Unable to come to terms with the landlord, Thor Equities, Astroland instead will close up shop. This Sunday will be the final day, says co-owner Carol Albert, whose lease ends in January. “My employees cannot live in a state of limbo any longer. It takes six months to pack up a three-acre amusement park that has been in operation for 46 years, so a Jan. 31 deadline means start packing yesterday. We are out of time,” said her statement, printed in the New York Times. Albert and her husband sold the land to Thor Equities for $30 million in 2006, and later the company offered renderings of the mixed-use amusement park it planned to create, including shops and housing. The Alberts accuse Thor Equities of turning their backs on the amusement park in favor of creating retail and expensive residential projects, but Thor released its own statement: “Coney Island will be fully open for business in the summer of 2009 with amusements, games, shopping and entertainment galore.” Apparently, that entertainment won’t be Astroland, which employs 350 people. Sad as it is, there is one silver lining: the landmarked Cyclone roller coaster, which operates under a separate agreement, will remain in action.
Yet Again, Astroland Threatens to Close [NY Times]
Astroland Co-Owner: ‘We Are Out of Time’ [NY Observer]
Coney’s Astroland to Die on Sunday [Gothamist]
Rides Into the Sunset [NY Post]
Photo by zin1223.