There is an important update in the still developing story of the roster of the Thor Equities Coney Island team. You might recall that, on Wednesday, Lee Silberstein of the Marino Organization, which has handled public relations for the embattled Coney Island redevelopment plan, let people know that he was no longer on the Thor […]

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Yesterday, we noted in a post on Curbed that Thor Equities and developer Joe Sitt had parted company with spokesperson Lee Silberstein and the Marino Organization. It was unclear who had initiated the split. This morning we can report, based on a tip from another reliable source, that Thor has also parted ways with Kramer […]

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Enjoy. Go over directly if the embed is bothering you by clicking here.

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Found on the YouTube and also noted by Kinetic Carnival. Visit it directly by clicking here if there is a problem with the embed.

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We were going to make this a “Photo Du Jour,” but it’s way too on-topic not to merit a few extra words. This is the scene on the lot next to the Thor Equities site where the Cole Bothers Circus is set up through tomorrow. This is some of the demolition equipment that has been […]

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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 […]

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Yesterday’s story about how Thor reached an advanced point of negotiation with Coney Island USA about selling a building to them and, then, backed off as the contract was about to be signed has provoked quite a reaction from the Coney Island crew via the Coney Island Message Board. The negative reaction to this latest […]

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Taking down the old Revere Sugar plant in Red Hook has been quite the task. Demolition started in December on the dome that had defined the local waterfront for a long time, then moved to the the assorted factory buildings. The big steel frame building is now coming down. In fact, as you can see […]

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We received an email from Renee Storey, the Vice President for Administration of Cole Bros. Circus, which Thor Equities is brining to Coney Island for a week at the end of July. You might recall that back in May we ran a post dealing with old allegations of animal abuse against the circus. Several of […]

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With the purchase of some of the Wonder Wheel Park land in Coney Island, Thor Equities would be in control of almost all of the heart of the amusement district along the boardwalk. Sarah Ryley filled in some valuable detail with her piece in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle yesterday, including the raising the obvious possibility […]

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If we were to find a way to musically tell the Astroland story, we would find a tenor to stand on a stage and sing some opera about it. Seriously. The bizarre Astroland saga–the sale of the property to Thor Equities for $30 million, intimations by the owner that she had no choice other than […]

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Developer Joe Sitt spent two hours in Coney Island last night making his pitch to residents and reporters and trying to drum up support for his embattled redevelopment plans. “It’s in your hands,” Mr. Sitt said of the future of project, noting that he is reluctant to build without the support of residents, the press […]

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The Coney Island presentation made by developer Joe Sitt and by Thinkwell Creative Director Chris Durmick about Thor Equities Coney Island plans contained a number of new details. The presentation leaned heavily on the designs for Stillwell Avenue, the Bowery and a passage that has been dubbed Front Street as well as Coney Island Park. […]

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In this clip from last night’s meeting in Coney Island at which developer Joe Sitt spoke at length, Mr. Sitt notes criticism of his project on “the blogs” and in the press and says that he will not build in Coney Island if he doesn’t have support from the community and “to some degree” the […]

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[Photo courtesy of lexacor/flickr] The sharp eyes and lens of lexacor caught this image of a “Thor Summer 2007” t-shirt in Coney Island on Mermaid Parade Day. While anti-Thor forces used the day to protest Thor’s plans in Coney, the developer had a presence too. Thor sent in the parade’s only bona fide marching band, […]

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As we noted yesterday, there were some indications around Coney Island on Mermaid Parade Day of continued opposition to and skepticism about Thor Equities big redevelopment plan. The most, uh, interesting one we saw belonged to this gentleman who came out in a Viking helmet and eventually pulled his pants down to reveal this. We […]

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It’s fair to say this is the first time the Mermaid Parade had a little bit of an anti-development flavor. About a half dozen groups of people in the parade, including a large Save Coney Island contingent, brought an anti-Thor Equities and anti-developer Joe Sitt flavor to the event. We’ve got some pics from the […]

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Oh, yes, we’re going to be beating the Thor Equities/Coney Island drum very, very loudly on this Tuesday. What else can we do when there is so much Coney Island news to share? In any case, Thor will doing “a presentation on its vision for the future of Coney Island” on Tuesday (6/26). It will […]

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We have, over time, put Thor Equities proposals for and actions in Coney Island under a microscope. More than once, we have taken them to task for overlooking blogs in their communications strategy, even though online coverage has formed the foundation upon which other coverage has been built. So, we found it fascinating this weekend […]

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Yesterday, we received an email from Thor Equities spokesperson Tom Corsillo noting that Thor had dropped housing from its Coney Island plans and that the new plan would conform to the city’s strategic plan for Coney Island. Today, of course, the story is all over the press, with most headlines noting that Thor has backed […]

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We were reading the new Time Magazine story about Coney Island, wondering if it contained anything new. “Uncertainty shrouds the original America’s Playground…” Blah, blah, blah. “..no one is quite sure what will become of it in the fall.” Blah, blah, blah. “Coney Island has fallen long and hard from its apex…” Blah, blah, blah. […]

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Thor Equities tear down of the old Revere Sugar Plant in Red Hook is quite the job. Workers have been at it since December, when they started on the iconic Revere Dome. Then, they moved on to other tanks on the property and, then, brick buildings. It looks like they’re be at it for most […]

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Yesterday, we posted about and linked a very positive piece about Coney Island redevelopment and developer Joe Sitt that ran all over the country via AP. The article was very bullish on the Coney remake and cast the developer–who’s taken a few bumps here and there in the NY press and blogs–in a very positive […]

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The only thing we can say about the AP story about Joe Sitt and Coney Island is that you’ve got to read it. You can draw your own conclusions when you do. Here are a few excerpts, highlighting Mr. Sitt’s comments: “Yeah, OK, it’s a little bit grimy, etcetera,” says Sitt, his voice rising with […]

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These renderings, which went up on Curbed late yesterday afternoon, may be some of the most depressing we’ve ever seen. A Curbed reader commented that the project they represent is dead and, if so, that’s a good thing. We’ve joke more than once about how Ikea represented the New Jerseyfication of the Red Hook waterfront, […]

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