Coney Island/Sunlite Pool Demolition

[beastfan11]

It appears as though our dear friends at CSO/MEMI have brought the hammer down on Coney Island and Sunlite Pool. As of this post, the destruction of the pool has started: 

3/21/24

I actually stopped by the park last night before dinner to snag a few pics. Didn’t think today was going to be demo day. Glad I went when I did: 

3/20/24

Looks like a lot of working going on in the corner of the park by Lake Como, the interstate, and Kellogg. Maybe this is the site of the new venue? I’ve heard the pool area will be a parking lot expansion…

Anyway. I adore this place and hate seeing this happen. But I’m sick, and I plan on doing periodic updates with pictures. So I’ll post them here as things progress. 

[beastfan11]

A few more, for kicks and giggles. Because I’ll miss this park. 
 

[BeeastFarmer]

Thank you for documenting this for posterity.  I've only been to Coney Island once, and that was a walk through to get to Riverbend, so I don't have the sentiment you do.  But , I do hold the property in due respect since it went through labor pains to birth Kings Island.

[pilotank]

Very sad day indeed!

Thanks for the memories!

They sped up the demolition before the meeting with Anderson Twp. officials.

Sneaky to the end! Shame on you CSO.

pilotank

[burlguy41005]

Yep...have first had experiences with a few of those snakes...it an agenda for their profit. Be easier for me to digest it tear the gate and it all down...but they will do simply what serves them best...

 

Love to start a rumor...MEMI wants to knock down  Ault Park Pavilion...maybe reason cancelled the fireworks...that a long drive from Triple Crown....lmao

[Tr0y]

So ready to enter a bidding war over the Silver Bullet water slide. 

[Gordon Bombay]

20 minutes ago, burlguy41005 said:

but they will do simply what serves them best...

I’ve got no love for MEMI after what they did to MidPoint, but this shouldn’t surprise you considering they’re not in the business of operating pools. 

Sunlite (and by extension, what was left of Coney) got spared by a stroke of luck in 1971. There’s been ample time to revive the park into something more, but no one did, even after the death was hastened with the removal of rides in 2019.  

At least they intend to keep the main gate and possibly even Moonlite Gardens…a venue which the previous ownership let rot. 

[shark6495]

Saw this post on Facebook. Looks to be drone shots of them destroying the pool.  I do hope they save moonlight gardens. Had my first dance and real kiss there. 
 

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/SYPvJue5rPaoR9mj/?mibextid=WC7FNe

[Oldiesmann]

I read somewhere a while back that they do plan to save Moonlite Gardens.

As much as people love to hate MEMI and/or CSO for this, it isn't their fault at all. This wouldn't be happening if the previous owners of the property hadn't decided to sell it to begin with. They were even selling season passes right up until the announcement of the sale was made, and have conveniently remained silent on this issue ever since (easier to let a big corporation and the city's beloved symphony orchestra take the blame I guess).

[jbeast]

Although it is sad to see the park's demise, the ownership did themselves no favors removing the rides.

The rides were just enough to get my family to buy season passes each year. Not an overly big selection, but quite a few fun rides (bumper cars were great there!). We actually did not go to the pool much at all. We saved that for KI.
It was super close and a really nice way to spend an afternoon walking around under the trees, getting a bite to eat and riding. Once the rides were removed, we ceased to buy passes. It hurt because we have had such amazing, memory filled days there. If we wanted a water park, then off to KI we go for a much more robust selection of slides. 

So, I blame management for not understanding just how much the park meant to locals and beyond. Not keeping the rides and not thinking ahead and adding more rides to the mix was what killed Coney for us.

[westcoaster]

Coney fate sealed long ago when the Wach family visioned Kings mills Ohio. Imagine no Kings Island Cincinnati may have still has several small parks. But without that vision to build north who knows what today in The Triad state area of In OH n KY been. To Coney's new owners yes, the loss of Sunlite pool is huge, but look what Coney became, today just north of where it all began. 

