Coney Island Death Watch Halloween Edition: New Renderings

Today's NY Post lays some new renderings of Thor Equities Coney Island plans on us, and we're not sure what to make of the psychedelic drawing. They bear a vague similarity to drawings that surfaced during the summer that were later disowned as not being for public consumption. Similar features include miniature Parachute Jumps. This is what the Post has to say:Architectural renderings obtained by The Post show a grand vision of the famed summer amusement area's rundown streets being transformed into a glitzy year-round playground and public attraction.In one image, Stillwell Avenue becomes a fantasy-filled boulevard marked by larger-than-life street furniture, such as a mermaid swimming in a martini glass and a gigantic tattooed elephant.

The landmark Cyclone roller coaster can still be seen from down Bowery Street - which itself is reinvented as a permanent festival and sideshow area.

Thor Equities has purchased 10 acres of boardwalk land in the hope of building a $1.5 billion entertainment destination. The project is awaiting city approval, but the company hopes to break ground in 18 months and wrap up in about five years.We're not sure what that tall glass looking thing is, although the elephant (shades of an earlier era and Lucy the Elephant in Margate, NJ) is a nice touch. (It's small, but do you notice the halloween touch on the mermaid's rear end in the top rendering?) The description of Bowery Street as "a permanent festival and sideshow area" is encouraging. The five-year construction timeframe is sobering, to say the least. Interesting that they surface now after some of the bad press Thor got last week for the early evictions of current tenants.

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