CINCINNATI — A group that's been fighting to save Sunlite Pool since it was announced that Coney Island would be shutting down is now offering to buy the two acres containing Sunlite Pool from MEMI for "fair market value."
The group, Save Coney Islanders, is a grassroots one comprised of community members who have been circulating petitions, organizing rallies and fighting in any way they can think of to preserve the history contained within Coney Island's property.
The park announced in 2023 that, effective at the end of last year, it would be permanently closing. The park was acquired by Music & Event Management Inc. (MEMI), which is a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO).
MEMI announced its plans for the space will be to instead build a "first-of-its-kind" music venue that will boast "cutting-edge performance and entertainment technology" alongside "best-in-class amenities."
Now, after a petition hoping to save Sunlite Pool topped out at just under 25,000 signatures, Save Coney Islanders has a different proposal for MEMI and CSO: Sell the land the pool was built on.
A press release from Save Coney Islanders said the group is offering CSO "the fair market value" of $145,454 in exchange for the two acres of land on which Sunlite Pool sits.
"As the pool was never listed for sale on the open market, it seems only reasonable that CSO should consider this offer, or make a counteroffer," reads the press release. "CSO, show your gratitude to the citizens of Cincinnati and sell Sunlite Pool to the SCI so that we can preserve our community pool for future generations."
After the group's protests and petition circulated around Cincinnati in the months that followed the announcement of Coney Island's sale, CSO issued a statement on March 8 from its president and CEO, Jonathan Martin.
"We understand why Coney Island's closure was met with a range of emotions," the statement reads. "Coney Island was a part of Cincinnati."
It goes on to say that, while CSO understands why people in the region are upset about the park's closure, "our mission is to serve the community through music."
CSO said it did not close Coney Island or Sunlite Pool; instead, CSO said the previous owners opted to close the park and pool before MEMI acquired the property.
In addition, the statement points out that historic Moonlite Gardens had not been in operation since 2018, when it was deemed unsafe and denied an occupancy permit by the Cincinnati Fire Department. It also points out the amusement park rides were removed from the property in 2019.
For the most part, Save Coney Islanders has focused not on the Coney Island park as a whole, but on saving the historic Sunlite Pool.
Sunlite Pool does have a storied history, including serving as inspiration for many over the years — including Walt Disney himself. In 1925, Sunlite Pool opened and has since remained the world's largest recirculating pool.
But the local historical significance of the Sunlite Pool, specifically, goes even deeper than inspiring other parks' future designs.
It was also a battleground for civil rights.
Civil rights pioneer Marian Spencer, who died at the age of 99 in 2019, fought to integrate the Sunlite Pool in the 1950s. Her challenge to Coney Island began after her sons, Donald Jr. and Edward Alexander, heard an advertisement inviting local children to visit.
Watch Live:
