion presented by Ben Morris 16 Just right of the entrance at the park s northeast corner was Bostock s wild animal exhibit 18 27 housed in a Grecian style structure with motifs of wild animals 19 Next to this structure was another edifice that contained the Chilkoot Pass attraction 19 29 which was essentially a massive bagatelle board where guests used their own bodies to play the game 29 197 The Chilkoot Pass building was situated within a classical style structure whose main entrance resembled a proscenium arch 19 The Haunted Swing and Funny Room were housed within a Mission Revival style building next to the Chilkoot Pass 19 29 198 South of that was a fishing pond operated by comedian Andrew Mack located inside a building that resembled a boat and a lighthouse 19 198 East of the lagoon next to the fishing pond was an imitation of Venice featuring canals with gondolas as well as a replica of Doge s Palace 19 27 The latter building housed the Canals of Venice ride 198 which contained additional replicas of various Venetian landmarks 19 194 Next to the Doge s Palace was a scenic railway called Coasting Through Switzerland which ran through a Swiss alpine landscape 12 20 The scenic railway building was designed in the Art Nouveau style 18 29 with a golden proscenium arch measuring 60 feet 18 m wide and 30 feet 9 1 m high 19 198 Attached to Coasting through Switzerland was a structure housing the Fighting the Flames show where two thousand people pretended to put out a fire every half hour 12 19 The show building measuring 520 by 250 feet 158 by 76 m 192 198 was meant to resemble a seven story hotel and several small stores 19 it was replaced in 1906 by a show themed to that year s earthquake in San Francisco 42 West side Edit Near the park s southwest corner was a human zoo called the Lilliputian Village designed as an imitation of a 15th century German village 18 It was populated by three hundred little people 12 199 who had their own livery tent stable laundry and fire department 29 199 Next to the Lilliputian Village was the Destruction of Pompeii a Greek style structure with an exhibit that displayed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD 19 An adjacent structure the Electricity Building had a facade that depicted machinery 19 the building contained the park s actual mechanical plant 16 A third structure next to the Pompeian and Electricity buildings 19 198 contained a submarine ride called Over and Under the Sea 19 27 the submarine ride was replaced in 1905 by the Hell Gate boat ride which featured a whirlpool 32 LaMarcus Adna Thompson s Thompson Scenic Railway which predated the park was accessed via an Art Nouveau style structure 16 The attractions on the southwestern corner of the park were replaced in 1907 with the Orient attraction which consisted of a massive staff arch measuring 200 feet 61 m high as well as a series of structures surrounding a theater 16 In addition in 1909 Gumpertz added a Filipino village which featured two hundred Igorot hunters 55 A building with baby incubators designed as a German farmhouse was at the park s northwest corner The lower half of the building was clad in brick while the upper half of the building had a timber facade and a tiled gable roof 27 29 The baby incubator building cared for and exhibited premature babies triplets who were members of the Dicker family At the time the technology was not allowed in hospitals but the incubators were allowed in side shows two of the triplets survived to adulthood 12 Yet another building housed Wormwood s Dog and Monkey Show 27 housed in a building that was decorated with motifs of monkeys and dogs 18 29 Oceanfront Edit Dreamland s oceanfront pier contained a structure with a restaurant and a ballroom 192 The ballroom was described as measuring about 100 by 250 feet 30 by 76 m 19 with a ceiling measuring 50 feet 15 m high 195 and was surrounded by a balcony 18 29 The ballroom was supposedly the largest in New York state at the time of its construction 16 Adjoining the ballroom was the restaurant measuring 60 by 240 feet 18 by 73 m 19 The lower part of the structure was a ferry landing with booths and small shows 194 When Dreamland opened the landing was served by ferry lines to Harlem 23rd Street and the Battery in Manhattan 18 19 the ferry rides cost up to 35 cents but that price included admission 16 The lower deck of the pier was known as the Bowery 18 19 a replica of Manhattan s Chinatown which the Times Union described as a place where the lid will be off 192 The adjoining segment of the Coney Island Beach was originally a private beach 9 The