Coney Island Permanently Closing

[Kenban]

I wonder how much money the water park on its own lost or made.  Ignore the cost of maintaining the rest of the property, just the pool and slides.

When you consider how large the property is as a whole, around 100 acres, which is roughly the size of the Kings Island parking lot.  It feels like keeping the pool and either hiring a third party or just running it themselves as a small water park, should be possible, total I believe this would be around 8 acres.  The rest has to be maintained anyways.  As long as they don’t need the space, and I just cannot imagine how they would, unless there are plans for other facilities on the land.

[DJSkyFoxx]

Ok so hear me out....

I currently live about 10 minutes away from Coney. I want to be able to gain permission to take pictures of everything before it's gone forever. Not only for my own personal passion project as a lover of parks and coasters, but to be able to have them for posterity. Granted yes, there are many many many other photos out there in existence of Coney, I feel being able to get them in her final moments of existence would be an amazing opportunity. 

I took a shot in the dark and emailed the park a few days ago. Of course, no reply yet. Honestly not sure if I will get a reply at all as I am sure their inbox is overflowing with an endless amount of angry, sad, resentful words. 

Not sure if this can be a possibility at all. I would love the honor to be able to. Not even really sure if there is anyone else I could talk to/ask about it. 

Worth a shot.

[beastfan11]

3 hours ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

Ok so hear me out....

I currently live about 10 minutes away from Coney. I want to be able to gain permission to take pictures of everything before it's gone forever. Not only for my own personal passion project as a lover of parks and coasters, but to be able to have them for posterity. Granted yes, there are many many many other photos out there in existence of Coney, I feel being able to get them in her final moments of existence would be an amazing opportunity. 

I took a shot in the dark and emailed the park a few days ago. Of course, no reply yet. Honestly not sure if I will get a reply at all as I am sure their inbox is overflowing with an endless amount of angry, sad, resentful words. 

Not sure if this can be a possibility at all. I would love the honor to be able to. Not even really sure if there is anyone else I could talk to/ask about it. 

Worth a shot.

I’ve tried as well. Crickets.

They probably aren’t going to respond, unfortunately. I also tried calling without luck. They’ve also disabled comments on their social media platforms. I don’t think they want to engage anyone. Sounds like another park/social media team I know…

[DJSkyFoxx]

2 hours ago, beastfan11 said:

I’ve tried as well. Crickets.

They probably aren’t going to respond, unfortunately. I also tried calling without luck. They’ve also disabled comments on their social media platforms. I don’t think they want to engage anyone. Sounds like another park/social media team I know…

I know the likelihood is slim to none, but it would be nice if they would do some kind of "farewell tour". Set a date and maybe 5-6 hours of time to allow people to say their goodbyes, get photos/videos, etc. Especially since this wasn't exactly a "planned" closure for the public (much like in the fashion of some other Ohio parks). 

Good luck @beastfan11 hopefully one or both of us can find a way to make it happen

[Taylor.B03]

From what I hear, the park itself is no longer owned by coney at this current time. (Again, what I hear.)

I think you would want to ask the people who now own the land. 

[Shaggy]

I stopped by this past weekend to pay my final respects…

 

[disco2000]

Not that it matters at this point unless they buyer pulls out, but the Cincinnati Preservation Association has jumped on board.

The owner of Coney probably wishes now they simply said it wasn't feasible to operate anymore and shutting down and was going on the market and let it sit idle for awhile.

I think the double whammy of saying it is closed and look what is in store for it all in the same announcement simply pulled much harder on the emotional connections than had it simply faded into the sunset.

 

https://cincinnatipreservation.org/coney-islands-moonlite-gardens-sunlite-pool-under-threat/?fbclid=IwAR113kJAtQag2YSv9CixNqBSuaGBsK7WbxOSobhgxGbCuowd8ZoEFw5IPMw

[beastfan11]

Sweet story. Demonstrative of how much this place means to everyone. 
 

https://www.fox19.com/2023/12/21/8-year-old-comes-up-with-19-step-plan-save-coney-island/?fbclid=IwAR29KJdZIN_fmiH-YQ4fgAdbY1K3lWm2OWwef8jQEcl8EvzbD8sp9ILKNxs_aem_AQrDM0sh2iqMfBXZ4ID7kTbdwVAvLawIR6aWlcdu6xFcbA4cKdtEIpCQ1yg5Onm2aPs#lqgo9dwqmn8qad43oh

[DJSkyFoxx]

9 hours ago, disco2000 said:

Not that it matters at this point unless they buyer pulls out, but the Cincinnati Preservation Association has jumped on board.

