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138-791: The Riegelmann Boardwalk (also known as the Coney Island Boardwalk ) is a 2.7-mile-long (4.3 km) boardwalk on the southern shore of the Coney Island peninsula in Brooklyn , New York City, United States. Opened in 1923, the boardwalk runs along the Atlantic Ocean between West 37th Street to the west, at the edge of the Sea Gate neighborhood, and Brighton 15th Street to the east, in Brighton Beach . It

276-426: A precast concrete - girder structure under the boardwalk on the advice of J.W. Hackney, who designed Atlantic City 's boardwalk. Pile bents were placed every 20 feet (6 m), with each bent containing two bundles of four reinforced concrete piles. The piles rest on bases that measure 14 inches (36 cm) square and extend downward 20 feet (6 m). The ends of the girder structures are cantilevered outside

414-538: A resort town . Three years later, in early 1853, it was named "Atlantic City". Because of its location in South Jersey , which hugs the Atlantic Ocean between marshlands and islands, Atlantic City was viewed by developers as prime real estate and a potential resort town. In 1853, the first commercial hotel, the Belloe House, was built at the intersection of Massachusetts and Atlantic Avenues. The city

552-534: A wooden roller coaster built in 1927 at West 10th Street, is the only operating coaster on Coney Island from the 20th century, and is both a city and national landmark. Set inland from the boardwalk is the Wonder Wheel (built 1920), an eccentric Ferris wheel which is 150 feet (46 m) tall and recognized as a city landmark. Other attractions on the boardwalk include the Thunderbolt roller coaster and

690-812: A "real boardwalk" without pergolas and restrooms. Accordingly, in June 1924, the New York City Board of Estimate approved the erection of five comfort stations and five beachfront pavilions. The pavilions were completed by early 1925. The Board of Estimate, in December 1922, approved another project to widen, create, or open private streets that led to the boardwalk. The work, which began in 1923, entailed condemning 288 lots, including 175 houses and portions of Steeplechase Park. Eighteen streets, each 60 feet (18 m) wide, were created between West 8th and West 35th Streets. Surf and Stillwell Avenues were widened, and

828-610: A $ 1.5-$ 2-billion casino resort, the company canceled its construction plans and sold the land for $ 29.5 million. MGM Resorts International announced in October 2007 that it would pull out of all development for Atlantic City, effectively ending its plans for the MGM Grand Atlantic City. In 2006, Morgan Stanley purchased 20 acres (8.1 ha) directly north of the Showboat Atlantic City for

966-487: A 100-foot-wide (30 m) space for a boardwalk. A bill proposed in the New York State Legislature in 1901 would have required property owners to pay half of the boardwalk's $ 350,000 construction cost. However, the bill was heavily opposed by organizations who cited the bill's language and the projected property losses as reasons for their disapproval. Ultimately, only one segment was constructed near

1104-693: A 1974 referendum on legalized gambling failed to pass. Immediately after the legislation passed, the owners of the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel began converting it into the Resorts International. It was the first legal casino in the eastern United States when it opened on May 26, 1978. Other casinos were soon constructed along the Boardwalk and, later, in the marina district for a total of nine today. The introduction of gambling did not, however, quickly eliminate many of

1242-617: A 30-cent toll. Albany Avenue was the first road to the mainland available without a toll. By 1878, because of the growing popularity of the city, one railroad line could no longer keep up with demand. Soon, the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway was also constructed to transport tourists to Atlantic City. At this point massive hotels like the United States Hotel and Surf House, as well as smaller rooming houses, had sprung up all over town. The United States Hotel took up

1380-577: A Dream (2000). The boardwalk has appeared in TV shows, including children's shows such as Dora the Explorer and sitcoms such as Seinfeld . It is also a setting in music videos, such as those by Salt-N-Pepa (1993) and Beyoncé (2013), and albums such as Coney Island Baby (1975). At the time of its construction, the boardwalk was considered the most important public works project in Brooklyn since

1518-486: A bill offering tax incentives to attract new investors and complete the job, but a poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University 's PublicMind released in March 2010 showed that 60% of voters opposed the legislation, and two of three of those who opposed it "strongly" opposed it. Ultimately, Governor Chris Christie offered Revel $ 261 million in state tax credits to assist the casino once it opened. Revel completed all of

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1656-572: A condo complex, and Resorts Atlantic City . The old Ambassador Hotel was purchased by Ramada in 1978 and was gutted to become the Tropicana Casino and Resort Atlantic City , only reusing the steelwork of the original building. Smaller hotels off the boardwalk, such as the Madison also survived. In an effort at revitalizing the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 passed a referendum, approving casino gambling for Atlantic City; this came after

1794-668: A contender to build a supermarket. As of December 2023, there was only one functioning supermarket in Atlantic City, the Save-A-Lot food store located in Renaissance Plaza, an area of the city known for its significant homeless population and drug use. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has proposed a new supermarket that would be located on an empty parking lot behind the Tanger Outlets and near

1932-575: A four- block section of the boardwalk was damaged in a July 1932 fire, it was rebuilt and reopened within a month. In 1938, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) took over responsibility for the boardwalk's maintenance. Parks commissioner Robert Moses criticized the condition of the Coney Island, Rockaway , and South Beach boardwalks, saying, "These beaches and boardwalks were never properly planned, and cannot under present conditions be properly maintained and operated." In

2070-462: A full city block between Atlantic, Pacific, Delaware, and Maryland Avenues. These hotels were not only impressive in size, but featured the most up-to-date amenities, and were considered quite luxurious for their time. In 1883, salt water taffy was conceived in Atlantic City by David Bradley. The traditional story is that Bradley's shop was flooded after a major storm, soaking his taffy with salty Atlantic Ocean water. He sold some "salt water taffy" to

2208-414: A girl, who proudly walked down to the beach to show her friends. Bradley's mother was in the back of the store when the sale was made, and loved the name, and so salt water taffy was born. In the early 20th century, Atlantic City experienced a radical building boom. Many of the modest boarding houses that dotted the boardwalk were replaced with large hotels. Two of the city's most distinctive hotels were

2346-532: A harsh light on Atlantic City, which by then was in the midst of a long period of economic decline. Many felt that the friendship between Johnson and Governor of New Jersey Richard J. Hughes led Atlantic City to host the Democratic Convention. By the late 1960s, many of the resort's once great hotels were suffering from high vacancy rates. Most of them were either shut down, converted to cheap apartments, or converted to nursing home facilities by

