Comments on: The Ghost Town at Pleasure Beach

By: David D. Reed

David D. Reed — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 05:07:27 +0000

This is addressed to David and his welcome comments regarding the Polka-Dot Playhouse. You got it all right, David regarding the shameful transaction of United Peoples Bank in selling the building housing the new Playhouse (now known as ‘The Playhouse on the Green’) to Forstone Capital. My name is also David, David D. Reed and I am the founder of the Polka-Dot Playhouse way back in 1954 in Stratford,Ct.I am still alive at 83 and I would hope to welcome you to join an already organized effort to ‘Take back the Playhouse’! If anyone thinks that I, as the founder of the Playhouse, intend to allow this irresponsible action of Peoples Bank to ignore the issue of the millions of Connecticut taxpayer dollars being passed on to the interest of a real estate investment group in such a disgraceful acquisition as the sale of the building housing the new Playhouse on the Green,(which was intended to be a permanent home for the Playhouse,) without my leading a campaign to oppose it, they had better be prepared to get up a lot earlier in the morning than I do, if you take my meaning! Please, everyone who reads this and cares about the survival of the Playhouse and the Arts in Bridgeport, contact me by my email, especially you, David, and help us ‘Take Back The Playhouse’! We can and we will do it, but we need everybody’s help! Join the cause! DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:17:51 +0000

It is just so sad to see what was once such a beautiful park go into shambles. I remember walking with my parents and siblings to pleasure beach when I was younger and being able to enjoy the rest of the day at the park without any worries what-so-ever. I was always nervous when going over the bridge, but it was exciting at the same time. I do miss those days and wish that the park was still open for my new family to visit sometime. It will definately bring back lots of good memories!! Hopefully, someday it will be rebuilt back to what it used to be!

By: Charlene

Charlene — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:21:42 +0000

Wow : I have to try and dig up some old pics of pleasure beach. It was beautiful. I loved the carousel It was so much fun. I went there in the 50′s,60′ I remember when the old wooden bridge was there. I use to be so afraid to go over it in the car. Also remember as it started to go down hill. The dance hall, carousel all of it. The little cottages. My older sisters use to tell me that they use to go there all the time when they were young too. Plus my grandmother who passed in 1978 at the age of 84 use to tell me about all the dances and different bands that would come in there. Talk about being haunted I bet their are a few ghost out that way. I do not know when it was build but it has been around for a very long time. I would be curious to know when the 1st cottage and who built it and when the amusment park 1 st open.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:03:15 +0000

I grew up in the fifties in the East Side. Spent a lot of time at Pleasure Beach. My friend’s family had a cottage there. Great snapper blue fishing in August and September. Bridgeport has always been the home of incompetent politicians and corruption. Mayor McLevy once said that God put it there and he will take it away when asked by a reporter from the Bridgeport Post why the roads were not being plowed. Made spending money collecting “numbers” and paying the local cops every Friday at the Savoy Hotel. Millions of federal “urban renewal” dollars have disappeared in Bridgeport. Enough to build a bride of gold to Pleasure Beach. There is a great novel there, fact and fiction. How about we stage a demonstration one weekend. Bet we could round up thousands of folks that grew up there and enjoyed the beach, cottages, fishing pier and amusement park. The old rickety wooden roller coaster was a hoot. The operator would just let you keep riding as long as there were extra seats. The local bureaucrat are the ones creating the haunted nonsense. They stand to get very rich when the state or feds buys the property. Do not go there after dark. Some very unsavory folks are paid to scare folks away, vandalize, and make it an unpleasant place to visit.