oceanfront featured a Japanese building a two story structure capped by a central tower which led to an airship attraction and some tea rooms 19 198 The airship attraction was an exhibition of Santos Dumont Airship No 9 198 Another show called the Seven Temptations of St Anthony 19 was targeted toward male guests 16 At the foot of the park s lagoon were two Shoot the Chutes with two ramps that could handle 7 000 hourly riders 12 27 Two boats each carrying 20 people slid down the ramps which extended 300 feet 91 m into the ocean 195 27 Another oceanfront attraction was the Leap Frog Railway a switchback railway style attraction on a 500 foot long 150 m pier where two 40 person carts were accelerated toward each other at high speed before passing each other at the last second 19 195 200 Concessions Edit External video Coney Island at Night Thomas A Edison Inc 1905 Available through the National Screening Room at the Library of Congress In a bid for publicity Reynolds awarded a concession for the park s peanut and popcorn stands to Broadway actress Marie Dressler 201 with young boys dressed as imps in red flannel acting as salesmen Dressler was said to be in love with Captain Jack Bonavita who was Dreamland s one armed lion tamer 191 Bonavita who commanded lions in the Bostock animal arena had one arm amputated when his hand was severely clawed by one of the lions and a blood infection spread through that hand 12 Impact EditWhen Dreamland first opened the New York Tribune wrote Nothing but a personal visit and inspection can do anything like justice to the subject 19 A writer for The Brooklyn Daily Eagle called Dreamland a city of amusement in itself which was successful because of the intelligent use of unlimited money expended for the best interest of unnumbered patrons in search of innocent amusement 193 During its last full season of operation in 1910 a writer for Billboard said It s a great big Dreamland this year and it s good clean through 202 The design of Dreamland also inspired the creation of similar amusement parks around the world such as Magic City in Paris 203 The park has been depicted in various works of popular culture Artist Philomena Marano created a body of work inspired by the park in the papier colle method American Dream Land 1 204 Brian Carpenter wrote a play treatment which he used as a springboard for lyrics and compositions behind his second studio album for Beat Circus entitled Dreamland The album featured Todd Robbins alumnus of Coney Island and its booklet includes historical images of Dreamland donated by the Coney Island Museum 205 The Public Theater also staged the play Fire in Dreamland in 2018 which is based on the park s 1911 conflagration 206 207 See also EditRockaways Playland List of abandoned amusement parksReferences EditNotes Edit According to Jeffrey Stanton one of McKane s parcels cost 200 000 while the other cost 247 000 16 Immerso 2002 p 83 cites the fire as having started at 1 45 a m Prior to the Dreamland fire the FDNY had only ever responded to one other two nine fire in 1904 when the Adams Express Building burned down 103 Some sources give an alternate height of 370 feet 110 m 195 Citations Edit a b Denson Charles Coney Island Lost and Found Ten Speed Press 2002 pages 227 231 Goldfield David R 2006 Encyclopedia of American Urban History Thousand Oaks p 185 ISBN 978 1 4522 6553 7 OCLC 162105753 Kasson 1978 pp 7 8 a b Parascandola 2014 p 12 Immerso 2002 p 55 Immerso 2002 p 56 Luna Park First Night Coney Island Visitors Dazzled by Electric City Many Colored Illuminations and Canals A Midway of Nations and a Trip to the Moon Replace the Old Time Recreations The New York Times May 17 1903 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 10 2023 Retrieved October 21 2019 Immerso 2002 pp 60 61 a b c d e f g h i j Sullivan David A Dreamland 1904 1911 heartofconeyisland com Archived from the original on February 6 2016 Retrieved February 5 2016 Ultimate Rollercoaster LLC 1996 2012 Roller Coaster History Early 1900s Coney Island rollercoaster com Archived from the original on March 29 2012 Retrieved June 25 2012 Walkabout William H Reynolds conclusion Brownstoner com May 6 2010 Archived from the original on November 16 2011 Retrieved June 25 2012 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u At Hell s Gate The Rise and Fall of Coney Island s Dreamland Entertainment Designer February 4 2012 Archived from the original on March 14 2014 Retrieved June 25 2012 Coney Island Hippodrome Syndicate Purchases Land for a Big Amusement Park on the Shore The New York Times July 18 1903 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 