2484-460: A health resort, his efforts to convince the municipal authorities that a railroad to the beach would be beneficial, his successful alliance with Samuel Richards (entrepreneur and member of the most influential family in southern New Jersey at the time) to achieve that goal, the actual building of the railroad, and the experience of the first 600 riders, who "were chosen carefully by Samuel Richards and Jonathan Pitney": After arriving in Atlantic City,

2622-487: A hint from the Marlborough-Blenheim, commissioned the firm of Price and McLanahan to build an even bigger hotel. Rising 16 stories, the tan brick and gold-capped hotel would become one of the city's best-known landmarks. The hotel made use of ocean-facing hotel rooms by jutting its wings farther from the main portion of the hotel along Pacific Avenue. One by one, additional large hotels were constructed along

2760-485: A letter to mayor Fiorello La Guardia , Moses wrote: The boardwalk was constructed too near the water without providing any play areas on the north side. [...] When sand was pumped in to increase the width of the beach, instead of obtaining good white material, the contractor was allowed to deposit brown sand on the beach. Streets were cut through which dead-ended at the boardwalk, and which are no good as traffic arteries and are not proper parking spaces. The zoning ordinance

2898-653: A new $ 2-billion-plus casino resort. Revel Entertainment Group was named as the project's developer for the Revel Casino . Revel was hindered with many problems, the biggest setback occurring in April 2010 when Morgan Stanley, the owner of 90% of Revel Entertainment Group, decided to discontinue funding for continued construction and put its stake in Revel up for sale. Early in 2010, the New Jersey state legislature passed

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3036-406: A result of the extension, which was completed by mid-1926. The $ 1 million extension was to be funded via taxes levied on Coney Island property owners. Although some property owners objected to the assessments, they were ultimately forced to pay for the project. A similar scheme to extend the boardwalk 3,000 feet (910 m) westward, from West 37th Street to Coney Island Light , was opposed by

3174-481: A result, Coney Island began attracting vacationers in the 1830s and 1840s, and numerous resorts were built. New railroad lines, built after the American Civil War , served Coney Island's restaurants, hotels, bathing pavilions, theaters, the waterfront, and other attractions. A series of fires destroyed the resorts in the 1880s and 1890s. This opened up large tracts of land for the development of theme parks;

3312-410: A second train brought the visitors to the door of the resort's first public lodging, the United States Hotel. The hotel was owned by the railroad. It was a sprawling, four-story structure built to house 2,000 guests. It opened while it was still under construction, with only one wing standing, and even that wasn't completed. By year's end, when it was fully constructed, the United States Hotel was not only

3450-575: A steamship pier operated by the Coney Island Steamship Corporation. However, the company was permanently enjoined from selling stocks and bonds in July 1930. The corporation claimed that the Brooklyn government had allocated $ 3 million to extend the boardwalk in December 1929, but borough president Henry Hesterberg denied having done so. The boardwalk was ultimately not extended past the fence on West 37th Street. After

3588-511: A tactical advance, the rising soldier could be left a defenseless target for enemy fire as well as hinder forward progress. He could also simply go unnoticed in the ensuing melee , and easily drown under his heavy equipment. Atlantic City Atlantic City , sometimes referred to by its initials A.C. , is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County , in the U.S. state of New Jersey . Atlantic City comprises

3726-522: A type of boardwalk placed over muddy and wet ground. During World War I , duckboards were used to line the bottom of trenches on the Western Front because these were regularly flooded, and mud and water would lie in the trenches for months on end. The boards helped to keep the soldiers' feet dry and prevent the development of trench foot , caused by prolonged standing in waterlogged conditions. They also allowed for troops' easier movement through

3864-544: A type of plastic that resembled wood. The rebuild with concrete and plastic was approved in March 2012, though wood advocates later filed a lawsuit to stop the use of concrete. The boardwalk was slightly damaged during Hurricane Sandy that October, and the adjacent amusement parks and aquarium suffered more severe damage, as did Steeplechase Pier. Further comfort stations were added in 2013, with four modular units being delivered to West 8th, West 2nd, Brighton 2nd, and New Brighton Streets. In late 2014, NYC Parks started repairing

4002-569: Is 80 feet (24 m) wide for most of its length, though portions in Brighton Beach are 50 feet (15 m) wide. It is raised 13 or 14 feet (4.0 or 4.3 m) above sea level to protect against storm surges. According to a speech given in 1923 to the Rotary Club of Brooklyn, the raised boardwalk was designed to "give ample clear space under the boardwalk" both parallel and perpendicular to the deck. Staircases and ramps lead southward to

4140-669: Is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). The Riegelmann Boardwalk is primarily made of wooden planks arranged in a chevron pattern. It ranges from 50 to 80 feet (15 to 24 m) wide and is raised slightly above sea level. The boardwalk connects several amusement areas and attractions on Coney Island, including the New York Aquarium , Luna Park , Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park , and Maimonides Park . It has become an icon of Coney Island, with numerous appearances in

4278-551: Is the Sweet Track that Neolithic people built in the Somerset levels , England, around 6000 years ago. This track consisted mainly of planks of oak laid end-to-end, supported by crossed pegs of ash , oak, and lime , driven into the underlying peat. The Wittmoor bog trackway is the name given to each of two prehistoric plank roads , or boardwalks, trackway No. I being discovered in 1898 and trackway No. II in 1904 in

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4416-548: Is widely known as a food desert , with the nearest fully-functioning supermarket being located in neighboring Ventnor City , which is 3 miles (4.8 km) away from the majority of Atlantic City's population. As a result, proposals for a supermarket were floated beginning in May 2021, and Atlantic City's City Council gave permission to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to look for

4554-481: The Atlantic City Expressway . Groundbreaking for a ShopRite supermarket had taken place in October 2021, after Village Super Market received $ 18.7 million from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to construct the store. The supermarket was expected to be completed by December 2022, although no construction or building had happened on the site, which drew attention from residents. After

4692-458: The Atlantic Ocean . Prior to Atlantic City's founding, the region served as a summer home for the Lenape , a Native American tribe. While the precise date of European settlement in present-day Atlantic City is not precisely determined, it is commonly thought that it was in 1783, when Jeremiah Leeds built and occupied a year-round home there. In 1850, present-day Atlantic City was developed into

4830-635: The Boardwalk Hall , finalized on September 30, 1924. Bader was also a driving force behind the creation of the Miss America competition. In May 1929, Johnson hosted a conference for organized crime figures from all across America that created a National Crime Syndicate . The men who called this meeting were Masseria family lieutenant Charles "Lucky" Luciano and former Chicago South Side Gang boss Johnny "the Fox" Torrio , with heads of