By: David

David — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:33:27 +0000

I am amazed that of all the comments regarding the present status of
Pleasure Beach, there was only one that mentioned the hugely successful and well-known entertainment venue known as the Polka-Dot Playhouse, a community theatre that was built next to the carousel. The Playhouse, a really beautifully designed, circular building with a ‘wrap-around’,lobby, a well-equipped stage and auditorium seating 260,opened in 1967 and operated with local talent serving audiences drawn from a wide regional area for nearly 40 years (until the bridge burned in 1996) The Polka-Dot Playhouse still exists (only now known as ‘The Playhouse on the Green’) until recently in a stunning new theatre in downtown Bridgeport. Ironically, this latest ‘home’ of the Playhouse, built to replace the Pleasure Beach Theatre (no longer accessible due to the bridge fire), under the provision of a $3,000,000 grant given by the State of Connecticut and the city of Bridgeport from CONNECTICUT TAXPAYER DOLLARS!) may lose its newest quarters. The building in which the theatre had been newly constructed under a lease arrangement with People’s United Bank, the building’s owner,has been recently sold to a real estate investment firm. The new owners, Forstone Capital,who purchased the building housing the new theatre from Peoples United Bank for the unheard of ‘rock-bottem’ price of just $175,000, immediately set a new,very high leasehold (rental)fee that was impossible for the Playhouse to pay – hence the Playhouse organization has been evicted from its home and Forstone Capital has aquired a property in downtown Bridgeport in a prime location for only $175,000! which includes a beautiful theatre built with $3,000,000 of Connecticut taxpayer money! It’s all true and for those who may doubt that such a rotten deal could have been pulled off, just check the deed of sale at the Town Clerk’s office in Bridgeport City Hall! or better yet, call Peoples United Bank and ask the President (good luck if you can get to him!) if, indeed,the sale went through and while you are asking him, ask him why he didn’t give the Playhouse a chance to buy back their own theatre, if he was so anxious to sell the building at such a ridiculously low price.

I truly hope this blog will spark some conversation, but I can’t help wondering if any body gives a hoot about what ever happened to the Polka-Dot Playhouse after Pleasure Beach lost its bridge and the Playhouse lost its ‘home’ since only one visitor in the 40 or so people who recently commented on their visit to Pleasure Beach ‘Ghost Town ever mentioned that beautiful little theatre that was the Polka-Dot Playhouse, a sad and, yes ‘haunting’,lonely remnant of what it once was – a bustling,lively, happy vortex of laughter, music, creative energy and talented people enjoying the wonderful make-believe world of the stage. The building still stands but it is now just a shell slowly and inevitably disintigrating. Without an access to the island, it will fade away and will exist only as a memory. But, the Playhouse can and will go on, in Bridgeport in a new life and with new energy if the wrong done by the unjust sale of the Playhouse(now known as The Playhouse on the Green) is undone and the Playhouse is restored to its rightful home across from McLevy Square on State Street in dowtown Bridgeport. If you have read this thus far, join the cause – call on the Mayor to correct this injustice of the eviction of the Playhouse from its well-deserved theatre bought and paid for by your taxpayer dollars! Write the Connecticut Post! Help us to take back the theatre that belongs to the citizens of Bridgeport not to a real estate investment firm who has no right to what taxpayer dollars provided for Bridgeport citizens!

By: Tom Loz

Tom Loz — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 21:35:57 +0000

Unbelieveable!!Had my first roller coaster ride there. Then as I got older the “Tunnel of Love” was the great thing to take your date on. I can still hear the sound of the big bands. Walked right by Rosemary Clooney and her sister. Nobody paid much attention to them then. They were singing with the the Tony Pastor Band. They had a dance marathon there. Everyone danced until they dropped. The last couple standing were the winners. Guess who one of the contestants was? None other than Tony Bennett….Tony Benedetto in those days. Ah yes, Pleasure Beach gave me so many moments of pleasure.

By: sally

sally — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:38:55 +0000

Maybe all the over paid, over benefitted state workers can donate some money and restore it.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:46:56 +0000

Next to the carousel house was the Polka Dot Playhouse and in the late 80′s I had a chance to work on a show there; the place was a fascinating little theater, in the round with a main stage and two smaller stages on either side. Driving out on that bridge at night was an adventure…but I loved working there and it’s so sad to think that it’s gone.

By: Jackson

Jackson — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:13:15 +0000

Its actually kind of sad because it looks like all the happiness has been taken out of that island.. i think hey should start fresh on the island. they should rebuild the bridge and rebuild the Small, fun town that was there. Agree?

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:56:01 +0000

Sorry, that link is savepleasurebeach.com not org!