Coney Island's been a mixed bag for preservationists lately, as the Coney Island 8's eviction fight drags on and even the existing landmarks are in bad shape. But Coney Island giveth as well as taketh away. The Landmarks Preservation Commission today unanimously agreed to designated Coney Island's Childs Restaurant building as a landmark. If that phrase brings on a feeling of deja vu, it's because Coney already has one landmarked Childs Building, a somewhat creepy 1923 structure that most recently contained a roller rink. Today's lucky landmark is the 1917 Childs Restaurant at 1208 Surf Avenue, the chain's first Coney location. "The unusual design of the building recalls a resort typically found in Florida or the Carribean," quoth LPC chairman Robert Tierney. "It...contributed to the amusement area's aura of fantasy." A few evicted boardwalk business could do with an aura of fantasy right now!
· Childs Building coverage [Curbed]
· Coney Island coverage [Curbed]
· Photo via Brownstoner.