The owner of Coney probably wishes now they simply said it wasn't feasible to operate anymore and shutting down and was going on the market and let it sit idle for awhile.

I think the double whammy of saying it is closed and look what is in store for it all in the same announcement simply pulled much harder on the emotional connections than had it simply faded into the sunset.

 

https://cincinnatipreservation.org/coney-islands-moonlite-gardens-sunlite-pool-under-threat/?fbclid=IwAR113kJAtQag2YSv9CixNqBSuaGBsK7WbxOSobhgxGbCuowd8ZoEFw5IPMw

I think you make a good point here. It would have hurt either way, but I think the whole announcement coming out of left field ( to the GP ) and with those loyal fans having already purchased their 2024 passes expecting to be able to attend next year, this hit hard with a 1-2 uppercut "we're closing but LOOK here's a brand new high tech music venue where a large music venue already exists next door LOL!"

I imagine this feeling would hurt anyone who is a fan of any park. Imagine expecting to be able to go to your home/favorite park next year, you've already purchased your passes and BAM! Your park is going to get leveled and replaced with something that is in abundance. Don't get me wrong, I love music/concerts and a good venue to patronize, but Cincinnati isn't exactly hurting for music and entertainment spaces. The new venue looks awesome in the concept art, but I won't sit here and pretend I'm not upset about how this was handled and how this whole "disposable" trend continues to happen with historic places in the states. 

I've read a lot of comments of people saying they find it appalling how many people are upset that business owners are trying to do what's best for them and that folks memories and sentiments shouldn't supersede that, but I think that's an incredibly heartless way to view this situation. Yes, business owners are allowed to handle their businesses how they see fit, but that doesn't mean that people have to be happy about it or supportive of it. The thing is, it seems as time goes on, there are fewer and fewer of these smaller parks being allowed to exist and I know there are many complicated numbers games involved here as to why that is, but sometimes I really think it just boils down to greed and that's just sad. All these housing, retail and consumer-esque establishments taking up unique spaces is getting very old. 

 

End Rant 

[BoddaH1994]

On one hand, this is a done deal.

On the other, CSO can’t afford to have a ton of negative sentiment. 

I doubt anything comes from this, but it’s still interesting.
 

 

[DonHelbig]

46 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

On one hand, this is a done deal.

On the other, CSO can’t afford to have a ton of negative sentiment. 

I doubt anything comes from this, but it’s still interesting.
 

 

It would be interesting to see how many of the people expressing negative sentiment about Coney Island's closure on social media visited Coney Island over the past 10 years. Everyone came out of the woodwork when it was announced Cincinnati Gardens had been sold and would be torn down, and it's the same story with Coney Island. 

[teenageninja]

I will say, I lived near Coney and it was pretty busy most days with good weather.

[BoddaH1994]

12 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

It would be interesting to see how many of the people expressing negative sentiment about Coney Island's closure on social media visited Coney Island over the past 10 years. Everyone came out of the woodwork when it was announced Cincinnati Gardens had been sold and would be torn down, and it's the same story with Coney Island. 

As with anything, the loudest were the least active, I’d guess.

Some questions that need to be asked are:

1. Could the music venue and Sunlight Pool co-exist?

2. Are people not going visit the music venue because of this? My guess is no.

3. Are the ride removals what drew people away, and if so, if they reopened Sunlight Pool, would those people be enticed to come back now that the threat of closure is looming?

4. If it’s about history and not the community, then where can they meet you in the middle? A landmark sign? A statue? Keep the pool as ruins? 

 

[Gordon Bombay]

5 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

4. If it’s about history and not the community, then where can they meet you in the middle? A landmark sign? A statue? Keep the pool as ruins? 

The low hanging fruit is keeping the entrance/incorporating it into the “campus” and also using Moonlight Gardens as a reception venue/restaurant/bar/lounging area during events. Preserves some history and the spirit of the place. 

[Gordon Bombay]

6 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

On the other, CSO can’t afford to have a ton of negative sentiment. 

I think they can. Their subscribe/customer/donor base probably  definitely  isn’t the same as most Coney season pass holders. And once they announce a landmark/big name act to open the music venue, the “you killed Coney” facebook comments will be overshadowed by folks excited to post “Can’t wait to see X there.” Imagine if they announced Taylor Swift… fuhgedaboudittttt

Then again, if I can don a tinfoil hat for a second—the timing of the announcement could be very strategic. Local newsrooms are staffed low right now due to the holidays and also dealing with a glutton of seasonal stories (especially local tv who’s prepping for their weather scares and posting “war on Christmas” clickbait). What a perfect time to swing this under the radar.

