Save Coney Island

Preservation of the glorious aspects of our past, whether they be musical or cultural, is the mission of Silent Stereo Records. A little while back, we posted a blog about the destruction and 'renovation' of Wildwood, New Jersey. Now, thanks to a friend of ours over at Myspace, our attentions have been turned towards another historic link to the past, Coney Island. Coney Island has long been a welcome destination for the working people of New York, who in the 1870's started taking rail, streetcar, and steamship to reach the popular beach. The area grew in renown as the amusement parks and entertainers moved in and Coney Island reached the height of magnificence in the era before World War II with such attractions as the Wonder Wheel, the Cyclone, and the Parachute Jump. As a testament to its place in history, Robert Moses, the patron saint of urban development at all costs, once decried the amusements there as "tawdry" and opposed any further development in the area.
Coney Island, like many of America's urban centers, suffered from a steep decline in the 70's and 80's, but the area began to reemerge in recent years. Now, though, developers have set their sights on Coney Island, envisioning a land of high rent condos and modern amenities. The only cost will the years of history and the homes and neighborhoods of the people that have lived in Coney Island all of their lives. If this cost seems too high to you, as it does to us, please sign the petition available here.