4968-606: The Brooklyn Bridge , which had been completed in 1883. One newspaper described the project thus: "New York scientists and engineers have succeeded where King Canute failed to halt the onward march of the tides ." The boardwalk immediately became one of Coney Island's biggest draws after its opening. A columnist for the Brooklyn Times-Union wrote in 1932 that, so powerful was the boardwalk's effect, "the boardwalk and Coney Island are now synonymous". In 1994,

5106-580: The Bugs and Meyer Mob , Meyer Lansky and Benjamin Siegel , being used as muscle for the meeting. Gangster and businessman Al Capone attended the conference and was photographed walking along the Atlantic City boardwalk with Johnson. The 1930s through the 1960s were a heyday for nightclub entertainment. Popular venues on the white-populated south side included the 500 Club , the Clicquot Club , and

5244-453: The Corps of Topographical Engineers , was approved, with work initiated the next year. By 1874, almost 500,000 passengers a year were coming to Atlantic City by rail. In Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City , "Atlantic City's Godfather" Nelson Johnson describes the inspiration of Jonathan Pitney (the "Father of Atlantic City" ) to develop Atlantic City as

5382-584: The Jockey Club . In the Northside neighborhood , home to African Americans in the racially segregated city, a black entertainment district reigned on Kentucky Avenue. Four major nightclubs, Club Harlem , the Paradise Club , Grace's Little Belmont , and Wonder Gardens , drew both black and white patrons. During the summer tourist season, jazz and R&B music could be heard into the wee hours of

5520-633: The Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel and the Traymore Hotel . In 1902, Josiah White III bought a parcel of land near Ohio Avenue and the boardwalk, where he started construction and built the Queen Anne style Marlborough House. The hotel was a success. In 1905, he chose to expand the hotel and bought another parcel of land adjacent to his Marlborough House. In an effort to make his new hotel a source of conversation, White hired

5658-610: The United States Supreme Court agreed to hear Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association and heard oral arguments in December 2017. Then, on May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional. The act was overturned, allowing New Jersey to move ahead with plans to implement legalized sports betting. Despite being

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5796-651: The Wittmoor bog in northern Hamburg , Germany. The trackways date to the 4th and 7th century AD, both linked the eastern and western shores of the formerly inaccessible, swampy bog. A part of the older trackway No. II dating to the period of the Roman Empire is on display at the permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum Hamburg in Harburg borough, Hamburg . A duckboard is

5934-489: The "Skyscraper by the Sea". With tourism peaking in the 1920s, the period is often considered by historians to be Atlantic City's golden age. During Prohibition , which was enacted nationally in 1919 and lasted until 1933, much liquor was consumed and gambling regularly took place in the back rooms of nightclubs and restaurants. During Prohibition, racketeer and political boss Enoch L. "Nucky" Johnson rose to power. Prohibition

6072-732: The 20th century. After NYC Parks proposed repairing the boardwalk with concrete in the early 21st century, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Riegelmann Boardwalk a scenic landmark in 2018. A renovation of the boardwalk was announced in November 2021 but was delayed. The Riegelmann Boardwalk stretches for 2.7 miles (4.3 km) from West 37th Street at the border of Coney Island and Sea Gate to Brighton 15th Street in Brighton Beach . The boardwalk

6210-596: The Abe Stark Recreation Center, as well as small amusement rides, shops, and restaurants. The First Symphony of the Sea , a wall relief created by Japanese artist Toshio Sasaki , was installed along the boardwalk, outside the New York Aquarium, in 1993. It is 332 feet (101 m) long and 10 feet (3.0 m) tall. The relief contains depictions of waves, fish, and zygotes of marine species in terrazzo and ceramic. Steeplechase Pier,

6348-586: The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association recognized the boardwalk as an "infrastructure accomplishment" comparable to the Catskill Watershed and Central Park. In giving the award, the ASBPA stated that the boardwalk had served people who would otherwise "not have access to exclusive Long Island beaches". The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the boardwalk as one of

6486-462: The Blenheim and merged the two hotels into the Marlborough-Blenheim. Bally's Atlantic City was later constructed at this location. The Traymore Hotel was located at the corner of Illinois Avenue and the boardwalk. Constructed in 1879 as a small boarding house, the hotel grew through a series of uncoordinated expansions. By 1914, the hotel's owner, Daniel White, Josiah White's half-brother, taking

6624-608: The Coney Island Beach. The project involved rebuilding an 800-foot-long (240 m) stretch of the boardwalk, relocating it 300 feet (91 m) inland and straightening its route; this required the condemnation of 20 buildings and the demolition of the Municipal Baths at West 5th Street. City officials announced plans in August 1938 to acquire 18 acres (7.3 ha) along the Brighton Beach shoreline. That October,

6762-577: The Rockaways and New Jersey, was placed along the entire beachfront. Some portions of the original boardwalk were preserved and moved using cranes. In addition, workers relocated lighting and emergency phone boxes; realigned Surf Avenue; and erected a lifeguard station with restrooms. The relocated boardwalk was completed by May 1940. The same year, gray paving blocks were added at Brighton 2nd, West 2nd, West 15th, West 21st, West 27th, and West 33rd Streets, as well as at Stillwell Avenue, creating firebreaks in

6900-574: The Seaside Park resort, between West 5th Street and Ocean Parkway . Other organizations in the 1900s presented numerous proposals to build a boardwalk, though these mainly entailed building a walkway over the ocean, rather than constructing a beach or clearing the waterfront. In 1912, the West End Improvement League published a 36-page booklet about the benefits of constructing a 60-foot-wide (18 m) boardwalk. This plan

7038-542: The amusement areas around New York City. The boardwalk increased international visitation to Coney Island. One French observer wrote of the boardwalk, shortly after its opening, "Families which cannot go to the rich watering places come in hordes on Sunday to enjoy the municipal beach. It is like the Promenade des Anglais at Nice turned over to the proletariat." A writer for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle cited

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7176-720: The application, stating that the boardwalk had been too heavily altered. NYC Parks completed the repairs in May 2016. Despite the rejection of landmark status, Treyger continued to advocate for the Riegelmann Boardwalk's preservation. In March 2018, the LPC voted to "calendar" a public hearing to determine whether the boardwalk should be designated. The commission designated the boardwalk as the city's eleventh scenic landmark two months later, on May 15, 2018. The same month, two comfort stations opened at Brighton 15th Street. The city government announced in November 2019 that it would spend $ 3.2 million to place anti-terrorism bollards at entrances to