10 2023 Retrieved January 10 2023 a b c Big Coney Island Resort Planned for Next Season The Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 17 1903 p 16 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Work of Rebuilding Coney Island s Bowery Started The Standard Union November 3 1903 p 12 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Stanton Jeffrey April 6 1998 Coney Island Dreamland Westland Archived from the original on October 18 2022 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b c d Wonderland for Coney Times Union August 20 1903 p 10 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d e f g h i Dreamland By the Ocean Thronged with Visitors The Standard Union May 15 1904 p 11 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Dreamland by the sea New York Tribune May 15 1904 p 26 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d All Attractions Gone or Charred The Brooklyn Citizen May 27 1911 p 3 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Wonderland Mortgage The Brooklyn Citizen September 25 1903 p 2 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Wonderland at Coney Island The Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 25 1903 p 2 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c Coney s Wonderland The Brooklyn Daily Eagle December 17 1903 p 6 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Largest Light Contract Ever Made Times Union November 11 1903 p 4 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 Record Breaking Electric Contract Times Union December 17 1903 p 3 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Coney Preparing for the Season The Standard Union January 21 1904 p 4 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Immerso 2002 p 68 S W Gumpertz Is Dead Gave Ziegfeld a Start Managed Houdini and Built Coney Island Dreamland Ran the Ringling Circus New York Herald Tribune June 23 1952 p 18 ProQuest 1322451669 a b c d e f g h i New Coney Dazzles Its Record Multitude Luna Park and Dreamland the Centres of Great Crush The New York Times May 15 1904 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 23 2021 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b No Dreamland Receivership This Coney Island Corporation on an Absolutely Solvent Basis The New York Times September 25 1904 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Coney Island Season Ends to day Mr Reynolds Denies Story of Receiver for Dreamland says Profits Were 400 000 New York Tribune September 25 1904 p 7 ProQuest 571501013 a b c d e Great New Dreamland at Coney This Year New Features at Resort Put In at Cost of 500 000 The New York Times April 23 1905 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b Big Improvements at Dreamland Bonavita Back how He Fought His Last Fight With Right Arm New York Tribune April 23 1905 p 4 ProQuest 571554145 Chilly Damp Spoils Coney Season s Bow Dreamland and Luna Park Brighter Than Ever The New York Times May 14 1905 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 The Stage The Standard Union September 24 1905 p 18 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Coney Island Sees Creation Show Imported From St Louis Opens at Dreamland New York Tribune May 30 1905 p 7 ProQuest 571622108 a b Night Scene at Coney to be Greater than Ever The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 30 1905 p 60 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b Luna Park and Dreamland This Year s New Features Among Coney Island s Most Popular Amusements Town and Country Vol 60 no 18 July 8 1905 p 23 ProQuest 2092500035 Closes Dreamland Pier Commissioner Featherson Calls It Dangerous New York Tribune May 17 1905 p 4 ProQuest 571523427 Boxing Bag Punching When Police Break in 400 Persons Watch Impromptu Athletic Events in Poolroom The New York Times May 17 1905 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b c Dreamland Reopens and Shows New Glories Spectacles Range from Creation to the End of the World The New York Times May 20 1906 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b New Wonders at Coney All Parks Improved Dreamland Luna and Brighton Perking Up for Summer Dreamland a New Park Wild West at Brighton New York Tribune May 6 1906 p 5 ProQuest 571566767 Hill Walter K June 9 1906 Dreamland the Beautiful is Pearl of Coney Island The Billboard Vol 18 no 23 p 6 ProQuest 1505502927 Dreamland Coney Island Variety Vol 3 no 1 June 16 1906 p 10 ProQuest 1529031002 Coney Island Season Closes New York Tribune September 25 1905 p 5 ProQuest 571877383 Immerso 2002 p 74 a b New Wonders This Season at