Childs Restaurant, Spanish Colonial Revival restaurant building on Riegelmann Boardwalk, Coney Island, US.
Childs Restaurant is a two-story building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, set along the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, New York. Its terracotta facade features arched windows and carved marine ornaments facing the Atlantic Ocean.
The building was designed by architects Dennison and Hirons and opened in 1923 as a flagship location for the Childs Restaurant chain, which operated across many US cities at the time. After the chain closed its doors in the early 1950s, the site went through several different uses before being restored.
The terracotta facade carries carvings of Neptune, shells, and fish that tie the building visually to the ocean just across the boardwalk. These details are easy to spot from the outside and give the building a character that sets it apart from the surrounding structures.
The building sits directly on the Riegelmann Boardwalk and can be reached on foot from several subway stations nearby. It is worth checking in advance which spaces inside are open, as availability tends to change by season.
The building connects directly to the Ford Amphitheater, an outdoor concert venue for around 5,000 people that opened on the site in 2016. On show nights, the old restaurant building serves as an entrance point and gathering space for the audience arriving from the boardwalk.
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