7314-403: The architectural firm of Price and McLanahan. The firm made use of reinforced concrete , a new building material invented by Jean-Louis Lambot in 1848, and Joseph Monier received the patent in 1867. The hotel's Spanish and Moorish themes, capped off with its signature dome and chimneys, represented a step forward from other hotels that had a classically designed influence. White named the new hotel

7452-423: The area under the boardwalk with sand. Afterward, the space underneath became occupied by persons who were homeless, so in 1996 the city cleared out the encampment and fenced off the space under the boardwalk. Brooklyn borough president Howard Golden said in 1997 that he considered the boardwalk's condition to be "B-plus"; according to Golden, the largest problems were that some rails and signs needed to be fixed. On

7590-639: The beach at intervals of 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 blocks or 300 feet (91 m). Ramps also connect the boardwalk to the streets to the north. The boardwalk has a steel and concrete foundation supporting wood planking for the walkway, though much of this is no longer visible due to the beach having been raised after the boardwalk was constructed. The boardwalk was built using 1,700,000 cubic yards (1,300,000 m) of sand, 120,000 short tons (110,000 long tons) of stone, 7,700 cubic yards (5,900 m) of reinforced concrete, and 3,600,000 feet (1,100,000 m) of timber flooring. To prevent violent waves from crashing against

7728-412: The beach from Surf Avenue, the southernmost west–east artery on what was then an island. Interest in creating a public boardwalk increased in the 1890s, when the formerly separate boroughs of New York City were consolidated. The economist Simon Patten , a boardwalk proponent, said that the construction of a similar boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the late 19th century had helped to revitalize

7866-451: The boardwalk and that the Brooklyn borough president's office had budgeted $ 20 million since 1981 for repairs. NYC Parks started re-planking the boardwalk with ipe wood in the late 1990s, though this was opposed by environmental groups who objected to the wood being logged from the Amazon rainforest . New comfort stations and shade pavilions were added around 2001. Though the boardwalk

8004-524: The boardwalk in 2016. Several amusement parks that formerly faced the boardwalk, including Steeplechase Park (1897–1964), the original Luna Park (1903–1944), and Astroland (1962–2008), no longer exist. There are several officially designated landmarks on the boardwalk. The Childs Restaurants building , a New York City designated landmark that is now the site of the Ford Amphitheater, opened in 1923 at West 21st Street; its terracotta facade

8142-454: The boardwalk was completed, "poor people will no longer have to stand with their faces pressed against wire fences looking at the ocean". The boardwalk was opened in three phases between Ocean Parkway and West 37th Street. The first section of the boardwalk, comprising the eastern section between Ocean Parkway and West 5th Street, opened in October 1922. The boardwalk was extended westward to West 17th Street in December 1922. The final section of

8280-414: The boardwalk was completed, city officials named it after Riegelmann. As one of the project's main leaders, he had boasted that the boardwalk would raise real estate values on Coney Island. Despite his role in the boardwalk's development, Riegelmann and his assistant commissioner of public works opposed the name, preferring that the project be known as the "Coney Island Boardwalk". Riegelmann stated that, when

8418-415: The boardwalk was expanded in length and width, and modified several times in subsequent years. Prior to the destructive 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane , the historic length of the boardwalk was about 7 mi (11 km) and it extended from Atlantic City to Longport , through Ventnor and Margate . The first road connecting the city to the mainland at Pleasantville was completed in 1870 and charged

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8556-419: The boardwalk's completion as "a contributing factor in the modernizing of the Coney Island section", saying that its construction had led to the development of apartment buildings on the Coney Island peninsula. The boardwalk is the setting for two large annual events. The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place every July 4 outside the original Nathan's Famous location at Surf and Stillwell Avenues near

8694-543: The boardwalk's length, both atop the deck and beneath it. Five pavilions and five pergolas were completed in 1925 by J. Sarsfield Kennedy . These no longer exist but were designed in the Mediterranean Revival style and contained arched doorways, along with tiled roofs supported by corner piers and Tuscan columns . There were also "comfort stations", or restrooms, beneath the boardwalk, characterized by ornamental semicircular stairs and rooftop terraces at

8832-518: The boardwalk, as part of a larger initiative to improve safety in public areas following a deadly 2017 truck attack in Manhattan . Starting in 2021, NYC Parks hired a team of carpenters to repair parts of the boardwalk between March and November of each year. NYC Parks announced in November 2021 that it would renovate the entirety of the Riegelmann Boardwalk for $ 114.5 million. The renovation would be conducted in several phases, although only one phase

8970-536: The boardwalk, broken water fountains, and filthy restrooms. In 1985, a small part of the Coney Island Beach, as well as three other city beaches and Central Park 's Sheep Meadow , were designated as "quiet zones" where loud radio playing was prohibited. Subsequent repairs to the boardwalk were completed by 1987. In the early 1990s, as part of a $ 27 million shoreline protection project, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) filled in

9108-413: The boardwalk, from West 17th to West 37th Street, was officially opened with a ceremony on May 15, 1923. At the time of its opening, the boardwalk was said to be wider and more expensive than the comparable boardwalks at Atlantic City, the Rockaways, and Long Beach on Long Island . After the boardwalk was completed, Charles L. Craig , the New York City Comptroller , said that it could not be considered

9246-457: The boardwalk, including the Brighton, Chelsea, Shelburne, Ambassador, Ritz Carlton, Mayflower, Madison House, and the Breakers. The Quaker -owned Chalfonte House, opened in 1868, and Haddon House, opened in 1869, flanked North Carolina Avenue at the beach end. Over the years, their original wood-frame structures would be enlarged, and even moved closer to the beach. The modern Chalfonte Hotel, eight stories tall, opened in 1904. The modern Haddon Hall

9384-489: The boardwalk, sixteen rock jetties were built at intervals of 600 feet (183 m). The beaches are not a natural feature; the sand that would naturally replenish Coney Island is cut off by the jetty at Breezy Point, Queens . Following the boardwalk's construction, sand has been redeposited on the beaches via beach nourishment . The boardwalk is designed to handle a maximum load of 125 pounds per square foot (610 kg/m). To accomplish this, designer Philip Farley installed

9522-404: The boardwalk, the restrooms and drinking fountains were not functioning, and the section between West 32nd and West 33rd Street had collapsed completely. In 1983, officials estimated that one-quarter of the planks were not in good shape. The same year, New York City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin rated the boardwalk's quality as "poor" due to holes and nails within the deck, vacant lots adjacent to

