Photographs of the former Half Moon Hotel on Coney Island
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Date
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Language of Materials
Abstract
21 8-by-10-inch black-and-white photographic prints showing exterior, interior, and detail views of what was originally the Half Moon Hotel in Coney Island. The photographs were taken in 1991 by Li-Saltzman Architects when the building served as a nursing home.
Historical note
The Half Moon Hotel was designed by the architectural firm George B. Post & Sons and completed in 1927. It was located along the boardwalk on Coney Island between West 28th and West 29th Streets, purportedly near the spot where Henry Hudson landed. The 400 room hotel was designed in the Spanish Colonial style with a red brick and terra cotta facade, clay roof tiles, and ornamented with relief busts, medallions with ships on them, urns, and finials. The tallest part of the building was a 16-story curvilinear roofscape that housed the water tower, while its central section was 14 stories and was flanked by two 13-story sections, and two 11-story wings. Never quite attaining the popularity it strived for, the hotel was bought and repurposed as a hospital in 1949 and then converted into a nursing home by the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center in 1954. During its 1950s-1970s conversion from hotel to hospital and nursing home, the interior of the building was substantially altered. Following the completion of a new building to house the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center, the former Half Moon Hotel was demolished in 1996.
Source:
- Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes: The Half Moon Hotel; A Symbol of Coney Island Is About to Be eclipsed." New York Times, May 7, 1989. Accessed October 4, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/07/realestate/streetscapes-half-moon-hotel-symbol-coney-island-about-be-eclipsed.html
Arrangement
This small collection is housed in a single folder. The photographs are housed in sleeves with numbered labels attached and they are in numerical order.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 21 8-by-10-inch black-and-white photographic prints showing exterior, interior, and detail views of what was originally the Half Moon Hotel in Coney Island. When the photographs were taken on April 10, 1991 by Li-Saltzman Architects, the building served as a nursing home. The photographs were taken as part of a mitigation plan on behalf of the owners of the building, the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Photographs of the former Half Moon Hotel on Coney Island, V1991.074, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center, 1991.
About this Guide
Processing Information
This finding aid was revised in April 2026 when the collection's location was found to be out of date and incorrect.
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