Coney Island The New York Times April 21 1907 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b Dreamland Now Open Prize of 50 Given to First Woman to Enter Park New York Tribune May 19 1907 p 5 ProQuest 572020079 A New Dreamland at Coney Island Many Additional Attractions and 1 000 000 Lights Mark 4th Season s Opening The New York Times May 19 1907 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Coney s Great Carnival to End To night The Evening World September 21 1907 p 7 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 a b Immerso 2002 p 73 Coney Island American Experience PBS www pbs org Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 New York s Great Seaside Resort Coney Island With Its Huge Amusement Parks Dreamland and Luna Park at the Height of Its Popularity in Spite of Destructive Fires Town and Country No 3194 August 3 1907 p 26 ProQuest 126887439 Immerso 2002 p 81 a b Immerso 2002 p 82 Coney Island Opens for Summer Fun The New York Times May 17 1908 p 9 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Dreamland Proving More Popular Daily The Standard Union June 30 1908 p 3 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 a b Coney Island Hippodrome Circus The New York Times May 24 1908 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Dreamland Ablaze Crowds Penetrate Fog Steeplechase Tod Once More Fun making at Coney Island New York Tribune May 24 1908 p 2 ProQuest 572085031 Big Coney Island Parks Close for the Season The Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 21 1908 p 10 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 a b c Will Be Greater Dreamland Big Coney Island Park Has Been Reconstructed and Win Open May 15 New York Tribune April 25 1909 p 9 ProQuest 572170798 a b Dreamland Made Over Coney Island Resort Transformed Since Last Season The New York Times April 25 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 a b Coney Island s Day New York Tribune May 9 1909 p 59 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Police Cut Short Coney s Opening Day Make Shows and Concert Halls Close at Midnight and Disappoint 125 000 The New York Times May 16 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Coney Island Opened Resort in Full Swing Superstition Holds Shut Gates of Luna Park for an Hour New York Tribune May 16 1909 p 3 ProQuest 572231671 Coney Island Season Ends Police Have to Drive Away 10 000 Mardi Gras Revelers The New York Times September 20 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Farewell at Island Bands Last Serenade Police Broom Sweeps Resort Clean Before Dawn of Sunday New York Tribune September 20 1909 p 3 ProQuest 572315576 Stop Sunday Shows at Coney Island Bingham Says He Has Told the Police to See That the Law Is Strictly Enforced To morrow The New York Times May 22 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 10 2023 Mayor Takes a Hand Coney Island Shows Limits Licenses to Six Days to Test Justice Carr s Decision New York Tribune May 18 1909 p 3 ProQuest 572175923 Stop Sunday Shows at Coney Island Bingham Says He Has Told the Police to See That the Law Is Strictly Enforced To morrow The New York Times May 22 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 14 2023 Coney Island Protest Mass Meeting Appeals to the Mayor Mcclellan Says Enforcement of Laws is Up to the Police and Indicates No Wavering New York Tribune May 22 1909 p 3 ProQuest 572223319 Mayor Wars Again on Sunday Shows New Policy in Granting Only Six Day Licenses Disclosed in Court Affidavit The New York Times June 24 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Coney Managers Stirred to Protest See Ruin Ahead in the Strict Enforcement of Early Closing Laws in the Resort The New York Times May 18 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Bronze Bare Legs Taboo The Sun May 31 1909 p 3 Retrieved January 16 2023 Dreamland to be Sold at Auction by Sheriff The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 14 1910 p 3 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Dreamland to Be Sold The Billboard Vol 22 no 9 February 26 1910 p 28 ProQuest 1031408019 Dreamland Sold at Auction The Brooklyn Daily Eagle March 30 1910 p 2 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Dreamland at Auction New York Tribune March 31 1910 p 3 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 In the Real Estate Field The New York Times March 31 1910 p 16 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Coney Island Opens Up Season Starts Auspiciously in Blaze of Lights and Noise 100 000 Throng Resort All the Old Shows and Many New Ones in Dreamland