9660-479: The boardwalk-raising project would not be completed until 2030. Alec Brook-Krasny , who was reelected to the New York State Assembly in 2022, proposed funding repairs to the boardwalk if a planned casino on Coney Island were approved. By early 2023, NYC Parks was planning to rebuild the section from West 24th to West 27th Street for $ 11.5 million. Although that section was originally supposed to have been rebuilt by February 2022, work had not even started. Designs for

9798-631: The boardwalk. In early 1941, workers started extending the boardwalk 1,500 feet (460 m) from Coney Island Avenue to Brighton 15th Street. The extension, 50 feet (15 m) wide, was narrower than the rest of the boardwalk. Upon completion of the extension, the boardwalk reached its current length of 2.7 miles (4.3 km). In 1955, Moses proposed extending the boardwalk east to the Manhattan Beach Boardwalk. These plans were opposed by Manhattan Beach property owners, who contended that it would bring social degradation to their community. The Board of Estimate ultimately voted against Moses's plan. Further work

9936-400: The boardwalk. WCBS-TV also found that, between 2017 and 2022, thirty-one people claimed to have sustained injuries while on the boardwalk. Although NYC Parks had replaced over a thousand planks in mid-2022, WCBS-TV reported in October 2022 that the renovation project had not started. At the time, USACE was considering raising the boardwalk to 18 feet (5.5 m). If this plan were implemented,

10074-411: The boardwalk. Nathan's had been one of several hot dog vendors that formerly lined Coney Island. The Coney Island Mermaid Parade has taken place along the boardwalk since 1983. The parade typically occurs every June, and involves floats and costumes and a King Neptune and Queen Mermaid that are crowned at the end of each parade. As an icon of Coney Island, the Riegelmann Boardwalk has been depicted in

10212-451: The city acquired 18 acres (7.3 ha) from developer Joseph P. Day for the eastward extension. The expanded beach in Brighton Beach opened to the public in July 1939, and officials began allowing bicyclists to use the boardwalk that year. Moses had originally planned to clear another 100 feet (30 m) inland of the boardwalk, but these plans were modified in August 1939 to preserve the amusement area there. The Board of Estimate approved

10350-514: The city from 2013 to 2018. As of the 2020 census , the city had a population of 38,497, a decline of 1,061 (−2.7%) from the 2010 census count of 39,558, which in turn reflected a decrease of 959 (−2.4%) from the 40,517 counted in the 2000 census . The city was incorporated on May 1, 1854, from portions of Egg Harbor Township and Galloway Township . It is located on Absecon Island and borders Absecon , Brigantine , Egg Harbor Township, Galloway Township, Pleasantville , Ventnor City , and

10488-424: The city government did not include any additional funding for the boardwalk's renovation in its 2022 budget. The $ 114.5 million grant was only sufficient to fund repairs to a 3-mile (4.8 km) section of the boardwalk. An investigation by news organization The City found that, from 2012 to 2022, the city government had spent several hundred thousand dollars to settle lawsuits by visitors who had been injured on

10626-471: The city is prominently known as the "Las Vegas of the East Coast" and inspired the U.S. version of the board game Monopoly , which uses various Atlantic City street names and destinations in the game. New Jersey voters legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976, and the first casino opened two years later. From 1921 to 2004, Atlantic City hosted the Miss America pageant, which later returned to

10764-492: The city to attract customers to his casinos. Mike Tyson fought most of his fights in Atlantic City in the 1980s, which helped Atlantic City achieve national attention as a gambling resort and vacation destination. Several highrise condominiums were built for use as permanent residences or second homes. By end of the decade, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. On June 27, 2017,

10902-416: The city to make improvements to the beach and surrounding streets to make the boardwalk easier to access. In accordance with this, sand from the seabed was used to replenish the eroded shorelines. Timber bulkheads, timber groynes , and granite jetties were installed starting in August 1922. The beach could accommodate more than a half-million people when the project was finished. In April 1923, shortly before

11040-399: The city took over several private passageways, including West 12th Street. Sewers and sidewalks were installed. Brooklyn public officials believed these changes would revitalize Coney Island's shore and lessen congestion on Surf Avenue. In total, the boardwalk and related improvement projects cost $ 20 million (about $ 356 million in 2023). Of this cost, 35 percent was paid through taxes, and

11178-424: The city were scrapped in 2002, the tunnel opened in 2001. The new roadway prompted Boyd Gaming in partnership with MGM/Mirage to build Atlantic City's newest casino. Borgata opened in July 2003, and its success brought an influx of developers to Atlantic City with plans for building grand, Las Vegas-style mega casinos to revitalize the aging city. Owing to economic conditions and the late 2000s recession , many of

11316-469: The city's scenic landmarks in 2018, having previously rejected it for landmark status. Boardwalk In many seaside resort locations, boardwalks along the beach provide access to shops, hotels, and tourist attractions. The Jersey Shore in the United States is especially noted for its abundance of boardwalks. Some wooden boardwalks have had sections replaced by concrete and even "a type of recycled plastic that looks like wood." An early example

11454-424: The city, as well as from kickbacks on construction projects. During this time, Atlantic City was led by mayor Edward L. Bader , known for his contributions to the construction, athletics and aviation of Atlantic City. Despite opposition, he had Atlantic City purchase the land that became the city's municipal airport and high school football stadium, both of which were later named Bader Field in his honor. He led

11592-548: The concrete sections was controversial. Though concrete was cheaper and did not require wood sourced from the Amazon rainforest, many local residents and officials felt that wood would be more authentic. There was no logistical difficulty in securing wood because the Rockaway Boardwalk was simultaneously being rebuilt in that material. After installing two small concrete sections of the boardwalk, NYC Parks proposed using

11730-568: The early 1990s, along with newly built casinos in the nearby Philadelphia metro area in the 2000s, Atlantic City's tourism began to decline due to its failure to diversify away from gambling. In 1999 the Atlantic City Redevelopment Authority partnered with Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn to develop a new roadway to a barren section of the city near the Marina. Nicknamed "The Tunnel Project", Steve Wynn planned

11868-428: The early 2010s, sturdy hardwoods were added to the boardwalk, as were plastic and concrete. The boardwalk is used as a bike lane between 6   a.m. and 9   p.m. each day, except during summers, when cycling is curtailed after 10   a.m. The boardwalk must be manually shoveled during snowstorms, as road salt and snowplows both damage the wood. There are restrooms , benches, and drinking fountains along

