Trump destroyed Steeplechase Park's Pavilion of Fun during a highly publicized ceremony in September 1966. In its stead, Trump proposed building a 160-foot-high enclosed dome with recreational facilities and a convention center, a plan which was supported by Brooklyn borough president Abe Stark.
That summer, developers tried to revitalize the Coney Island boardwalk as an amusement area. In October 1966, the city announced its plans to acquire the 125 acres of the former Steeplechase Park so that the land could be reserved for recreational use. Although residents supported the city's action, Trump called the city's proposal "wasteful". In January 1968, New York City parks commissioner August Heckscher II proposed that the New York state government build an "open-space" state park on the Steeplechase site, and that May, the New York City Board of Estimate voted in favor of funding to buy the land from Trump.
Condemnation of the site started in 1969.
The city ultimately purchased the proposed park's site for $4 million, with partial funding from the federal government. As a condition of the deal, the sale or lease of the future parkland required permission from the New York State Legislature.
Trump filed a series of court cases related to the proposed residential rezoning, and ultimately won a $1.3 million judgment. The Steeplechase Park site laid empty for several years.
