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Hot Dog Pioneer's Last Remnant Demolished in Coney Island
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 24, 2010
Modified Feb 24, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 24, 2010
Modified Feb 24, 2010
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About a month after Coney Island buffs called attention to the significance of this 19th century building, the city began demolishing it this week. The small structure sits on property that used to be Astroland Park, but long before that it was the kitchen for Charles Feltman's popular restaurant. Feltman (1841-1910), a German butcher who's credited with the idea of selling pork sausages on a warm bun, popularized the hot dog, and one of his employees was none other than Nathan Handwerker, who slept on the kitchen floor before going onto start Nathan's Famous! But all we are is crumbs in the wind, and the city is tearing it down as part of a major redo of the amusement district. Also lost to the wrecking ball is this mural, painted on one wall by artist Rita Ackermann in 2004. [Via Curbed/Coney Island Message Board]
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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