At the Edge of the World: A Visual History of an Evolving Manhattan Beach.

Oriental Hotel (1877) (1)

The Manhattan Beach and Oriental Hotel anchored the easternmost portion of Coney Island. The Oriental Hotel was demolished in 1916.

“It was romance, poetry, fairyland…the beach, with its great hotels, held and contained all summer long all that was best and most leisurely and pleasure-loving in New York’s great middle class of that day. ” -Theodore Dreiser, The Color of a Great City (2)

Manhattan Beach Hotel Postcard (3)

The hotels on Manhattan Beach were linked by a boardwalk with a central swimming area. At its height there was a train which connected Manhattan beach to its Coney Island Neighbors.

“Portrait of Welsh bicycle racer Jimmy Micheals posed on his bike, held steady by another man on the track at Manhattan Beach.” (4)

Manhattan Beach was home to the first bicycle racing velodrome in the United States. These races were a major attraction in the mid to late 1890’s.

Cable House (1889) Drawing by Henry Ash (5)

Adjacent to the Oriental Hotel were two small houses which connected the Atlantic telegraph cable to Nova Scotia and then to Waterville. Ireland.

Pain’s Fireworks Manhattan Beach Postcard by H. Miles (6)

Fireworks displays and ongoing shows were another main attraction for visitors to Manhattan beach. Shows included reenactments of famous battles and the famed “Last Days of Pompeii”.

Aerial view of Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach 1932 Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection (7)

Before WWII massive landfill projects turned the landscape of Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach into what it is now. In contrast to earlier photos from the resort era, there is considerable development in the area but not yet on its furthest point.

Arial view of the Maritime Service Training Station at Manhattan Beach from the 1950’s Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection (8)

The Maritime Training Station on Manhattan Beach was established in 1942 at the height of WWII shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It’s purpose was the training of Merchant Marines. The station was closed in 1954 after just over ten years of operation and sat vacant until the relocation of Kingsborough Community College.

“Trained seamen leaving the Merchant Marine Training Center … greet a class of rookies on the way in … During 1945, a total of 100,000 men will be trained for service.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection (9)

…images of how the decommissioned Merchant Marine base looked in 1967. Photos supplied by John Manbeck.

“Nearby were the remains of a freighter built on sand where recruits had trained; on Jamaica Bay waterfront hung lifeboat davits.” -John Manbeck (10)

…images of how the decommissioned Merchant Marine base looked in 1967. Photos supplied by John Manbeck.

“The former officers’ club, with a substantial oak bar, had been a dance hall before World War II interrupted the party.” -John Manbeck (11)

…images of how the decommissioned Merchant Marine base looked in 1967. Photos supplied by John Manbeck.

“A flagpole donated to the Manhattan Beach Baths had been at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair was still flying the flag over Brooklyn’s most recent college.” -John Manbeck (12)

Bradford, George. Oriental Hotel. Photograph. Brooklyn, 1877. Brooklyn Museum/Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection. Link

2. DREISER, THEODORE. COLOR OF A GREAT CITY. New York, New York: Boni and Liveright, 1923. p. 119-121

3. Miles, H. Manhattan Beach Hotel. n.d. Postcard. Special Collections and University Archives, Stony Brook University Libraries .Link

4. Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). Sports, Bicycle Racer, Jimmy Michaels. 1867 Photograph. Museum of the City of New York. Link

5. Ash, Henry. “Cable House, Coney Island, New York.” Left hand Commercial Cable Co.’s (MacKay Bennett) 1884 cable landing place. Right Hand Western Union Telegraph Co.’s (Gould) 1889 cable landing place, 1889. Library and Archives Canada. Link

6. Pain’s Fireworks, Manhattan Beach. n.d. Postcard. Special Collections and University Archives, Stony Brook University Libraries. Link

7. Aerial View of Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach. Photograph. Brooklyn, 1932. Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection. Link

8. United States Maritime Service. [Maritime Service Training Station]. Photograph. Brooklyn, 195AD. Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection. Link

9. Maritime Service Training Station. Photograph. Brooklyn, 1945. Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection. Link

10. Manbeck, John. “Kingsborough Golden Anniversary | Brooklyn Public Library.” Brooklyn Public Library , April 14, 2014. Link .

11. Ibid

12. Ibid

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At the Edge of the World: A Visual History of an Evolving Manhattan Beach.

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