Coney blogger Kinetic Carnival attended the Municipal Art Society panel discussion on Coney Island on Wednesday night and reports back with news that Taconic Investment Partners, which holds a lease on the landmark, is bringing the building back to life this summer. We’ve previously noted the massive scale of the development that Taconic is hatching in this corner of Coney–up to five million square feet of condos and retail space. But the work to reopen the Childs building to the public is the nicest piece of Coney Island news we’ve seen in a while. Kinetic reports that, long-term, Taconic is planning on turning the space into an upscale eatery and using the rooftop–which was once a beer garden–for weddings and other oceanview events. In the short term, they will apparently have temporary food stands and storefronts by the end of the summer. Taconic VP Ari Shalam even mentioned having some sort of event in the space on June 23, which is when the Mermaid Parade takes place.

Kinetic reports:

They plan on making the structure a marquee food operation with restaurant and catering. And not just a walk-in-from-the-beach restaurant but more of a finer-dining-with-reservations-required family restaurant. The establishment’s grand archways would be fully open to the boardwalk to draw people in. Smaller food eateries would be at the base with the higher floor for a restaurant. The building boasts a 30 foot height possibly allowing for an additional level. And so, the top floor and roof would be for a large scale catering facility. Ari described the magnificent feel of being on the roof within the remnants of a once fabulous beer garden. He envisioned a perfect place for a grand wedding overlooking the ocean and Coney Island.

We will have trepidations about Taconic’s overall plan until the details are known, but for now, the Childs plan is reason to smile.

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