Steeplechase Pier: Historic Overlook of the Atlantic
Why is it significant?
Walk to the very end of Steeplechase Pier and gaze out across the vast expanse of the open Atlantic Ocean. With the salt spray on your face and waves crashing against the wooden pylons beneath your feet, this thousand-foot pier offers the most panoramic vantage point in all of southern Brooklyn.
Key Facts
| Place | Steeplechase Pier: Historic Overlook of the Atlantic |
|---|---|
| Address | Boardwalk at W 17th St, Brooklyn, NY 11224, USA |
| Geo Coordinates | 40.57150, -73.98400 |
| Part of Walk | New York: Coney Island Boardwalk and Vintage Amusements |
| Generated | Generated |
Walk to the very end of Steeplechase Pier and gaze out across the vast expanse of the open Atlantic Ocean. With the salt spray on your face and waves crashing against the wooden pylons beneath your feet, this thousand-foot pier offers the most panoramic vantage point in all of southern Brooklyn. Behind you, the entire skyline of Coney Island unfolds in all its colorful glory: the Parachute Jump, the spinning Wonder Wheel, and the white timber tracks of the Cyclone rising against the sky.
Originally constructed in the nineteenth century as a steamboat pier, this was where excursion steamers like the Iron Steamboat Company carried hundreds of thousands of day-trippers from Manhattan piers directly to George C. Tilyou's Steeplechase Park. Revelers stepped off the boat and walked down the pier directly into the Funny Place, welcomed by the iconic grinning Steeplechase Face with its mischievous forty-tooth smile. Generations of Brooklyn residents have walked to the pier's railing to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic, breath in the invigorating sea salt air, and find peaceful solace away from the bustling city streets.
The pier has withstood devastating hurricanes and coastal storms throughout its long history. When Superstorm Sandy destroyed the wooden decking in October 2012, the pier was rebuilt using recycled plastic lumber and reinforced concrete, complete with shaded wave pavilions, integrated fishing railings, and solar-powered canopy lights. Today, neighborhood anglers cast lines for striped bass, bluefish, and fluke while seabirds circle above the rolling swells.
Look out toward the horizon where container cargo ships steam through the Ambrose Channel toward New York Harbor, passing the blinking beacon of the Coney Island Lighthouse.
Retrace your steps back along the pier to the boardwalk and turn north toward Surf Avenue to visit Brooklyn's home of seaside baseball.