How Robert Moses bulldozed the soul of Coney Island

How Robert Moses Demolished America’s Greatest Playground

Coney Island today is a shadow of America’s greatest playground, thanks to one man’s vision of urban renewal.

In 1937, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses took control and immediately began destroying what made Coney Island special.

He called the arcades and attractions “riff raff” establishments and systematically replaced them with parking lots and housing projects. When Luna Park burned in 1944, Moses seized the land.

His 1954 master plan would have demolished nearly everything within sixty blocks. Moses allegedly let crime and poverty take over to justify federal funding for his destruction.

The final blow came in 1966 when Fred Trump threw a demolition party at Steeplechase Park, selling bricks to guests who smashed the beloved Funny Face before bulldozers moved in.

Here’s the full story of how Moses methodically destroyed America’s playground, and what you can still see today.

Parks Boss Took Over Coney Island in 1937

Robert Moses grabbed control of Coney Island’s beach and boardwalk in 1937 through a City Charter change.

He quickly released his plan “The Improvement of Coney Island, Rockaway and South Beaches,” calling the area “a sad commentary on the lack of foresight.”

Moses banned ads along the boardwalk, stopped loudspeakers near the beach, and put up rule signs everywhere.

His real goal soon became clear: get rid of what he called “riff raff” places and small arcade games that made Coney Island famous.

The Boss Hated Coney’s Working-Class Fun

Moses loved his clean Jones Beach State Park on Long Island and looked down on Coney’s busy beach scene and rides.

He pushed for big changes like moving the boardwalk 300 feet inland and adding huge parking lots instead of better train access. The city bought a 400-foot-wide strip along the shore to help Moses move the boardwalk.

His plans helped rich car owners over working-class New Yorkers who took the subway to Coney Island.

Bulldozers Tore Through Coney’s Boardwalk in 1940

Moses moved the boardwalk away from the beach, knocking down many beloved buildings including the city’s bath house. He changed Surf Avenue and tore down blocks of fun spots to create wider beach areas.

When fires damaged parts of the boardwalk in 1939, Moses used the chance to tear down the damaged structures. On January 22, 1940, bulldozers moved in, starting the physical change of America’s playground.

Luna Park Fire Gave Moses His Chance

Luna Park’s western half burned down on August 12, 1944, causing $800,000 in damage and destroying the Dragon’s Gorge, Mile Skyway roller coaster, and Coca-Cola tower.

Moses saw his chance when the park closed for good in September 1944.

He asked the city to give Luna Park’s waterfront land to the Parks Department, which they did in 1949. Moses then changed the zoning to residential use with plans to knock down “about a third” of Surf Avenue attractions.

The 1954 Plan Aimed to Destroy Everything

New York City Planning Commission created a big “master plan” for Coney Island in 1954, heavily shaped by Moses. This plan would tear down nearly every building within a 60-block area, replacing fun spots with housing.

Only a small amusement zone between West 22nd and West 8th Streets would stay, going just 200-400 feet from the shore.

Steeplechase Park got a short break, but most shorefront stands were marked for removal and replacement with housing.

Moses Let Crime Take Over the Neighborhood

Through the 1950s and 1960s, Moses did nothing as poverty, prostitution, drugs, and gang violence spread through Coney Island.

These problems were “mostly unknown to Coney Island even in days of Prohibition” but now seemed “almost encouraged by Moses.”

His neglect drove down property values and created urban decay, which then justified federal urban renewal money.

Moses made no effort to stop the decline and wanted to let the island’s amusements “die out on their own.

Public Housing Towers Replaced Famous Fun Park

Luna Park became Luna Park Houses between 1958-1962, with public housing towers rising where millions once enjoyed thrilling rides.

Moses moved New York Aquarium to the former Dreamland site in 1947 to block another amusement park from opening there.

Fred Trump bought Luna Park’s eastern half in 1950 and western half in 1953 for $625,000, planning to build housing. Thousands of low-income families moved into non-winterized bungalows and run-down housing.

Steeplechase Park Hung On Until 1964

The last of Coney’s three original great amusement parks kept running until 1964, even though Moses published reports about redeveloping the entire area as early as 1937.

Rising crime, lack of parking, the post-WWII car boom, and competition from Moses’s 1964 World’s Fair hurt visitor numbers.

Marie Tilyou finally sold the family property to Fred Trump in February 1965 for $2.5 million, turning down local buyers like Astroland and Nathan’s Famous who might have saved it.

Trump Threw a Party to Smash Coney’s Famous Symbol

Fred Trump bought Steeplechase Park planning to build luxury apartments but failed to get zoning changes.

He refused to open the park for the 1965 season even though the community expected him to run it until building permits came through.

On September 21, 1966, Trump hosted a “demolition party” where bikini-clad models posed and guests paid to throw bricks at the Pavilion of Fun.

He tore down the beloved Funny Face symbol before landmark status could save it.

The Slum Clearance Program Destroyed Lives

The city’s “slum clearance” plan under Moses faced scandal when exposed as mainly helping developers while hurting poor residents. Thousands of homes were abandoned and demolished, leaving families homeless.

Trump’s “racist tenant relocation tactics” at Trump Village site forced poor families into run-down West End bungalows.

Mayor John Lindsay declared the West End a poverty zone in 1967, starting the Coney Island West Urban Renewal Program.

Coney Island Became an Urban Wasteland for Decades

By 1990, storefronts on Mermaid Avenue had decreased by 90%, from over 400 stores before urban renewal to just 39 afterward.

Deadly shootings, prostitution, and drug use became common throughout the 1980s in the low-income housing developments Moses created.

Former amusement structures like the Parachute Jump stood unused while the area suffered from drug-related killings and crimes.

Moses’s systematic destruction took 50 years for the Coney Island community to recover from, transforming America’s most beloved playground into a neglected urban wasteland that bore little resemblance to its glory days.

Visiting Coney Island

You can explore Robert Moses’s impact on Coney Island at the free Coney Island Museum on the second floor of 1208 Surf Avenue. Take the D, F, N, or Q trains to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station.

The Coney Island History Project has exhibits about Fred Trump’s 1966 demolition party at West 12th Street near the Wonder Wheel entrance.

For more Robert Moses materials, check the New-York Historical Society archives through August 2025.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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