[disco2000]

6 hours ago, westcoaster said:

Coney fate sealed long ago when the Wach family visioned Kibgs mills Ohio. Imagine no Kings Island Cincinnati may have still has several small parks. But without that vision to build north who knows what today in The Triad state area of In OH n KY been. To Coney's new owners yes, the liss of Sunlite pool is huge, but look what Coney became, today just north of where it all began. 

Exactly.  Just think if the protestors were successful in the late 60s/early 70s and the Coney Island of yesteryear was not closed then and the rides moved to the new park called Kings Island - there would be no Kings Island and possible by extension no Kings Dominion or Canada's Wonderland either....

[DJSkyFoxx]

Goodbye Coney....Goodbye....Electric Boogaloo 

[westcoaster]

I guess they will keep Lake Como and Moonlight gardens yes things change we do not shop like we did, we see lil mom n pop parks not making it thriving striving much less surviving. To Coney Island that gave us 1972 to 2023  giving us 5 decades more ( that did not have to happen, even when most of the park was bull dozed n moved after 71. 

 

Change is the Constant in life . 

 

Bigger is not always better, shiny vs what we loved and our Cherished memories,  the good-times,gone by we cannot dwell,  tomorrow is not guranteed. Embrace the change move forward. With Belterra Racino maybe a Hotel to come we do have a Constant in Coney redevelopment  Mighty Ohio River n flooding.  Imagine if the Apple Grove never became Coney , till 1900 & 71was the pinnacle of the Vision Mission and Passion that Walt Disney came to see for himself. Then later; Coney Island seen Disney for the new Park n Kings Mill project and the rest is history.

 

 

 

 

[beastfan11]

On 3/24/2024 at 12:24 PM, disco2000 said:

Exactly.  Just think if the protestors were successful in the late 60s/early 70s and the Coney Island of yesteryear was not closed then and the rides moved to the new park called Kings Island - there would be no Kings Island and possible by extension no Kings Dominion or Canada's Wonderland either....

No, not “exactly” in the slightest. This is in no way similar to 1971 when the park was closed. Sunlite Pool remained opened and the promise of Kings Island brought an entire section of the park dedicated to recreating the Coney Island mall experience, down to the relocation of several rides. There were no protests because there was no need for them. I think this dead horse has been beaten enough, no? 

Anyway. The work on the pool demo was put into high gear last week, just as Anderson and  preservationists were in talks about options to save the space. Take that as you will. 

Not my photos: 

Some of my photos from last week: 

 

A new piece from Cincinnati.com: 

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra gives the arts a bad name by erasing historic Coney Island

Quote

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's acquisition and demolition of Coney Island and Sunlite Pool is giving the Cincinnati arts community a bad name. 

Arts organizations should be leaders in engaging the community, but CSO purchased Coney Island and planned a $118 million dollar development in secret. They certainly didn't engage the public on the plans. Even key stakeholders weren't consulted. Anderson Township has made multi-million-dollar investments along Kellogg Avenue near Coney Island, in close consultation with stakeholders. CSO did even have the courtesy to notify them. 

CSO remained silent for weeks following public backlash and then emerged with misleading statements. They claimed the previous owners closed Coney Island. When CSO announced that it had purchased Coney in mid-December, Coney was still open. It was selling 2024 season passes, and it remained open until Dec. 31 for holiday light shows. 

CSO claimed that they can't save Sunlite Pool because, "they don't know how to operate a pool. Nor does the symphony know anyone to ask who could operate a pool." It is easy not to know when you don't ask. Both Anderson Township and a community preservation group have expressed interest in acquiring the pool. There could be other buyers or operators, but CSO hasn't looked for them. 
 

The arts should preserve and enhance the richness of our community. Coney Island and Sunlite Pool are irreplaceable parts of our city's history. Sunlite Pool is the only one of its kind in the world and served as an inspiration to Walt Disney. CSO is erasing a historic place and replacing it with a generic one − a venue that can be found in any city. They are turning a space where generations gathered to one for acts just passing through.
 

CSO replacing an affordable public space with an unaffordable one

The arts should bring people together. CSO is replacing an affordable public space with an unaffordable one; a family-friendly venue with one that has a much narrower demographic. Places like Coney Island are vital for fostering connections across generations. Their loss alters the social fabric of our community. 