Luna Park and the Others New York Tribune May 15 1910 p 12 ProQuest 572374365 Coney Island Opens in Its Overcoat Chill Breezes Blow in from the Ocean and the Holiday Throng Shivers The New York Times May 15 1910 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Coney Island Season Ends More Than 400 000 Persons at Resort on the Last Day New York Tribune September 19 1910 p 2 ProQuest 572389732 Last of Coney Fun for Another Year The Island Winds Up Its Season and the Purveyors of Pleasure Exchange Farewells The New York Times September 19 1910 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Luna and Dreamland to Open May 14 The New York Times May 1 1910 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Greater Dreamland The Billboard Vol 22 no 19 May 7 1910 p 29 ProQuest 1031413324 Berman John S 2003 Portraits of America Coney Island New York Barnes and Noble Books Inc p 36 ISBN 9780760738870 New Color Scheme at Dreamland The Billboard Vol 23 no 15 April 15 1911 p 73 ProQuest 1031420180 a b New Colors for Dreamland The Brooklyn Citizen April 5 1911 p 7 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Big Changes at Dreamland The Brooklyn Citizen April 20 1911 p 2 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 a b Many New Attractions Installed During Spring Record Season Expected Times Union May 27 1911 p 2 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b Greater Dreamland Times Union May 20 1911 p 7 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 a b Plays of the Week Times Union May 13 1911 p 7 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 a b Dreamland s Opening The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 14 1911 p 30 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 a b Brooklyn and the Beaches The Sun May 21 1911 p 27 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 a b Greater Dreamland The Brooklyn Citizen May 21 1911 p 17 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 Immerso 2002 pp 82 83 Omar Sami the King of the Ballyhoos Times Union May 23 1911 p 6 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 Summer Surely is Here New York Tribune May 21 1911 p 2 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved January 15 2023 a b c d e Coney Disaster Probe is Now in Progress Brophy Investigating The Brooklyn Citizen May 28 1911 pp 1 7 Retrieved January 16 2023 a b c d e Poor Water Pressure Blamed for Big Loss by Flames at Coney The Evening World May 27 1911 pp 1 2 Retrieved January 16 2023 a b c d Fire Loss Put as High as 5 000 000 New York Tribune May 28 1911 pp 1 6 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 Rang Two Nines for Dreamland Fire First Time the Call Ever Was Sounded for a Fire in Brooklyn Borough The New York Times June 4 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Two Nine Used Seldom New York Tribune May 28 1911 p 6 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k Coney Island Fire Ruins Dreamland Loss 4 000 000 Times Union May 27 1911 pp 1 2 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d e Flames Sweep Coney Island Blaze Starts in Dreamland Spreads Rapidly and Park Is Soon Wholly Wiped Out The New York Times May 27 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c Coney Island Holocaust The Billboard Vol 23 no 22 June 3 1911 pp 3 55 ProQuest 1031428446 a b Immerso 2002 pp 83 84 a b c Immerso 2002 p 83 a b c Start Up Again in Coney Ruins Temporary Shacks Grow in Gaping Hole Where Flames Took 5 000 000 Toll The New York Times May 28 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b Immerso 2002 p 84 a b c Tents and Frame Shacks Will Rise on Fire Ruins The Standard Union May 28 1911 pp 1 4 Retrieved January 16 2023 Early Coney Fires Razed Large Areas Dreamland Was Burned in 1911 With Damage Estimated at More Than 5 000 000 The New York Times July 14 1932 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 16 2023 Immerso 2002 pp 84 85 Coney Island Poor Risk New York Tribune May 28 1911 p 6 Retrieved January 16 2023 a b Fully 350 000 Flock to Coney The Brooklyn Citizen May 29 1911 p 7 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Ruins Help Draw 350 000 to Coney Ferari Exhibits in the Ashes of Dreamland the Few Beasts He Saved The New York Times May 29 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Coney s Future Not in Danger The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 7 1912 p 11 Retrieved January 16 2023 Immerso 2002 p 85 Aldermen Will Consider Seaside Park Extension Evening World Proposed The Evening World May 29 1911 p 3 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 Would