Donald's complete destruction of the east wing of the White House to make room for his gaudy,

obscenely expensive ballroom after he promised he would not disturb the pre-existing buildings there

reminds me a little bit of some family history. In February 1965, my grandfather, Fred,

acquired the site of Steeplechase Park, one of three iconic amusement parks in

Coney Island that had been in operation since around the turn of the 20th century.

Steeple Chase had outlived its two rivals by decades. Dreamland had been destroyed by a fire

in 1911 and Luna Park, also struck by fires, had closed in 1944.

Now, my grandfather owned a building complex and a shopping

area nearby named after Luna Park. Steable Chase, however, as a park continued operations until

1964. The Tillew family had owned the park from the beginning, but several factors, including

high crime in the area,

increasing competition for entertainment dollars, had persuaded them finally to sell the property.

Fred, who had known that steeplechase might become available for development, set his sights on its

acquisition. The plan would be yet another residential development in Brooklyn in the style of Trump

Village, but a significant hurdle would need to be overcome.

Current zoning laws from public use to private construction would have to be changed.

So while my grandfather waited for the opportunity to present himself,

he began to lobby his old cronies for their support, and he began drafting his proposal.

Here's the thing, though, by the mid-60s, my grandfather's biggest projects and most lucrative

projects were behind him. So he was losing sway. He didn't

have nearly as much clout as he once had. So knowing that perhaps this project was not going to

go smoothly, he dangled the possibility of my dad's becoming involved in what would be a potentially ambitious project

...