There have been arguments that Coney Island was unprofitable. We don't know if that's true. The records haven't been released. We don't know if it could be saved by better management or a public private partnership. And profitability isn't the only factor. CSO is seeking tens of millions in donor funding and $20 million in taxpayer funding to convert Coney into a music venue. Couldn't that funding be better spent preserving it?

Even worse, the destruction is senseless. CSO plans to let Riverbend sit empty next door to the new venue they're building. Why not modernize Riverbend? Or replace it? Or find a plot of land not already taken by one of the city's favorite attractions? Or one that's not in a floodplain?
 

I for one won’t support the destruction of our heritage and our family-friendly places. I’ve written my state representatives and asked them to oppose spending our taxpayer money to destroy our public spaces. I won’t attend symphony performances. I’m writing to my favorite acts and asking them not to play venues owned by CSO, including Riverbend, PNC Pavilion, Taft Theatre and Ballroom, and the Andrew J. Brady Music Center. Finally, I’m sending my donations to arts organizations that stand with the community, not above it. I encourage you to do the same.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/03/30/cincinnati-symphony-orchestra-erasing-historic-coney-island/73095739007/?fbclid=IwAR1KKdyVHxm4WC9DL-aqjXu83hCnfHb7y-SI8CUrqH-poDu0YL91VA8GiCg_aem_AQ4mH_7rh7eF229m7DKFSTGtmwwA--eDw_5E5qC4v89s5s9fRLAE5LVKYPYv796GE1I

 

"When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always 20 years behind the times." - Mark Twain

[DJSkyFoxx]

Ok so now the question to ask is, how possible would it be to obtain a piece of the pool? 

Silly I know, but I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking this.

Years ago when the old Market Square Arena in Indianapolis was being demolished, my mother and I took a trip downtown and simply asked a construction worker for a piece of the concrete from it. Dude was cool about it and said he literally had dozens of folks asking for a piece since it meant so much to them, especially people my mom's age who grew up going to concerts there.

Makes me wonder if O'Rourke would be as cool about such a request. 

[beastfan11]

You’re definitely not alone, speaking for myself and others. I’d love a piece, but have no faith in that happening due to CSO/MEMI’s treatment of the people who care for the park and the ongoing situation as a whole. I’d love to be proven wrong. 

[burlguy41005]

Saw in the threads and finally someone noticed the acres was donated for a summer home of CSO., hence Riverbend. Then years later promoters and bottom feeders came to Cincinnati. The expert on all this transition would be Mr. Vic Nolting.... Dennis, your response on all this  was bs...respect you though.

[johnjniehaus]

Does anyone have an official source confirming that moonlight gardens is going to be preserved? On the CSO website it states that it has been deemed unsafe since 2018 and is listed in the section along with sunlight pool which as we see has met it's fate...

I am a proud CSO subscriber but this has definitely made me start questioning how much I'll be supporting them in the future. Now they have a point which is that the previous ownership drove the park into the ground but as for them pinning the blame on the previous owners for closing the park and destroying Cincinnati landmarks...that's not entirely true. Sure maybe the park closed under the old management but CSO is the one behind the demolition of a historic record holding pool and possibly other historical buildings on the property. I can think of 2 other buildings besides moonlight gardens that seemed pretty old to me...For an organization who acts like they care about preservation (music hall, Taft theater, etc) this is a hard hit to me.... Like isn't there a way to repurpose coney and also save some of its iconic architecture? I'll give the CSO that they probably don't want to operate a pool but I'd be curious if anyone else would have been interested in purchasing just that section and possibly some of the parking area to continue operating sunlight pool? 

I don't know. I think Coney's demise was a long time coming but it doesn't make it hurt any less to see... I do think they should have kept the rides though I wasn't looking at their financial books to know profit margins... It just seemed like a bad move to me and I know my family wasn't the only ones who stopped going after the rides were removed. 

[disco2000]

2 hours ago, johnjniehaus said:

Does anyone have an official source confirming that moonlight gardens is going to be preserved? On the CSO website it states that it has been deemed unsafe since 2018 and is listed in the section along with sunlight pool which as we see has met it's fate...