Sell Dreamland to City at Fair Price The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 29 1911 p 2 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 City Won t Buy Dreamland Site Times Union May 30 1911 p 2 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 Dreamland Site Available for City Company Willing to Sell at Reasonable Price but Seeks a Plan of Operation The New York Times May 30 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Reynolds Talks Values Says City Can Buy 40 acre Tract at Island for 3 000 000 Sum Includes Dreamland A R Schorer Discusses Purchase of Land Between Burned Area and Seaside Park New York Tribune June 4 1911 p 7 ProQuest 574782176 Takes Up Seaside Park Board of Estimate Considers Purchase of Coney Island Site Committee to Investigate Controller and Associates to Report on Advisability of City Buying Fireswept Property New York Tribune June 16 1911 p 14 ProQuest 574780758 Coney Island Park a Costly Project City Would Have to Pay Twelve or Fifteen Millions at Least to Get the Land The New York Times June 18 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 16 2023 Take Dreamland Site Estimate Board Adopts Plan for a Seaside Park New York Tribune July 28 1911 p 7 ProQuest 574786524 City Decides to Buy Two Seaside Parks Dreamland Property and a Mile of Beach at Rockaway to be Acquired The New York Times July 28 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Two Seaside Parks to Be Bought by City Estimate Board Votes to Take Dreamland Site and 250 Acres at Rockaway Beach The New York Times October 20 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 New York City to Buy Two Big Seaside Parks The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 19 1911 p 3 Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b Mitchel Refutes Rockaway Charge The Sun October 1 1917 p 6 Retrieved January 17 2023 Steers for Walk at Coney Island The Standard Union November 16 1911 p 1 Retrieved January 16 2023 For Coney Island Walk Steers Hopes to Push Project Through for Next Summer New York Tribune November 26 1911 p B2 ProQuest 574829997 a b Coney Island Suit Involves Title to Famous Land Dunes Value is Reckoned High in Millions Was First Transferred to Dutch in 1645 Blanket and Gun Price Courier Journal December 10 1911 p A16 ProQuest 1016425289 Sue for Coney Island Descendants Say Former Owners Never Sold Land New York Tribune February 17 1912 p 14 ProQuest 574885635 The Fight for Coney Island The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 24 1912 p 18 Retrieved January 16 2023 a b c 7 Years Condemning Dreamland Costs Continue to Pile Up The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 1 1919 p 4 Retrieved January 17 2023 a b 2 189 169 for Coney Park Award of 1 035 000 Fixed for Dreamland by Commissioners The New York Times November 20 1914 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Who Owns Coney Island Suit Instituted Affecting Title to Property Valued at 100 000 000 The New York Times October 27 1912 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Coney s Ownership Now Up to Court The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 24 1912 p 4 Retrieved January 16 2023 Morey Lott Heirs Lose Coney Suit The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 6 1913 p 18 Retrieved January 16 2023 Big Coney Island Land Claim is Dismissed Times Union May 6 1913 p 1 Retrieved January 16 2023 Fight for Coney Island The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 23 1913 p 1 Retrieved January 16 2023 Dreamland Award Fixed 2 197 701 Set as Condemnation Price for C I Park Site New York Tribune November 20 1914 p 3 ProQuest 575301505 a b Dreamland Board Not Yet Sworn In The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 1 1916 p 14 Retrieved January 17 2023 Settlement is Near in Dreamland Matter The Standard Union May 31 1920 p 1 Retrieved January 17 2023 Dreamland Park Final Award Fixed at 2 129 327 76 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle June 11 1915 p 1 Retrieved January 17 2023 Court Upholds Title Co Declares Owner Responsible for His Own Encroachment The New York Times March 18 1916 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Dreamland in Bad Way Now Times Union March 18 1916 p 3 Retrieved January 17 2023 Reduce Dreamland Awards by 400 000 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 27 1919 p 2 Retrieved January 17 2023 Fix Awards for Dreamland Park at 1 457 248 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 16 1919 p 1 Retrieved January 17 2023 Coney Island Award Made New York Herald October 17 1919 p 11 Retrieved