12006-986: The end of the decade. Prior to and during the advent of legalized gambling, many of these hotels were demolished. The Breakers, The Chelsea , the Brighton, the Shelburne, the Mayflower, the Traymore and the Marlborough-Blenheim were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s. Of the many pre-casino resorts that bordered the boardwalk, only the Claridge, the Dennis, the Ritz-Carlton , and the Haddon Hall survive to this day as parts of Bally's Atlantic City ,

12144-542: The exterior work and had continued work on the interior after finally receiving the funding necessary to complete construction, and had a soft opening in April 2012 before being fully open the next month. Ten months later, in February 2013, after serious losses and a write-down in the value of the resort from $ 2.4 billion to $ 450 million, Revel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It was restructured but still could not carry on and re-entered bankruptcy on June 19, 2014. It

12282-420: The first hotel in Atlantic City but also the largest in the nation. Its rooms totaled more than 600, and its grounds covered some 14 acres. The first boardwalk was built in 1870 along a portion of the beach in an effort to help hotel owners keep sand out of their lobbies. Businesses were restricted and the boardwalk was removed each year at the end of the peak season. Because of its effectiveness and popularity,

12420-422: The first of these was Sea Lion Park , which opened in 1895 and closed eight years later. By the first decade of the 20th century, Coney Island contained three competing amusement parks (Luna Park, Dreamland , and Steeplechase Park), and many independent amusements. The beach remained largely inaccessible to the public, since it was the private property of beachfront lots. In 1882, the first lots were acquired from

12558-582: The formerly rundown waterfront there. The New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor took a similar position. In 1897, the Board of Public Improvements and Brooklyn borough president Edward M. Grout proposed a boardwalk along the southern shore of Coney Island, between West 37th and West 5th Streets. The board and Grout expected that property owners would relinquish their waterfront plots to create

12696-436: The initial boardwalk design in 1919. The city approved Brooklyn borough president Edward J. Riegelmann 's proposal for an 80-foot-wide (24 m), 9,000-foot-long (2,700 m) boardwalk between Ocean Parkway and Sea Gate in July 1920. City officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on October 1, 1921, the day they obtained title to the land. The actual beach improvement and boardwalk construction began in 1922. Construction

12834-483: The initiative, in 1923, to construct the Atlantic City High School at Albany and Atlantic Avenues. Bader, in November 1923, initiated a public referendum, during the general election, at which time residents approved the construction of a Convention Center. The city passed an ordinance approving a bond issue for $ 1.5 million to be used for the purchase of land for Convention Hall, now known as

12972-418: The late 1890s as a means of uniting the different sections of Coney Island, and as a revitalization project for these areas. The boardwalk, designed by Philip P. Farley, was named after Brooklyn borough president Edward J. Riegelmann , who led its construction. The Riegelmann Boardwalk's first portion opened in 1923, with further extensions in 1926 and 1941, as well as several modifications and repairs throughout

13110-470: The luxury beach resorts during the hot summer. Finally, the rise of relatively cheap jet airline service allowed visitors to travel to year-round resort places such as Miami Beach and the Bahamas . The city hosted the 1964 Democratic National Convention which nominated Lyndon Johnson for president and Hubert Humphrey as vice president. The convention and the press coverage it generated, however, cast

13248-415: The modified plan for the boardwalk in December; the approval had been delayed by one week after a landowner objected. The following month, the board provided an $ 850,000 appropriation for the work, and construction started on the boardwalk extension. To provide easier access to the boardwalk, a new street near West 9th Street was built. As part of the renovations, a two-foot (0.61 m) covering of sand, from

13386-406: The morning. Soul food restaurants and ribs joints also lined Kentucky Avenue, including Wash's Restaurant , Jerry's and Sap's. Like many older East Coast cities after World War II , Atlantic City became plagued with poverty, crime, corruption, and general economic decline in the mid-to-late 20th century. The neighborhood known as the "Inlet" became particularly impoverished. The reasons for

13524-435: The next year that all of the beachfront exposed at low tide belonged to the state. An appellate court affirmed this decision in 1916, with an exception made for part of Steeplechase Park, a plot of land granted by the state prior to the creation of the park. All obstructions on the beachfront were demolished in accordance with the ruling. The Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue station , completed in 1920, allowed greater access from

13662-581: The ocean were installed by the J.W. Fiske Ironworks Company, but have since been replaced. Modern attractions on the boardwalk include Luna Park , Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park , and the New York Aquarium . The boardwalk is adjacent to Maimonides Park , which opened in 2001 and is the home stadium of the Brooklyn Cyclones , a Minor League Baseball team. A live performance venue, the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island , opened on

13800-440: The only one remaining on Coney Island's beach, extends 1,040 feet (317 m) southward from the boardwalk's intersection with West 17th Street. It is near Steeplechase Park, of which the pier was originally part. The pier had been built by 1904, at which point it was estimated as being 2,000 feet (610 m) long. A newspaper article from that year praised the view from the pier: "There is no more beautiful view around New York than

13938-419: The other hand, residents had complained the previous year that the boardwalk had loose and cracked boards, holes in the wood, and uneven pilings. City vehicles frequently used the boardwalk despite exceeding the weight limit; furthermore, NYC Parks only had three employees to maintain the boardwalk year-round, as compared to eight in 1990. NYC Parks contended that it had spent $ 180,000 on a recent project to repair

14076-442: The piles. The boardwalk's planks are set in a modified chevron design, running at 45-degree angles between two longitudinal wooden axes. The diagonal pattern was intended to "facilitate ease in walking", according to American Lumberman magazine, while the 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) wooden axes were designed for chairs to be rolled down the boardwalk. The boardwalk was first built using Douglas fir planks from Washington state. By

14214-518: The post-World War II automotive boom. This culminated in the closure and sale of Steeplechase Park, the area's last major amusement park, in 1965. A newspaper article noted in 1961 that between 5,000 and 10,000 people slept on the beach every night, and that the boardwalk was a common place for purse snatchings and muggings. Since the boardwalk contained a wide-open space underneath, it was a frequent location for such acts as looking up women's skirts, indecent exposure, and kissing. The boardwalk's maintenance

14352-522: The proposed 'Mirage Atlantic City' around the idea that he would connect the $ 330 million tunnel stretching 2.5 mi (4.0 km) from the Atlantic City Expressway to his new resort. The roadway was later officially named the Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector , and funnels incoming traffic off of the expressway into the city's marina district and the city of Brigantine . Although Wynn's plans for development in