I am a proud CSO subscriber but this has definitely made me start questioning how much I'll be supporting them in the future. Now they have a point which is that the previous ownership drove the park into the ground but as for them pinning the blame on the previous owners for closing the park and destroying Cincinnati landmarks...that's not entirely true. Sure maybe the park closed under the old management but CSO is the one behind the demolition of a historic record holding pool and possibly other historical buildings on the property. I can think of 2 other buildings besides moonlight gardens that seemed pretty old to me...For an organization who acts like they care about preservation (music hall, Taft theater, etc) this is a hard hit to me.... Like isn't there a way to repurpose coney and also save some of its iconic architecture? I'll give the CSO that they probably don't want to operate a pool but I'd be curious if anyone else would have been interested in purchasing just that section and possibly some of the parking area to continue operating sunlight pool? 

I don't know. I think Coney's demise was a long time coming but it doesn't make it hurt any less to see... I do think they should have kept the rides though I wasn't looking at their financial books to know profit margins... It just seemed like a bad move to me and I know my family wasn't the only ones who stopped going after the rides were removed. 

 

All I have heard is they are looking into saving Moonlight Gardens, but I don't think they have committed to it.

Irrelevant question now, but would the Coney lovers preferred they save the pool or the gardens?  Is saving the gardens, if they decide to do it, enough goodwill or was it the pool everyone wanted?

Let me give you a counter to think about regarding you mentioning considering not being a CSO supporter in the future.

But let me start with since some here seem to think I am a Coney hater, that is unequivocally false.  My family is a multi-generational lover, supporter, and attendee of all things Coney Island. I bet my family had passes to Coney longer than many of the Coney supporters protesting what is happening.  Let's just say I might not be here if it were not for Coney Island LOL....

But I am also a realist and know that my love and nostalgia for the place doesn't pay their bills and if a private business owner decides to sell the business, that is their choice.  And if the purchaser wants to do something else with the land, that is their choice.  Again, my memories of the place doesn't pay their bills.

Let me also put on the record that I am not a CSO supporter LOL.  At least not in a financial sense.  It is great that they provide a world-class orchestra and musical experience for those into that scene, but I have never attended a CSO event or concert and never went to Riverbend and never made a financial contribution.  Not my scene.  I won't be going to any concerts there in the future either.  Again, not my scene.

I would rather it have remained Coney.  I think we have too many concert venues as it is, many of which are supported with my hard earned tax dollars.  But apparently there were not enough people going to Coney and spending money to make it a viable business.

But we also have to remember that Coney Island as a "historical significance" disappeared when the rides were moved to KI or demolished.  They even wrote a book about it and had a farewell season.

Further, it was Taft that ultimately killed Coney Island as a slow death.

Taft bought Coney Island in 1969 and a mere FOUR months later in July 1969 announced they were going to close Coney and build a new park and move rides to what became Kings Island.

Rides were either demolished or moved to Kings Island.

Taft put the land up for sale.

Taft could not find a buyer and reluctantly opened the pool and operated it for 4 years without making a profit and couldn't find a buyer and wasn't sold until 1987 and then sold again to the Walker family in 1991.

So the Walker family operated Coney for 32 years before selling.  Taft owned it a mere 4 months and decided to close it and moved all the rides to KI and then couldn't find a seller so then operated the pool for 15 years before selling it.

I am grateful we got 50 more years out of the place and everyone under the age of 50 got to experience a glimpse of its former shell.

I mentioned back in 2020 in this thread that I felt Coney got rid of the rides to speed up the process of making the land worth more as something else than a pool and would probably get turned into a concert venue or an addition to the casino.  @BoddaH1994at the time said I gave Walker too much credit LOL.  Maybe so, but the writing was on the wall then that Coney as we knew it days were numbered.

And yes Coney did donate land that became Riverbend - it was a smart business move.  It was land not being used and then their parking lot became a significant source of revenue.  Some have claimed Walker made more in Riverbend parking than he did operating the pool.  Had they not done that, Coney may have closed even sooner.

