They wonder if this is the end of Coney Island – the birthplace of the hotdog and the roller coaster – as they know it. The go-carts, miniature golf course and boat ride are already gone.
The deals and the plans are “all hush, hush,” said Jeannie Zanas, 46, an employee at Gregory and Paul’s on the Coney Island boardwalk. “We hear things, but it’s all rumors.”
Changing With The Times
Thor Equities, a New York City-based real estate acquisition and development company, bought more than 11 acres of Coney Island waterfront real estate for more than $100 million, according to a spokesman from Thor Equities who asked not to be named.
Thor, which also owns such properties as the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago and Tri-County Mall in Springdale, Ohio, plans to turn Coney Island into a year-round resort with a Las Vegas-style flare.