Long Beach

Shore Country Club Fire,  Atlantic Beach, Long Island - Long Beach Fire.  November 3, 1962
8 Fire department were called to this blaze which could be seen from 50 miles away as reported by aircraft pilots.  Departments to the scene were Long Beach, Oceanside, Baldwin, Point Lookout, Island Park, Feeeport, Rockville Center and Inwood. 

The Park David Hotel, which sat just west of the Lafayette Bldg, on the south side of Park Ave, west of Edwards Blvd. Burned January 15, 1965.


The Nautilus Hotel 3-14-1960

August 31, 1965. 
The President Hotel was destroyed in a spectacular fire, which started on or under the boardwalk and spread to the structure. It stood on the Southwest corner of Laurelton Blvd. and W. Broadway and stretched to the boardwalk. 

Chuck Jacobi's Collection 
visit his Long beach Historical site
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The Tower Baths occupied the SE corner of National Blvd, between Broadway and the Boardwalk.  It sat on property that was first the site of the Long Beach Inn in the late 1800's.  After 1909 the tennis courts for the Hotel Nassau and the music pavillion were in that spot and later the Castle by the Sea Theater and the Castle Baths occupied the eastern side of the oceanfront lot.  Like the Castle Baths before it, the Tower Baths were destroyed in a tremendous blaze, in the early in 1965 from the best information I have.  Along with it went the arcades, Skee Ball and Shuffle Bowling, Izzy's Knishes, Kalin's Frozen Custard and Italian Ices, Keno and several other fun places. The King David Manor eventually occupied the site and it was eventually renovated into the Allegria Hotel which stands there today..

Thanks to Loren Meadowcroft for these photos.

I know this isn't Long Beach, but it's close enough to be included here, and the Long Beach Fire Department had a large support role in this fire.  The Nautilus Hotel once stood near on the ocean in front of the Atlantic Beach Bridge.  

Ruby Sheinwald sent me this great series of photos showing the unfortunate destruction of the building.  The fire occurred in March of 1960 and resulted in a loss of 5.5 million dollars.  That documentation was provided by the mother of Ann Hossler, who worked there in the summer of 1959 and still had the newspaper article from March 1960 describing the fire. Apparently FDNY was also summoned from the Rockaways to assist and water was drafted from Reynolds Channel and relayed to the burning hotel.  

If anyone else has any particulars on this fire please email me

Here's some Nautilus Theatre history provided by Sam Schwarzman:

The original theater was called the West End Movie and was owned by my cousin, Sid Sinitar and his partner, Sy Frank.  The building originally came from Camp Upton in Yaphank. After World War I the camp was dismantled and the buildings sold at auction in August of 1921. The theater was actually a barracks t the camp. The theater was opened by someone named "Sonin" originally. The next owner was someone named "Petrey" and my cousin and Sy Frank bought it from him. Eventually it was sold to Irwin Knohl and he renamed it the Nautilus. My cousin Sid's dad was Sam Sinitar (I am named after him), he was the founder of the old Lido Laundry , it was located at the foot of the old Long Beach Bridge. The West End Movie had some stores attached to it, one was a coffee shop named Lenny's and was owned by Lenny Beck. Lenny Beck later opened Lenny's Steak House. Sid Sinitar and Sy Frank would only open the movie on weekends and on rainy days. One would run the movie, the other would pick you up in his car for the price of admission. They were on a shoe string budget and held down full time jobs. From that ambitious beginning, they formed Town and Country Theaters and owned many Long Island Movies, most of them now long gone, among them were: The Glen Cove, The Town (in Glen Cove), the Wantagh, The Hewlett, The 86th Street East (NYC), The Hicksville Multi Theater, and until last year, the Elwood in East Northport. They are both now (mostly) retired, Sid lives in Lido and Sy in Florida.

Some more West End (Nautilus Theater) history, this provided by Bob Sagona:

In the 30's Sam Sonin operated the West End Theater.  Sam and his family lived behind the theater at 47 Vermont St. Mrs. Sonin took tickets at the ticket booth and the movies were only open during the summer months, with matinees shown only when it rained !  When it rained, Sam had someone drive his old Nash sedan thru the West Ends streets ringing a bell which was mounted on the front of the car.  There was a sign on the roof that said "Matinee Today". As kids, Sam had us deliver circulars of the week's movies and in return you were paid with one week's free admittance to the shows.  

The Sinitar Family along with Sy Frank took over the theater sometime around 1948 or 1949 as I recall.  Sam Sinitar owned the Lido Laundry, previously known as the Long Beach Laundry on Long Beach Blvd. near the bridge.  Sid Sinitar and Sy redecorated the theater and added heat, which the old building bought from Camp Upton didn't have.  Now heated, they were able to keep the theater open through the winter months.

The next set of photos were taken of the Able Ford Fire, on the west side of Long Beach Blvd between Hudson and Fulton Streets. Sunday afternoon in the late 1980's. Jerry Lamagna took the first four shots and Harry Doyle took the second set of four.

Long Beach 1965 - Photos Courtesy of Chuck jacobi