From what I hear, MEMI wasn't the only interested buyer.  I was told an out of state developer that builds those new apartments/condo things that we see popping up all over apparently was looking at taking advantage of the casino close by to build one of those types of communities like what took over Blue Ash airport.  Floodplain and all because they would have simply elevated the platforms like the school that was built in a floodplain near Lunken Airport, they were looking at how to build there but their bid was rejected.

And as I said when this sale was first announced, I thought they were stupid to wham/bam hit people with "hey Coney is closed and Riverbend on steriods is taking its place" and had they simply said they were closing and it is up for sale for some period of time that everyone knew about and then MEMI bought it, maybe the backlash wouldn't have been as bad?

I can understand from a business perspective why they kept it on the down-low, but they should have expected some of this backlash.

So then the question is, if it was a given Coney would no longer exist, would people prefer X number of an apartment complex or a concert venue that we are now getting?

 

 

[beastfan11]

4 hours ago, johnjniehaus said:

Does anyone have an official source confirming that moonlight gardens is going to be preserved? On the CSO website it states that it has been deemed unsafe since 2018 and is listed in the section along with sunlight pool which as we see has met it's fate...

I don't believe anything has been officially decided regarding the fate of Moonlite Gardens. The "unsafe since 2018" line is either a typo or a flat out lie. The park was regularly holding events throughout the 2019 season up the the last night the rides were open. I would know, as I was there. 

 

4 hours ago, johnjniehaus said:

I am a proud CSO subscriber but this has definitely made me start questioning how much I'll be supporting them in the future. Now they have a point which is that the previous ownership drove the park into the ground but as for them pinning the blame on the previous owners for closing the park and destroying Cincinnati landmarks...that's not entirely true. Sure maybe the park closed under the old management but CSO is the one behind the demolition of a historic record holding pool and possibly other historical buildings on the property. I can think of 2 other buildings besides moonlight gardens that seemed pretty old to me...For an organization who acts like they care about preservation (music hall, Taft theater, etc)

Bingo. In my opinion, they really don't deserve the support they receive, and at this point, their non-profit status should seemingly be revoked. Previous generational ownership did the park no favors and are largely responsible for the state the park is (not) in today. The removal of the rides, various PR issues, lack of capital investment are all contributed to the park and pools closure. But is/was a viable business model when managed correctly and there's no reason to  believe the park as a whole could not be successful. But no one forced CSO to bulldoze the pool. That decision is solely their responsibly alone. And if they end of doing the same with Moonlite Gardens and the surrounding buildings, that's also on them. 

And to be blunt, they don't give a darn about preserving history, they only care about their own infrastructure. That's why Music Hall was ultimately restored. I'd love to believe that they did it for the sake of preserving Cincinnati history, but they only did it because they absolutely had to in order for the building to be usable. And even then, the funds to restore Music Hall came from philanthropic efforts and taxpayer funds. 

The irony is that there are two historic music venues important to the history of Cincinnati. One has been fully restored by efforts led by the CSO. The other's fate is up in the air. Yes, it would cost significant amount of money to restore, but CSO/MEMI are financially capable of doing so (and have recently done so) while also seeking more taxpayer money from the state for this project. It's hypocritical to say the least, and demonstrative of their true character. 

4 hours ago, johnjniehaus said:

 Like isn't there a way to repurpose coney and also save some of its iconic architecture? I'll give the CSO that they probably don't want to operate a pool but I'd be curious if anyone else would have been interested in purchasing just that section and possibly some of the parking area to continue operating sunlight pool? 

Yes, there certainly is. As recently as least week there was talk of Anderson looking into purchasing the pool so it could continue to operate. This was to be discussed in a meeting last Thursday night, but the demo of the pool began suddenly that morning/afternoon. Take that as you will. They see more value in the space becoming a parking lot. This was never an issue of CSO not being able to operate a pool. They have shown that they have the ability to create different organizations (i.e. MEMI) to handle different aspects of the business they did not have experience in. IN this situation, they chose not to do so. There is plenty of space on that property for everything to co-exist, but they chose not to. More likely than not, for financial reasons. And  as others have repeatedly mentioned, it's in their right to do what they'd like since they own the property. But given their status as a community-driven, non-profit organization, it certainly comes across as tone deaf and driven by nothing but greed. 

