Schwarz
View current page
...more recent posts
ballad of michael james brody
signs signs everywhere signs
Of all the hangars in all the towns in all the world, they bulldozed this one.
But the facade of Hollywood's most famous hangar—if such a thing exists—was saved in December, when a hotel bought the 1928 structure that appeared in the final scene of Casablanca.
On Jan. 29, the hangar, which almost completely demolished last month to make way for development, was moved to another site at California's Van Nuys Airport.
Coney's Island's iconic Parachute Jump is getting a new lease on light.
Less than dazzled by a lighting system installed on the 262-foot boardwalk landmark two years ago, the city yesterday began soliciting proposals from companies interested in creating a brighter, more dramatic illumination of Brooklyn's version of the Eiffel Tower.
The project is being pushed by Borough President Marty Markowitz, who says the old lighting system needs some "blinging up" and hopes to revive the classic thrill ride.
"Hey, if the Giants can beat the Patriots, there's no reason we can't ride the Parachute Jump in this new century," he said.
Markowitz, according to sources, considered the system installed in 2006 by renowned lighting artist Leni Schwendinger too "artsy," failing to capture Coney Island's flash.
The new $1.5 million project also includes refurbishing the bottom panel of the Parachute Jump, which was moved to Coney Island shortly after the 1939 World's Fair in Queens.
The ride ceased operations in 1968. It was declared a city landmark in 1989 and is part of a revamped Steeplechase Plaza that the city is hoping to create.
Charles Denson, a Coney Island historian, called the lighting project "symbolic to Coney Island's survival."
a couple of nola stories from tony fitzpatrick
via vz