Official press release from Astroland official web site:
BROOKLYN, NY, Nov. 28—The Albert family, owners of Coney Island’s largest amusement park, Astroland, announced today that after operating Astroland for the last 45 years, they will close the amusement park at its current site at the end of the 2007 summer season. Carol Hill Albert, who owns Astroland with her husband Jerome, said that although the property has been sold to Thor Equities, which is converting Coney Island to a year-round destination, the Astroland business itself has not been sold.
Mrs. Albert stated that her family will continue to operate the adjacent Cyclone Roller Coaster under a contract with the city as it has for many years. She said she hopes to relocate the Astroland amusement business to an expanded site in Coney Island with the assistance of city and Brooklyn borough officials.
"This year we spent $450,000 upgrading the Cyclone and an additional $500,000 on Astroland improvements for next summer. We expect 2007 will be one of our strongest seasons, as the Cyclone will be celebrating its 80th anniversary. We intend to continue the Albert family’s tradition as Coney Island amusement operators for many years to come."
Mrs. Albert stated the "decision to close Astroland was very difficult and made only after months of extensive discussions." She commented that only a year ago the Albert family had turned down larger offers than the one recently accepted "in the hope of finding an alternative that would enable us to keep our current location."
In the last two years, the city has been developing a plan to convert Coney Island into a year-round entertainment destination, which she called "both glamorous and ambitious, and comes with the promise of long term benefits for both the public and the community."
Mrs. Albert noted that converting an area as large as Astroland to year-round use is extremely expensive and that the sale of the property was the only logical alternative. "We remain optimistic about Coney Island’s amusement future because the city has emphasized its commitment to amusements."
Mrs. Albert characterized as "visionaries" both her late father-in-law, Dewey Albert, who started Astroland in l962, and her husband Jerome, who greatly expanded and refined both the concept and size of the park. It was largely through their efforts that Coney Island would become the legendary phoenix that would rise above the social turbulence of the 60’s." True to that vision, Astroland business continued to grow, she said, and has continued to thrive, most dramatically, in the last five years.
"The Albert family is proud to have provided so many wonderful memories for so many generations and to have been such an important part of New York’s world famous Coney Island." Mrs. Albert said that her family is especially grateful to their Astroland employees who have contributed so much to its success. "For that reason," she stated, "we hope to keep them employed at another Coney Island location where we can expand our existing Astroland rides along with several new ones."
The Alberts have been active members of the Coney Island community, well-known for their charity work. They are also the founders of The Coney Island History Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting and archiving the oral histories of anyone who has worked in or visited Coney Island. Under the direction of the award winning historian, Charles Denson, author of Coney Island Lost and Found, the "History Project" recently inaugurated The Coney Island Hall of Fame, a new Coney Island attraction.