14490-513: The proposed mega casinos never advanced further than the initial planning stage. One of these developers was Pinnacle Entertainment , which purchased the Sands Atlantic City for $ 250–$ 270 million and closed it on November 11, 2006 with plans to replace it with a larger casino. The following year, the resort was demolished in an implosion, the first of its kind in Atlantic City. While Pinnacle Entertainment intended to replace it with

14628-422: The remainder was paid by the city. The Brighton Beach extension of the boardwalk, which would build out the boardwalk from Ocean Parkway eastward to Coney Island Avenue, was formally approved by the city's Board of Estimate in June 1925. The extension was 3,000 to 4,000 feet (910 to 1,220 m) long, and entailed expanding the beach and creating new paths to the boardwalk. Real estate developments were proposed as

14766-466: The renovation were supposed to have been completed by April 2023 but were delayed because the city needed to add wheelchair ramps. The boardwalk opened up the beach to the millions who visited Coney Island in its heyday, and it became known as the area's " Main Street ", supplanting Surf Avenue in that role. A 1923 guidebook described the area as "the oldest, most densely crowded and most democratic" of all

14904-462: The residents of Sea Gate, the private community through which the boardwalk would have been expanded. In June 1927, borough president James J. Byrne approved the Sea Gate extension and bought land on the Sea Gate waterfront. The following year, the bulkhead lines in Sea Gate were approved for demolition, in anticipation of the boardwalk being extended. The boardwalk extension was slated to connect to

15042-553: The resort's decline were multi-layered. First, the automobile became more readily available to many Americans after the war. Atlantic City had initially relied upon visitors coming by train and staying for a couple of weeks. The car allowed them to come and go as they pleased, and many people would spend only a few days, rather than weeks. The advent of suburbia also played a significant role. With many families moving to their own private houses, luxuries such as home air conditioning and swimming pools diminished their interest in flocking to

15180-536: The rest of New York City. Overcrowding became common, with up to one million people filling the island on the hottest days. In May 1921, the state legislature voted to give the city the right to acquire any uplands facing the Atlantic Ocean on Coney Island, as well as on Queens' Rockaway Peninsula west of Beach 25th Street in Far Rockaway, Queens . In preparation for this action, the city held meetings on

15318-871: The same height as the deck. Most of the shade pavilions south of the boardwalk were built in the 2000s and 2010s and are elevated to comply with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) storm-surge regulations, though there are also some historic pavilions from the 20th century. The newer pavilions, designed by Garrison Architects, are modular structures that are installed in pairs. The modular structures contain double-layered stainless-steel facades and are powered by photovoltaic cells. There are four non-functional historic cast iron fountains as well as newer, functioning steel fountains. The boardwalk's original street furnishings included 170 street lights with twin lamps, similar to those installed on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. These street lights are placed every 80 feet (24 m), as well as at street intersections. Benches that faced

15456-668: The second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan statistical area , which encompasses those cities and all of Atlantic County for statistical purposes. Both Atlantic City and Hammonton, as well as the surrounding Atlantic County, are culturally tied to Philadelphia and constitute part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area or Delaware Valley , the nation's seventh-largest metropolitan area as of 2020. Located in South Jersey on Absecon Island and known for its taxis , casinos , nightlife , boardwalk , and Atlantic Ocean beaches and coastline ,

15594-423: The section between Coney Island Avenue and Brighton 15th Street with concrete. The decision to use concrete and plastic was again controversial, but according to NYC Parks, was necessary to repair decades of use and deterioration. That December, after the repairs were announced, City Council members Mark Treyger and Chaim Deutsch suggested designating the boardwalk as a scenic landmark . The LPC initially rejected

15732-399: The sight of the twinkling colored lights of Coney Island and its reflection in the water." Steeplechase Pier was originally used by anglers and, until 1932, was used by ferry lines to Coney Island. The original Steeplechase Pier was erected by builder F.   J. Kelly at an unknown date and was completed within 30 days. The pier was ceded to the city in October 1921 just before the boardwalk

15870-606: The state of New Jersey. In 2019, the Atlantic City area had the highest rates of foreclosures in the nation. This has disproportionately affected Black residents in neighborhoods segregated by redlining , a legacy that is mirrored by the values of properties on the Monopoly game board. After several casino closures and the COVID-19 pandemic , strikes and pickets were being threatened in June 2022 by casino employees which were short-staffed and wanted pay raises. Atlantic City

16008-412: The state saw a drop in money from its 8% tax on those earnings, which is used to fund programs for senior citizens and the disabled. On October 29, 2012, " Superstorm Sandy " struck Atlantic City and caused flooding and power-outages but left minimal damage to any of the tourist areas. The storm produced an all-time record low barometric pressure reading of 943 mb (27.85") for not only Atlantic City, but

16146-585: The state to initiate the landmark ruling, New Jersey was actually the third state to legalize sports betting after Nevada and Delaware . In June 2018, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy signed the legislation into law, and several New Jersey–based casino brands subsequently opened sportsbooks , especially in Atlantic City. With the redevelopment of the Las Vegas Strip and the opening of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut in

16284-520: The time for the contract expired, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) announced that the deal with Village Super Market (VSM) was dead and that they were looking for new contenders. VSM created a new plan for CRDA and the city's Council to review and by July 2023, it and a Chinese conglomerate headquartered in Hong Kong emerged as the two candidates to build the supermarket. However, as of November 2023, no further progress had been made on

16422-448: The trench systems. Combat troops on nearly all sides routinely wore hobnail -style trench boots that often slipped on the new duck boards when they were wet, and required extra caution. Falling or slipping off the duckboards could often be dangerous, even fatal. Unfortunate soldiers were left struggling to rise under the weight of their equipment in the intractable and sometimes deep water or mud. If this happened at ground level during

16560-408: The urban problems that plagued Atlantic City. Many people have suggested that it only served to exacerbate those problems, as attested to by the stark contrast between tourism intensive areas and the adjacent impoverished working-class neighborhoods. While Atlantic City has been less popular than Las Vegas as a gambling city in the United States, Donald Trump helped bring big name boxing bouts to

16698-679: The village of Gravesend at unusually low prices and subdivided to private interests. Some portions of the beach contained private boardwalks, but other portions had no infrastructure, and some sections of the beach were enclosed by fences that extended into the water. In the 1890s, a private boardwalk was built to connect the hotels and bungalows in Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach; this walk extended for nearly 1 mile (1.6 km). George C. Tilyou , who operated various amusements in Coney Island and later consolidated them into his Steeplechase Park, built boardwalks in his resorts at Coney Island and Rockaway Beach . Numerous privately owned piers jutted into

