Coney Island Death Watch: Plywood Comes to Shore Hotel

We haven't done a Coney Island Death Watch item in a long time because the active demolition and evictions by Thor Equities took a hiatus for a bit. We take no pleasure in bringing it back. However, now that plywood has gone up on the Henderson's Building, we got word that plywood is also going into the windows of the old Shore Hotel on Surf Avenue and Henderson Walk. The very knowledgeable Coney source that brought it to our attention notes that "My guess is that it's the first step on the road to demolition." The photo above was shot on Tuesday night, so we're guessing the application is either very recent or out of range of the lens. Nonetheless, the point is that it indicates that Thor Equities is moving ahead with plans for massive demolition in Coney Island long in advance of any new construction. Even in a best case scenario, construction would be at least 18-24 months down the road, so we must ask again: What is the sense of deliberately creating more blight in Coney Island long in advance of redevelopment? We have our own theories and none of them speak to good will or to the good motivations of the developer.