I do want to add: I very much empathize with folks here, amusement park fans, and those who are sad to see it go. Coney is a huge piece of Cincinnati history and speaking as someone who’s done a lot of work around Cincinnati history, this news was pretty shocking. 

However…

The truth is that “Old Coney” — the one memorialized in books, memories, and postcards — died over fifty years ago in the Spring of 1972. Sunlite Pool managed to stick around by happenstance and new ownership brought in what were mostly carnival rides in the early 90s. Sure it was a local swimming hole (and a good one at that) and a great place for events/picnics, but the park of yester-year mostly existed where Riverbend is now. Even the “newer” rides they yanked out in 2019 were simply a nod to the past. That really was it. It may not make things feel better for some people—but look at what Coney became (hint: it’s the reason this website exists). 

Now, if we wanna talk about this region’s latest obsession with new music venues, well, I got some thoughts . This has gotta be the nail in the coffin for Timberwolf, though, right? Or is KI still gonna try and pretend that dump is in any way a “venue?”

[burlguy41005]

7 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

It would be interesting to see how many of the people expressing negative sentiment about Coney Island's closure on social media visited Coney Island over the past 10 years. Everyone came out of the woodwork when it was announced Cincinnati Gardens had been sold and would be torn down, and it's the same story with Coney Island. 

A number of us followed it, my deceased friend was second place on the concrete reliefs they salvaged and the sign to museum....

[BoddaH1994]

19 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

I think they can. Their subscribe/customer/donor base probably  definitely  isn’t the same as most Coney season pass holders. And once they announce a landmark/big name act to open the music venue, the “you killed Coney” facebook comments will be overshadowed by folks excited to post “Can’t wait to see X there.” Imagine if they announced Taylor Swift… fuhgedaboudittttt

Then again, if I can don a tinfoil hat for a second—the timing of the announcement could be very strategic. Local newsrooms are staffed low right now due to the holidays and also dealing with a glutton of seasonal stories (especially local tv who’s prepping for their weather scares and posting “war on Christmas” clickbait). What a perfect time to swing this under the radar.

I do want to add: I very much empathize with folks here, amusement park fans, and those who are sad to see it go. Coney is a huge piece of Cincinnati history and speaking as someone who’s done a lot of work around Cincinnati history, this news was pretty shocking. 

However…

The truth is that “Old Coney” — the one memorialized in books, memories, and postcards — died over fifty years ago in the Spring of 1972. Sunlite Pool managed to stick around by happenstance and new ownership brought in what were mostly carnival rides in the early 90s. Sure it was a local swimming hole (and a good one at that) and a great place for events/picnics, but the park of yester-year mostly existed where Riverbend is now. Even the “newer” rides they yanked out in 2019 were simply a nod to the past. That really was it. It may not make things feel better for some people—but look at what Coney became (hint: it’s the reason this website exists). 

Now, if we wanna talk about this region’s latest obsession with new music venues, well, I got some thoughts . This has gotta be the nail in the coffin for Timberwolf, though, right? Or is KI still gonna try and pretend that dump is in any way a “venue?”

Totally see what you’re saying. But I don’t think that the SP holders are the ones most rattled… or at least making the most noise. My concern would be the overall sentiment of CSO could take a hit, which wouldn’t be good for a donation-based organization. But you’re likely right-it won’t really matter.

And no need for a tin foil hat. Releasing negative news at a time when it’s unlikely to be run is a very common PR tactic. I do not, however, think that is the case here. Up until just a few days before the announcement Coney was trying to sell season passes. This tells me that there may have been a “will they / won’t they?” situation and as soon as they either came to an agreement or CSO secured funding, they made the announcement. I truly do think they were trying to do the right thing.

[beastfan11]

https://cincinnatipreservation.org/coney-islands-moonlite-gardens-sunlite-pool-under-threat/?fbclid=IwAR113kJAtQag2YSv9CixNqBSuaGBsK7WbxOSobhgxGbCuowd8ZoEFw5IPMw
 

Took a good portion of my day to attempt to contact our city officials. 

0/10 answered their phones.

If you have a moment to voice your concerns instead of complaining about food plans and Intamin, you can do so here:

Be respectful and kind! 