16836-417: The visual arts, music, and film. After its completion, the boardwalk was considered the most important public works project in Brooklyn since the Brooklyn Bridge , with a comparable impact to the Catskill Watershed and Central Park . By the mid-19th century, the Coney Island waterfront was divided among several private entities who erected barriers. Plans for a Coney Island boardwalk were first discussed in

16974-451: The visual arts, music, and film. Several artworks have shown the boardwalk as a focal point, including Harry Roseland 's 1930s depictions of the boardwalk and beach, as well as the 1938 lithograph The People Play-Summer by Benton Murdoch Spruance . Films have used the boardwalk as a setting or as a plot narrative, such as Sinners' Holiday (1930), Little Fugitive (1953), Annie Hall (1977), The Warriors (1979), and Requiem for

17112-420: The water at West 5th, West 8th, and West 17th Streets. Public beach accessibility was considered almost nonexistent; in 1904, it was estimated that there were 1.4 square inches (9.0 cm) of public beachfront on Coney Island for each of the 3.7 million residents of New York City. In 1912, the West End Improvement League of Coney Island noted that only one street, West 23rd Street, had direct public access to

17250-469: Was adapted to the wishes of the property owners rather than to the requirements of the public welfare. Moses unsuccessfully tried to prohibit carnival barkers from the boardwalk. He also announced plans to expand it eastward, to the vicinity of Corbin Place in Brighton Beach, as well as to incorporate another 18 acres (7.3 ha) within Brighton Beach. The expansion would add capacity for 50,000 visitors along

17388-467: Was built in stages and was completed in 1929, at eleven stories. By this time, they were under the same ownership and merged into the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel , becoming the city's largest hotel with nearly 1,000 rooms. By 1930, the Claridge, the city's last large hotel before the casinos, opened its doors. The 400-room Claridge was built by a partnership that included renowned Philadelphia contractor John McShain . At 24 stories, it would become known as

17526-413: Was constructed, and was reopened in December 1922. Several proposed improvements, such as a widened deck and an auditorium, were never built. In the following years, Steeplechase Pier was damaged multiple times by hurricanes, fires, and boat accidents. The most serious incident was a fire in 1957 that destroyed the pier; a larger replacement opened the next year, with a T-shaped extension at the end. The pier

17664-634: Was designed to blend in with the boardwalk's appearance. To the east is the Parachute Jump , a defunct parachute tower ride standing 250 feet (76 m) tall, which is both a city landmark and a National Registered Historic Place . The B&B Carousell , directly beside the Parachute Jump, is the last operating carousel in Coney Island and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Coney Island Cyclone ,

17802-548: Was endorsed by the New York City Board of Estimate , which in April 1913 approved a special committee's report on the feasibility of building such a structure. This time, Coney Island residents largely supported the proposed boardwalk, though there were disputes over whether to pay the $ 5 million cost through private capital or city funds. Simultaneously, in 1912, New York State sued amusement owners for taking private ownership of Coney Island's beach. A judge ruled

17940-466: Was funded. The boardwalk would remain open during the project. The plans include replacing the hardwood planks with recycled plastic, renovating furniture, and constructing concrete piers to replace deteriorated wooden supports. The plan had to be approved by mayor-elect Eric Adams , who, as borough president, had opposed the previous proposal to replace the wooden deck with plastic and concrete. In mid-2022, city councilman Ari Kagan expressed concerns that

18078-479: Was in active decline by the 1970s, although repairs on two sections of boardwalk between Brighton 1st and Brighton 15th Streets were underway by 1975. Local officials, such as then-assemblyman Chuck Schumer , and residents of the surrounding communities petitioned for the Board of Estimate to release $ 650,000 in funding for repairs to the boardwalk. By the 1980s, the boardwalk was in poor condition; several people had been injured after falling through rotted portions of

18216-581: Was incorporated in 1854, the same year train service began on the Camden and Atlantic Railroad . Built on the edge of the bay, this served as the direct link of this remote parcel of land with Philadelphia , the second-most populous city in the United States at the time and the largest city in Pennsylvania . The same year, construction of the Absecon Lighthouse , designed by George Meade of

18354-466: Was largely unenforced in Atlantic City. Because alcohol that had been smuggled into the city with the implicit approval of local officials, it was easily obtained at restaurants and other establishments, and the resort's popularity grew further. The city then dubbed itself as "The World's Playground". Nucky Johnson's income, which reached as much as $ 500,000 annually, came from the kickbacks he took on illegal liquor, gambling and prostitution operating in

18492-441: Was overseen by Philip P. Farley, consulting engineer for Brooklyn from 1918 to 1951. The first bents for the boardwalk structure were erected in March 1923, and the last bents were completed ten months later. Initially there was some opposition to the boardwalk's construction, and business owners unsuccessfully attempted to erect fences to prevent construction progress. Concurrently with the boardwalk improvements, Riegelmann petitioned

18630-659: Was put up for sale, however as no suitable bids were received the resort closed its doors in September 2014. The property was bought by AC Ocean Walk, LLC for $ 200 million in 2017, and reopened in 2018 as Ocean Casino Resort. In the wake of the closures and declining revenue from casinos, Governor Christie said in September 2014 that the state would consider a 2015 referendum to end the 40-year-old monopoly that Atlantic City holds on casino gambling and allowing gambling in other municipalities. With casino revenue declining from $ 5.2 billion in 2006 to $ 2.9 billion in 2013,

18768-399: Was rebuilt most recently in 2013 after it was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Two years after it reopened, the pier received a $ 3.4 million grant for a total reconstruction. The Coney Island House, established in the early 19th century, was the first seaside resort on Coney Island. Coney Island could be reached easily from Manhattan , while appearing to be relatively far away. As

18906-417: Was undertaken on the boardwalk in the late 20th century. This included the replacement of the original street lights with replicas in the 1960s, and the replacement of benches, drinking fountains, pavilions, and comfort stations. Concrete and brick lifeguard towers were erected in the 1970s. By the 1960s, Coney Island was in decline because of increased crime, insufficient parking facilities, bad weather, and

19044-543: Was well-known, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had not received any requests to designate the boardwalk as an official landmark by the 2000s. LPC chairman Robert B. Tierney said in 2003 that the boardwalk was unlikely to be protected as a city landmark because it had been drastically modified over the years. By 2010, the city government was renovating the boardwalk: some sections were receiving new wood planking over concrete supports, while others were being replaced entirely with concrete. The addition of

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