In the interest of accuracy…..
Astroland's owners dismantled all but one of their rides and trucked them away to storage before the lease on the property was up on Jan 31, 2009. The black structure pictured in Lee's article is merely the unusable shell of the building that housed Dante's Inferno, so of course it was left behind for Thor. It's fabulous facade, including the demon, was removed along with the cars and other necessary parts in hope of reconstructing the dark ride at some future time and location in the new Coney.
December 26, 2008
http://www.flickr.com/ph...n/set-72157611573951983/ As for Neptune’s Water Flume, Astroland's owners removed its log seats and other parts, also rendering it inoperable as a ride. Property owner Thor Equities disassembled the rest of the structure and put the parts in numbered containers. I'm told that someone in Central America bought the lot from both parties and the ride will enjoy a second life. Neptune's Water Flume was one of Astroland's most popular rides. It was one of the early flumes made by Arrow Development in the early 60s right after the New York Worlds Fair and was built specifically for this park.
The Astroland Archives, historic signage and other artifacts from the 46 year old park were donated to the Coney Island History Project. If you visit Coney Island this summer, you can see an exhibit of Astroland photos and artifacts, along with a new exhibition called "Coney Island Icons" at the History Project exhibition center under the Cyclone roller coaster. The Astroland Rocket, which sat atop Gregory & Paul's on the Boardwalk, was donated to the City of New York, and is in storage until it can be returned to the new Coney Island.
The only ride left behind on the property was the Von Roll tower formerly known as the Astro Tower. It remains a symbol of hope that Coney Island's legendary amusement zone will survive the ownership of Joe Sitt of Thor Equities, the predatory real estate speculator who proposes 10,000 square foot retail stores and high rise condos on the former Astroland and his other properties in the People's Playground.
The iconic Astroland gate, with its sparkling stars, was also dismantled, removed and is in storage. Stay tuned!
http://www.flickr.com/ph...n/set-72157613483371362/