4 hours ago, johnjniehaus said:

I don't know. I think Coney's demise was a long time coming but it doesn't make it hurt any less to see... I do think they should have kept the rides though I wasn't looking at their financial books to know profit margins... It just seemed like a bad move to me and I know my family wasn't the only ones who stopped going after the rides were removed. 

I guess this depends of the definition of "long time." The park was doing well until around 2017, and then things started to decline. With the rides removal in 2019, it became apparent what the then ownership's plan was for the park. I'm sure COVID didn't help. But there wasn't any desire to keep the park open. They saw dollar signs and jumped at the chance, I'm sure. Which is a shame, because under different ownership I truly believe the park could still be thriving today. And that does make it hard to see. And you certainly weren't the only ones who's visits either declined or stopped after the removal of the rides. It was an incredibly stupid decision if they intended on keeping the pool open. 

The thing that bothers me the most is two fold: 

1. Someone will be making money off of this project. Big time. And that doesn't sit right with me considering the fact that the project is helmed by a non-profit. And on top of that, taxpayer dollars will more than likely be used to build this new venue. All to see someone's else's pockets lined. That's wrong. 

2. The CSO has more or less vilified themselves and the arts as a whole. I hate to live in a city where so many, myself included, are anti-CSO. It's a big loss and the city deserves better community leadership in the arts. They should be embarrassed. Their mission, per their own words, is to serve the community. But when they actively go against the desires of the community they're claiming to care for, they shouldn't pull the victim card and feel sorry for themselves when people are vocally against them.  

Hoping to make it back down to the park in the next few days for some more pictures and updates. This is a terrible ting they're doing and it should be shared. 

[johnjniehaus]

I totally understand the business side of things and it's not really anyone's fault that coney has a troubled history and doesn't seem to turn good enough profits to be a viable business. Sure there have been many bad moves over time but as it's been stated coney technically died 50 years ago with the creation of Kings Island. Coney was essentially brought back to life and has been on life support for years essentially. So yes as a business and an owner of a business and property you are allowed to do whatever you want to do with your business or property. If CSO wants to tear down the pool or moonlight gardens they have every legal right to do so however trying to pin the blame on the previous owners for destroying historical buildings/pool is incredibly dishonest and false. CSO bears the full responsibility there. That was their decision and their decision alone so they just need to own it instead of blaming other people. As for me I love the CSO but their business model I think is very corrupt and the whole "non-profit" thing is kind of a joke. Sure maybe there isn't one sole owner getting filthy rich off the CSO but you better believe they pay their employees a ton of money to make sure that the business doesn't ever turn a profit. Now I'm for taking care of your employees don't get me wrong but my point here is that CSO is a very profitable "non-profit" labeled business and they must have a ton of money stashed somewhere in order to buy out coney and build huge music venues....that sounds like profit is being made to me.

[Tr0y]

3 hours ago, disco2000 said:

All I have heard is they are looking into saving Moonlight Gardens, but I don't think they have committed to it.

Irrelevant question now, but would the Coney lovers preferred they save the pool or the gardens?  Is saving the gardens, if they decide to do it, enough goodwill or was it the pool everyone wanted?

At this rate the “Save Coney Islanders” are willing to die on the hill that is Sunlite pool. Yet the pool is a lost cause and the support for the still remaining structures should be the new focus.
 

However these “Save Coney Islanders” really are just the “Save Sunlite pool” group that doesn’t want to work with CSO or MEMI about saving what’s left of the park. Sadly, there won’t be anything other than the gate left, when it’s all said and done with the current direction. Just point fingers and blame. However, there will still be people protesting on top of a shiny new blacktop where Sunlite pool once was.

 

[beastfan11]

31 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

At this rate the “Save Coney Islanders” are willing to die on the hill that is Sunlite pool. Yet the pool is a lost cause and the support for the still remaining structures should be the new focus.
 