January 17 2023 Coney Awards Net 2 000 000 Times Union June 16 1920 p 8 Retrieved January 17 2023 Ask Confirmation of Park Awards The Brooklyn Daily Eagle June 18 1920 p 2 Retrieved January 17 2023 Events of the Amusement Week in New York Dreamland Again Active The Billboard Vol 23 no 30 July 29 1911 pp 8 60 ProQuest 1031427088 City Leads World in Beach Resorts New Yorkers Have a Score of Splendid Pleasure Grounds to Choose From The New York Times July 28 1912 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 16 2023 Dreamland Pier to Be Used Again This Summer The Brooklyn Citizen May 24 1914 p 9 Retrieved January 17 2023 Will Revive Dreamland The Billboard Vol 26 no 3 January 17 1914 p 3 ProQuest 1040292589 Coney Island Opens Its Summer Season Luna Park and Steeplechase in New Guise Receive First Crowds of Year The New York Times May 23 1915 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 16 2023 Dreamland is Sold to Fox Syndicate The Standard Union March 22 1921 p 1 Retrieved January 17 2023 Last of Dreamland Sold for 407 750 Remainder of Park Property Not Acquired by City Bought by Bondholders The New York Times March 23 1921 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Dreamland Site is Sold Again Times Union May 24 1921 p 12 Retrieved January 17 2023 450 000 for Dreamland Syndicate Pays Fox Company 43 000 Profit on Recent Turnover The New York Times June 9 1921 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Old Dreamland Park at Coney Is To Be Rebuilt New York Tribune June 9 1921 p 2 Retrieved January 17 2023 Coney Island Much Changed Times Union May 29 1915 p 4 Retrieved January 17 2023 a b Dreamland Parking Space to Become Recreation Spot The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 7 1935 p 15 Retrieved January 17 2023 Work on Plans to Raise a New Coney from Sea Times Union May 24 1913 p 18 Retrieved January 16 2023 Plan to Patch Up Dreamland s Pier The Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 13 1913 p 6 Retrieved January 16 2023 Dreamland Pier to be Used Again This Summer The Brooklyn Citizen May 24 1914 p 9 Retrieved January 17 2023 Dreamland Lease Withdrawn The Christian Science Monitor March 8 1916 p 7 ProQuest 509605700 Fairs and Expositions Dreamland Pier The Billboard Vol 28 no 13 March 25 1916 p 31 ProQuest 1031505638 Disapproves Bath House at Dreamland Park Times Union July 17 1919 p 1 Retrieved January 17 2023 Auto Park for Coney Island The Brooklyn Citizen June 19 1921 p 8 Retrieved January 17 2023 Parking Space at Coney Concourse 1 000 by 60 Feet Being Made Ready for Motorists The New York Times June 19 1921 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Parking Space for 2 000 Autos at Coney Will Give Sea Breezes to Many Motorists The New York Times July 2 1922 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Biggest Free Skating Rink in Country To Be Opened This Winter at Coney Island The New York Times October 14 1923 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Coney Parking lease Fought as Unfair to City The New York Herald New York Tribune March 27 1926 p 13 ProQuest 1112746573 Walker Backs Lease of Coney Island Site Mayor Says Browne Used Good Judgment in Letting Dreamland Park Area for Autos The New York Times March 31 1926 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 High Court Upholds Auto Park at Coney Injunction Against Concession of City s Dreamland Space Is Reversed The New York Times June 26 1926 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Auto Parking Lease Of Coney Dreamland Approved by Court Appellate Division Unanimous in Vacating Injunction Holding Place for Cars Is a Public Necessity New York Herald Tribune June 26 1926 p 2 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1112564414 Pratt Park Plan Loses Tammany Aldermen Defeat Woman s Project for Dreamland The New York Times February 9 1927 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 16 2023 Park Area Urged for Coney Island Straus Asks Browns to Lease Only Half of Dreamland Tract for Automobiles The New York Times February 23 1933 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 16 2023 Dreamland Park Leased at Good Bid Rosoff Nephew Gets Parking Concession for Three Years at 23 150 Annually The New York Times February 24 1933 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Refuses Delay in Park Auction The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 23 1933 p 2 Retrieved January 17 2023 Moses Revokes Rosoff s Coney Parking Permit Operators of Dreamland Concession 5 000 Back in Rent Park Head Says City to Take Over Space Lessees Hold Money