Ruby’s, a Coney Island Institution, Closing for Good

Sad, sad news from the Brooklyn shore today: Ruby’s Old Tyme Bar & Grill the classic Coney Island dive bar, will leave the boardwalk for good in two weeks. Gothamist reports that Zamperla, the management company that also owns nearby Luna Park, did not renew the bar's lease, and have given them notice to close up shop and vacate the space. The family-owned and operated watering hole has been in business since 1934 and was famous for, among other things, its long bar which opened out onto the boardwalk studded with fading photos from Coney Island's past, its steady crowd of regulars during its open season, and its Polar Bear party on New Year's Day. The saddest thing of all? Yesterday was their last day of the season — so even if you wanted to say goodbye, you can't!

But Ruby's isn't the only business getting the axe today: the management company also did not renew the leases for neighbors the Grill House, Paul's Daughter, Tom's Souvenir shop, Beer Island and others. This is all of course to make way for new, unspecified dining, retail and nightlife developments on the boardwalk. The NYT is also reporting that the Brooklyn Brewery is in talks to open a beer hall to replace the bars on the boardwalk.
Update: The folks at Brooklyn Brewery say it was a typo in the Times piece. It was supposed to say "a" Brooklyn brewery, not "the" Brooklyn Brewery.
· Ruby's Bar, Others Pushed Out of Coney Island Boardwalk [Gothamist]
· 9 Coney Island Boardwalk Businesses Lose Leases [City Room]
[Photo:Flickr/Julie Wilson World]