Coney Island Hot Dog Stand
Coney Island Colorado (commonly The Coney Island) in Bailey, Colorado is a 1950s diner shaped like a giant hot dog, with toppings. The building has been called "the best example of roadside architecture in the state".[1]
Coney Island | |
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![]() Re-opening on July 4, 2007 in Bailey, Colorado. | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Programmatic novelty architecture |
Town or city | Bailey, Colorado |
Country | United States |
Completed | 1966 |
Technical details | |
Structural system | ironwork |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Lloyd Williams |
The diner has indoor seating, courtyard seating and riverside picnic table seating. The bun is 35 feet (10.67 m) long, and the hot dog 42 feet (12.8 m); the entire building weighs 18 short tons (16.1 long tons; 16.3 t).
It was originally built in 1966 on Colfax Ave. in Denver, named The Boardwalk at Coney Island. The first owner, Marcus Shannon had intended to start a chain of eateries around the concept, and obtained a patent for the design,[2] but the eatery closed in 1969.[3]
In 1970, under new ownership, the stand was moved to the Rocky Mountain town of Aspen Park, along U.S. 285.[4] Initially called Coney Island Dairy Land, it later dropped the last part of the name.[4] Despite initial opposition, when it was put up for sale in 1999, a local campaign began to designate it a landmark and save it from destruction. The present owner purchased it for about $150,000 and added a state-of-the-art water purification system, a new secondary kitchen area and a complete restoration of the interior kitchen.
The popularity of the stand was such that its last day open in Aspen Park, "the waiting line extended literally for miles".[3] On March 18, 2006, to make way for a bank, the stand was moved again, 17 miles down U.S. Highway 285 to its present location in Bailey, close to Pike National Forest.
![](../I/Coney_Island_Dairyland.jpg.webp)
![](../I/Coney_Island_Hot_Dog_Stand%252C_1991.jpg.webp)
Appearances in media
The restaurant made an appearance on one of Dana Atchley's "Digital Postcards" titled "World's Largest". "World's Largest" and 6 more of Dana Atchley's "Digital Postcards" were later included as viewable clips on "Kid Pix Studio's" "Wacky TV" feature.[5]
It appeared in the 1999 television documentary A Hot Dog Program and on the 2004 television program Hot Dog Heavens.
On September 22, 2003 it was featured in the nationally syndicated newspaper comic Zippy the Pinhead.
There is a 1/6 scale model of the Coney Island stand at Tiny Town, in Morrison, Colorado.
See also
References
- Thomas J. Noel (1997). Buildings of Colorado. Oxford University Press. Noel is Professor of History at the University of Colorado in Denver.
- "RESTAURANT BUILDING". United States Patent Office. April 12, 1966. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- Pam Grout (2006). Colorado Curiosities. Globe Pequot. ISBN 0-7627-3978-9.
- Jerome Pohlen (2002). Oddball Colorado: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1-55652-460-9.
- Stern, Michelle (May 13, 1996). "Software That Goes Beyond Coloring Books' Boundaries : Art Programs Let Kids Get Creative, Have Fun". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
Further reading
- Clark, Colleen. "10 great places to feel dwarfed by kitsch", USA TODAY, October 19, 2006.
- Lawson, Pamela. "A Dog's Tale", Canyon Courier, March 8, 2006.
- Lawson, Pamela. "Moving Day for the Dog", Canyon Courier, March 22, 2006.
- Lawson, Pamela. "I thought it would be fun to restore Dog", High Timber Times, March 22, 2006.
External links
- Bailey Colorado - Hot Dog Diner entry at Roadside America
- Comin' Round The Mountain, photos from the Park County Bulletin, March 18, 2006.
- Coney Island Hot Dog Run, photos of the move by Rick Gonzales.
- Dogs, Craig's Picture of the Day, April 30, 2003.