Was Refused by Commissioner New York Herald Tribune May 1 1934 p 18 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1114850390 Coney Island Park is Planned by City Dreamland Auto Space Will Be Converted Into an 11 Acre Recreation Centre The New York Times April 7 1935 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Aquarium Weighs Coney Island Site City Considers Erection of New 2 000 000 Exhibition Hall Fronting on Boardwalk The New York Times May 3 1941 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 Plans Announced for Oceanarium Coney Island Project to Cost 1 500 000 Cover 10 Acres Will Replace Aquarium The New York Times July 28 1943 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 17 2023 New Aquarium Opens Coney Island Building Draws More Than 8 000 in Day The New York Times June 7 1957 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 16 2022 Retrieved October 12 2022 Remembering Parks Past The New York Times July 7 1989 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 20 2019 Retrieved January 20 2019 Somaiya Ravi October 6 2009 After 98 Years Underwater a Coney Island Bell Is Back The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Edo McCullough 1957 Good Old Coney Island A Sentimental Journey Into the Past the Most Rambunctious Scandalous Rapscallion Splendiferous Pugnacious Spectacular Illustrious Prodigious Frolicsome Island on Earth Fordham University Press p 198 ISBN 9780823219971 Archived from the original on January 15 2023 Retrieved October 17 2020 a b c d e f g h i Coney Island With New Attractions Most Amazing Yet Open for Business Next Week Times Union May 7 1904 pp 6 7 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b Dreamland the Architectural Beauty Spot of Coney Island The Brooklyn Daily Eagle June 12 1904 p 20 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b c d e Coney s Latest Big Show Will Open Next Saturday The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 8 1904 p 13 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 a b c d e f A New Coney Island Rises From the Ashes of the Old The New York Times May 8 1904 p 29 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 Michael Immerso Coney Island The People s Playground Rutgers University Press 2002 page 73 Immerso 2002 p 70 a b c d e f g h Dreamland Coney s Venice Reveals Its Charms to the Multitude The Brooklyn Citizen May 15 1904 p 14 Archived from the original on January 13 2023 Retrieved January 13 2023 a b Immerso 2002 p 69 Immerso 2002 pp 69 70 Marie Dressler Gets Coney Peanut Privilege The Brooklyn Citizen April 18 1904 p 3 Archived from the original on January 12 2023 Retrieved January 12 2023 Brandt Joseph May 21 1910 Coney Island Opens The Billboard Vol 22 no 21 pp 16 40 41 ProQuest 1031406201 Paris s Magic City Opens American Amusement Park on the Seine Built on Lines of Dreamland The New York Times June 3 1911 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 16 2023 Breuckelen Magazine Video Interview with Philomena Marano Archived July 15 2015 at the Wayback Machine June 2014 Webster Sarah February 1 2008 Circus Coming To Town Asbury Park Press Archived from the original on January 20 2008 Retrieved February 2 2008 Explore The 1911 Fire That Burned Coney Island To Ashes Gothamist July 10 2018 Retrieved January 16 2023 Clement Olivia July 16 2018 Watch Highlights From Fire in Dreamland Playbill Retrieved January 16 2023 Sources Edit Immerso Michael 2002 Coney Island the people s playground illustrated ed Rutgers University Press ISBN 978 0 8135 3138 0 Kasson John F 1978 Amusing the Million Coney Island at the Turn of the Century American century series Hill amp Wang ISBN 978 0 8090 2617 3 Parascandola L J 2014 A Coney Island Reader Through Dizzy Gates of Illusion Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0 231 53819 0 Stern Robert A M Gilmartin Gregory Massengale John Montague 1983 New York 1900 Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890 1915 New York Rizzoli ISBN 0 8478 0511 5 OCLC 9829395 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dreamland 1904 amusement park Dreamland at amusement parks com Maps and postcards of Dreamland Dreamland Park History Dreamland and William Reynolds at Heart of Coney Island Panoramic photo Destruction of Dreamland 1911 from the Library of Congress Oral histories about Dreamland 1904 1911 collected by the Coney Island History Project Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dreamland Coney Island 1904 amp oldid 1134235317, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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