Curator discusses how Central Mall at Jones Beach was built to look like a ship
It’s been nearly 100 years since Jones Beach State Park opened to the public. News 12 spoke to archivist and curator Joshua Cortez about the history of the Central Mall and how it was made to look like a ship.
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Jones Beach opened on Aug. 4, 1929 “to great fanfare,” curator Joshua Cortez told News 12.
The popular park has weathered a lot over the decades. After all, its formative years occurred during the Great Depression.
Nearly 100 years later, it’s arguably still as popular as it was when it opened - if not more so.
Cortez gave News 12 a look at the history of the storied park, explaining how famed planner Robert Moses designed the Central Mall to look like a ship.
There are water fountains that look like ship wheels, nautical flags on the boardwalk and trash cans which resemble a ship’s exhaust funnels.
The wooden boardwalk with its metal railings is supposed to give the feel of being on the top deck of a cruise liner.
Cortez said Jones Beach is “unmatched,” declaring it one of the earliest examples of an oceanfront recreational facility “available to every New Yorker” regardless of background.
