page_title: Riegelmann Boardwalk
section_title: Opening and early operation
hierarchical_section_title: Riegelmann Boardwalk / History / Opening and early operation
caption_attribution_description: English: A modern-looking comfort station on the beach of Coney Island, at West 16th Street and the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Looking east from the foot of the Steeplechase Pier (West 17th Street).
context_page_description: The Riegelmann Boardwalk is a 2.7-mile-long boardwalk along the southern shore of the Coney Island peninsula in Brooklyn, New York City, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. The boardwalk runs between West 37th Street at the edge of the Sea Gate neighborhood to the west and Brighton 15th Street in Brighton Beach to the east.
  The boardwalk is primarily made of wooden planks arranged in a chevron pattern. It ranges from 50 to 80 feet wide and is raised 14 feet above sea level. The boardwalk connects several amusement areas and attractions on Coney Island, including the New York Aquarium, Luna Park, Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, and MCU Park.
  The Coney Island waterfront was originally subdivided among several private entities who erected barriers to separate their land holdings. Plans for a Coney Island boardwalk were first discussed in the late 1890s as a means of uniting the different sections of Coney Island, and as a revitalization project for these areas. The boardwalk, designed by Philip P. Farley, opened in 1923 and was named after Brooklyn borough president Edward J. Riegelmann, who led its construction.
context_section_description: In April 1923, shortly before the boardwalk was completed, it was named after Edward J. Riegelmann, the Brooklyn borough president. Riegelmann, one of the project's main leaders, had boasted that the boardwalk would raise real estate values on Coney Island. Despite his role in the creation of the boardwalk, Riegelmann and his assistant commissioner of public works opposed naming the boardwalk after him. Nevertheless, Riegelmann praised the project, and he said that following the construction of the boardwalk, "poor people will no longer have to stand with their faces pressed against wire fences looking at the ocean."
  The boardwalk was completed in three phases and originally stretched between Ocean Parkway and West 37th Street. The first section of the boardwalk, comprising the eastern section between Ocean Parkway and West 5th Street, opened in October 1922. The boardwalk was extended westward to West 17th Street in December 1922. The final section of the boardwalk, from West 17th to West 37th Street, was officially opened with a ceremony on May 15, 1923. At the time of its opening, the boardwalk was said to be wider and more expensive than the comparable boardwalks at Atlantic City, the Rockaways, and Long Beach on Long Island.
  After the boardwalk was completed, New York City Comptroller Charles L. Craig said that it could not be considered a "real boardwalk" without pergolas and restrooms. Accordingly, in June 1924, the New York City Board of Estimate approved the erection of five comfort stations and five "pergolas or pavilions within the lines of the public beach." The pavilions were completed by early 1925. Another ongoing project, approved by the Board of Estimate in December 1922, was to widen, create, or open private streets that led to the boardwalk. Work began in 1923 and entailed condemning 288 lots, which contained 175 houses and portions of Steeplechase Park. Eighteen 60-foot-wide (18 m) streets from West 8th to West 35th Streets were created; Surf and Stillwell Avenues were widened; and some private passageways such as West 12th Street were taken over by the city. Sewers and sidewalks were also installed. Brooklyn public officials believed that these changes would both revitalize Coney Island's shore and lessen congestion on Surf Avenue. In total, the boardwalk and related improvement projects cost $20 million (about $298 million in 2019), of which 35% was paid through taxes, and the remainder was paid by the city.
  The Brighton Beach extension of the boardwalk, which would build out the boardwalk from Ocean Parkway eastward to Coney Island Avenue, was formally approved by the city's Board of Estimate in June 1925. The extension measured about 3,000 to 4,000 feet (910 to 1,220 m) long, and entailed expanding the beach and creating new paths to the boardwalk. Real estate developments were proposed as a result of the extension, which was completed by mid-1926. The $1 million extension was originally supposed to have been paid for through taxes that were levied on Coney Island property owners via tax assessments. Although some property owners objected to the assessments, they were ultimately forced to pay for the project.
  A similar scheme to extend the boardwalk 3,000 feet (910 m) westward, from West 37th Street to Coney Island Light, was opposed by the residents of Sea Gate, the private community through which the boardwalk would have been expanded. In June 1927, borough president James J. Byrne approved the Sea Gate extension and bought land on the Sea Gate waterfront. The following year, the bulkhead lines in Sea Gate were approved for demolition, in anticipation of the boardwalk being extended. The boardwalk extension was slated to have connected to a steamship pier operated by the Coney Island Steamship Corporation. However, the company was permanently enjoined from selling stocks and bonds in July 1930. The corporation claimed that the Brooklyn government had allocated $3 million to extend the boardwalk in December 1929, but borough president Henry Hesterberg denied having done so. The boardwalk was ulti
caption: A comfort station along the boardwalk
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