Push to Make Coney Island Boardwalk an NYC Landmark Continues

Activists and elected officials are reiterating a call to make the Coney Island Boardwalk a historic site after the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected their original plea.

 

The Commission says it turned down Brooklyn City Councilman Mark Treyger's first request because the boardwalk's been too altered since it was built in 1923 to be considered a city landmark.  But Treyger says other scenic landmarks have morphed over the years as well.  

 

"If you look at Ocean Parkway, for example, it used to basically be a dirt road where horses would travel back and forth," Treyger says.  "Now it's a road, you have medians and pedestrian measures have been added.  Central Park and Prospect Park never historically had restaurants, and many bike and pedestrian alterations have been made."

 

Councilman Treyger's teamed up with the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance to call on the city to preserve Coney Island's famous wooden planks.  Rob Burstein with the alliance says the boardwalk holds deep significance for New Yorkers and tourists alike.

 

"You can often hear stories of people getting married on the boardwalk or watching fireworks, etc.," Burstein says.  "It certainly deserves landmark status as much or more than many of the things that have been granted that thus far."

 

Burstein says the Coney-Brighton Alliance has been fighting the Parks Department's plans to renovate the boardwalk with non-wooden materials like concrete and recycled plastic for years.  He says they're proposing alternative solutions, like using sustainable rainforest wood or black locust wood, to maintain the boardwalk's iconic structure. 

 

"The structure has really served a special need for New Yorkers and anyone who wants to escape the concrete of the city, have a more peaceful ambience and a literal feel under foot," Burstein says.

 

Councilman Treyger says obtaining landmark status would require the city to continue its maintenance of the boardwalk while keeping preserving its original structure in mind.

 

"We want people to be able to recognize [the boardwalk] 100 years from now," Treyger says.  "So when people saw what it was like when it was first built, we want to at least have some recognition of that original structure, understanding that, yes, it's gone through some alterations."

 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission says it's open to reviewing the case again but has yet to receive new information.  Councilman Treyger says he's working to set up a meeting.