[beastfan11]

(No) Apologies for the double post: 

 

 

 

[VortexBFForever]

I went to Nights of Lights on Friday night and it was great, yet a little bittersweet. It was weird seeing the same waterslides I rode in 2012 and knowing I would likely never get to ride them again. I waited too long to return to Coney for the rides and now the pool, which is sad, but at least I got to experience them in 2012 as well as my other Nights of Lights trip in 2020.

I'm hoping Coney gets saved, but unless something is confirmed I will assume Friday night was my final visit. I'm grateful I got a chance to say goodbye, unlike the rides and the pool...

[DiamondbackFan]

On 12/28/2023 at 4:56 PM, beastfan11 said:

Took a good portion of my day to attempt to contact our city officials. 

0/10 answered their phones.

Your profile location says Northern Kentucky.  How are elected officials in Cincinnati your city officials?

[beastfan11]

29 minutes ago, DiamondbackFan said:

Your profile location says Northern Kentucky.  How are elected officials in Cincinnati your city officials?

Yeah, and my AIM screen name from 2008 was on my profile until not that long ago. Doesn’t mean that it was up to date. 

Get a life and quit being a creep. You don’t know where I live and it wouldn’t be any of your business anyway. 

[disco2000]

Dude there is nothing creepy with what he posted.  It literally says on the post under your avatar where you are located at - whether that is accurate or not is another story, but it took ZERO creepy thought or investigation to come up with his comment.  It literally is sitting there next to your post for us all to see when we see your post... And it is his business if he lives in the City limits (along with all city taxpayers) if people that don't live in the city and thus don't have money in this fight are trying to save something that results in city tax dollars going to buy and maintain this place....

 

The first thing elected officials do is have their aides see if any of the comments received are from constituents and if they aren't, they are not looked at further.  If you can't vote for them or haven't donated enough cash to be an influence, then your voice don't count.

As I said before, this is an exchange of property from one private owner to another private. 

If this were public property, then it is another story and a likely different outcome.

The private property owner has five "Bundles of Rights" which describes the set of legal rights associated with ownership of real property. This “bundle” is made up of five different rights: the right of possession, the right of control, the right of exclusion, the right of enjoyment and the right of disposition.

It are these Bundles of Rights that allow them to proceed with this sale and do as they choose as nothing illegal is being done. 

The elected officials have zero input or say in this.  Sure if they have a significant voter base up in arms they will come out with some statement to make the voters feel they are on their side, but unless the government comes up with the cash to buy the property, nothing more will come out of it.

In addition, this is too far from the city core for Cincinnati elected officials to be concerned with.  Heck unless you live on the East side, most Cincinnatians travel 471 to 275 into Kentucky to get to Coney because it is faster.  Most don't realize part of it is even in city limits since it is faster to get to it by going thru another state LOL...

If Sunlite pool were in the middle of the West End or Over the Rhine, then we would probably see the elected officials look at taking some of the rail money to buy the property, but this location and history doesn't meet their current criteria.  Further, many on city council have relatives that were not allowed to go to Coney until the early 60s, so to them this might not be worthy of being saved....and as someone else early posted, the real history of Coney basically died in the early 70s when the rides moved to KI or were destroyed.  In fact a book was written about it saying Goodbye to Coney.  The fact that Coney lasted this long after originally being scheduled to shut down when KI was built is just extra years.

It's fine if people want to protest and all that, but the fact of the matter is since this is a private property issue and the elected officials core constituents are not participating in the save Coney initiatives, the protests won't change anything.

And it is America, so if the protesters come up with enough money to buy the land and keep it as Coney, that is their right and choice as well.  But they really don't have a say on what someone does on their private property if they are meeting all applicable laws and regulations due to the legal bundles of rights for owning property.

If people had a say on what someone does legally on someone else's property, none of us would have a roof over our head as the property we all live on was once a farm or forest or some other type of land that the surrounding owners would have like to have kept as-is and not turned into a subdivision or apartment complex or condos or whatever.

[KIEagle33]

6 hours ago, beastfan11 said:

Yeah, and my AIM screen name from 2008 was on my profile until not that long ago. Doesn’t mean that it was up to date. 

Get a life and quit being a creep. You don’t know where I live and it wouldn’t be any of your business anyway. 

I don't think his intent was to be a "creep". It is the user's decision whether or not to reveal your own location. I believe he was simply trying to fact check your post.