However these “Save Coney Islanders” really are just the “Save Sunlite pool” group that doesn’t want to work with CSO or MEMI about saving what’s left of the park. Sadly, there won’t be anything other than the gate left, when it’s all said and done with the current direction. Just point fingers and blame. However, there will still be people protesting on top of a shiny new blacktop where Sunlite pool once was.

 

The SCI group is/was focused on Sunlite Pool, while the Cincinnati Preservation Association is “leading the charge” for Moonlite Gardens:

 https://cincinnatipreservation.org/coney-islands-moonlite-gardens-sunlite-pool-under-threat/

This has been stated multiple times in print, radio, and TV media. 

Personally, I have a vested interest in both, though the ship has sailed for the pool. CSO/MEMI doesn’t really have the desire to work with the community to save anything, so I understand why people would assume anyone trying to save any aspect of the park would be disillusioned by working with CSO/MEMI. 

The only way Moonlite Gardens will be saved if someone/some organization steps up to do so, unfortunately. It would be really nice to see that whole area of the park saved. You have Lake Como, the Admin building, the games building, and the old beer garden building right there in addition to bathroom and food facilities. It’s also situated near the picnic area and historic riverboat landing. That would be a nice area for a public park of sorts. It could do wonders for the relationship with the community that CSO/MEMI destroyed. 

[BeeastFarmer]

I never patronized the park and understand the historical significance and local sentiment.

I rely on the anecdotal experiences of the Tower Topics podcast last week, where they discussed this topic...both said when they went in recent times, there were very few patrons.  I just don't think, if this was the norm,  the operation could have been viable, especially since parking revenues would likely go to the orchestra.  Supposedly, Coney got the parking revenue from Riverbend and that was it's bread and butter.  

Most of what I hear is that the orchestra has stolen/closed resident's close by park.  I just don't think the pool could be sustained with customers in a ten mile distance.  

[Tr0y]

I heard rumors that members of the CSO get a commemorative chunk of the pool. 

[disco2000]

3 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

I never patronized the park and understand the historical significance and local sentiment.

I rely on the anecdotal experiences of the Tower Topics podcast last week, where they discussed this topic...both said when they went in recent times, there were very few patrons.  I just don't think, if this was the norm,  the operation could have been viable, especially since parking revenues would likely go to the orchestra.  Supposedly, Coney got the parking revenue from Riverbend and that was it's bread and butter.  

Most of what I hear is that the orchestra has stolen/closed resident's close by park.  I just don't think the pool could be sustained with customers in a ten mile distance.  

 

Plus keep in mind how times have changed since the pool was originally built.

How many people had a pool in their backyard then?

Heck, how many people had a pool in their backyard 50 years ago or lived in a subdivision with a pool?

Over the last 20 to 30 years, look how many people have put pools in their backyard or since around the mid-1990's live in a subdivision with a subdivision pool as part of the Homeowner Association fees!  That is all the rage to build a clubhouse with a pool.  Homebuilders go crazy building that stuff as part of the selling point for the subdivision.

In part that is why The Beach, built in 1985, couldn't sustain operation (having KI across the street didn't help along with the City of Mason building a pool complex in 1995).

In part that is why Surf Cincinnati, built in 1990, couldn't sustain operation.

It is why local neighborhood swim clubs have had to create GoFundMe initiatives to help make ends meet.

In addition to more entertainment options competing for your money, there is way more access to pools now.

So outside of an amusement park type setting, pools will either be community centers funded in part with local taxes, the local Y's, and private swim clubs like Silverlake that has passes that range from $741 for an individual to $2,100 for a family.  Or several order of magnitude greater than what a season pass to Coney costed.  And sadly I don't think Anderson Township was sincere about really wanting to take over the pool that would be way oversized for their community.  I think if it went for a vote it would have failed.

 

[Tr0y]

2 hours ago, disco2000 said:

And sadly I don't think Anderson Township was sincere about really wanting to take over the pool that would be way oversized for their community.  I think if it went for a vote it would have failed.

The township was not, they had the power to acquire the pool via imminent domain. 

[beastfan11]

A bad day to have destroyed the pump house at Sunlite. Good luck CSO! 
 

[Taylor.B03]

One last fill for ole times sake!