Elephant Hotel

In 1892, thousands more flocked to Coney Island to witness the great Elephant Hotel. Built out of wood and tin, and just accomodating a few guests, its spiraling staircases in its legs, shops, and an observatory, made it a sight to behold. With its numerous crooks and crannies, often, "seeing the elephant" became a euphamism for illicit activity in those dark corners(Kasson 33). After the race tracks closed in 1920, large numbers of middle class visitors began vacationing at Coney Island and the exclusivity that the rich once enjoyed vanished. Spending the summer at the beach became unfashionable to them, and the expensive hotels began to lose money and soon closed (Stanton).