[beastfan11]

More info for those with unusable gift cards: 

https://www.wlwt.com/article/coney-island-gift-card-refund-cincinnati/46275191?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&fbclid=IwAR1Y-aVuEdees6cD-6JEJCYD7fuW2_mK5qgqooXhGW5p60SNLEk1OsZBgTc_aem_AbPGBpczi8SjNkvNalCjyhihc28Xk7H3BPwiiklldj2T8KfGqRx9qq7_OwgVcte78aw#
 

Quote

In an update, park officials said those with outstanding Coney Island gift card balances can attend an event at the park on Saturday, Jan. 20 to redeem balances for merch or get a refund.

The event is not open to the public, just those with outstanding balances. Gift card holders will be required to show their gift cards for entry.

 

And an incredible and honest opinion piece from the Cincinnati.com: 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/01/02/boycott-cincinnati-symphony-orchestra-for-coney-island-closure/72085970007/

 

Quote

The news that Coney Island was closing permanentlyhit me like a gut punch. As most Cincinnatians know, Coney Island and Sunlite Pool have been a part of the fabric and character of this city − a place that helps to make Cincinnati wonderful − for 137 years.

I heard initially that some development corporation had purchased Coney Island to develop the property into who-knows-what − pricey housing, an upscale shopping venue, or perhaps a deluxe entertainment complex. That would have been no surprise since development corporations often build whatever they think will make them money without any regard to what's really important to Cincinnati or its people.
 

Who owns Coney Island?What to know about water park's closure

When I learned the truth that the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra − another institution that is part of the fabric of the city − was behind Coney Island's closing, that gut punch hurt so much worse. Really? The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra? The symphony has been a part of the Cincinnati arts scene for 128 years, and CSO officials should understand better than most what losing a cultural gem that has entertained generations would mean to the community.

 

Boycotts are being organized and the funds for a documentary are quickly being raised. Regardless of certain questionable opinions, people do, in fact, care for the history of the park and Cincinnati and would like to see it saved. Those online, across news sites, and social media justifying and/or celebrating the closure of the park are in an embarrassing minority. 

Here’s to hoping for a brighter future. 

[Oldiesmann]

A few quick comments from me about this.

First, the whole "boycott the symphony" plan isn't going to help. While MEMI is owned by the symphony, the symphony itself is an entirely separate organization and those involved with the symphony likely had nothing to do with this decision. I'm not sure that MEMI even makes any money from the symphony anyway since they don't have any control over Music Hall (the symphony itself owns that - not MEMI). On top of that, MEMI owns multiple venues - Taft Theatre, Riverbend/PNC Pavilion, Andrew J. Brady Music Center and Rose Music Center at the Heights (in Huber Heights, a northern suburb of Dayton).

Second, the people to blame for this are the (now former?) executives at Coney Island. Nobody ever mentioned (publicly) that the park was for sale. They continued selling 2024 passes up until this announcement was made, at which point they basically said "Sorry. We'll give you back your money" and left it at that. My guess is the owners decided they wanted to sell and alerted MEMI (for obvious reasons), at which point executives there saw a golden opportunity and pounced on it before anyone else could have an opportunity to buy the park.

The best way to complain is to send complaints directly to MEMI via social media, email, snail mail, in person (possibly?) or phone. All of their contact info is available on their website at https://memi.biz.

[Tr0y]

I'm okay with Coney Island being sold, and honestly who here actually frequented Coney Island more than say, Kings Island any given year? I can't even count on two hands on how many times I've been to Coney Island in my lifetime. 

Nobody likes change, and although it will be sad to see the historic pool go, I am excited to see what the future holds. I do hope that MEMI saves historic/existing structures and incorporate those into the music/entertainment district they are proposing to make. Two structures I would like to see incorporated would be Moonlight Gardens, and the Main gate.

If you had to choose a couple structures to be saved, what would they be?

[disco2000]

It's officially sold

https://local12.com/news/local/cso-paid-millions-coney-island-cincinnati-symphony-orchestra-how-much-purchase-price-sold-amusement-park-concert-venue

[Taylor.B03]

15 hours ago, disco2000 said:

It's officially sold

https://local12.com/news/local/cso-paid-millions-coney-island-cincinnati-symphony-orchestra-how-much-purchase-price-sold-amusement-park-concert-venue

Wow, that's sad just $8M

[Oldiesmann]

And the now former owners of Coney are laughing all the way to the bank while likely thinking about what they'll do with all their new-found free time. MEMI executives are meanwhile dreaming of all the revenue they'll eventually get from the tickets once the new venue is complete. They also no longer have to pay Coney a portion of the ticket revenue from Riverbend and PNC Pavilion for parking, since they own the lot now as well.

It's really a shame that Coney is now closed, but the previous management didn't really seem to know what to do with the park either.