Coney Island's Astroland to close for good
NEW YORK (AP) -- The owner of Coney Island's Astroland said Thursday she is
calling it
quits and the historic amusement park will close for good on Sunday.
With two dozen rides on three acres, Astroland covers a large part of Coney
Island.
more photos »
Carol Albert, whose family has owned the Brooklyn amusement park for almost a
half
century, said she gave up on negotiating a two-year lease with Thor Equities
after the
developer missed a Thursday deadline to reply.
Thor spokesman Stefan Friedman said the company is "extremely disappointed that
Carol
Albert has decided to give up on the future of Coney Island when her current
lease isn't
even up for a number of months."
The park was under threat of closing a year ago, but Thor -- which owns the
land under
the park -- and Astroland agreed to a one-year lease extension. It was not
clear if
another last-minute reprieve was possible this year.
Albert said she wanted a two-year lease this time, to cover the summers of 2009
and
2010, because her 300 employees needed more job security.
Albert's father-in-law, Dewey Albert, unveiled the outer-space-themed Astroland
park in
1962. For years, its future has been the focus of bickering among the
developer, the ride
operator and city officials. iReport.com: See photos of Astroland and Coney
Island, present
and past
With two dozen rides on three acres, Astroland covers a large part of Coney
Island. But
many other rides, including the historic Cyclone roller coaster and Wonder
Wheel, are not
part of Astroland and are not affected by the announcement. See photos of Papa
Burger,
Shoot the Freak and more from Coney Island »
Albert sold the Astroland acreage to Thor Equities two years ago for $30
million and has
said the rides would be dismantled and auctioned off when the park closed.
Thor had planned to break ground next year on a $1.5 billion complex including
high-rise
hotels and New York's first new roller coaster since the wooden Cyclone was
built 75 years
ago.
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