LAKE WACONIA REGIONAL PARK
PARADISE OF THE NORTHWEST
WACONIA
COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2023
WACONIA23
Coney Island ’ s next historic phase
Beginning in the late 1800s , vacationers escaping the heat of sweltering Midwest cities — or visiting from as far away as Europe — would arrive by train at the little resort community of Waconia and board a ferry for the island , about a quarter mile off shore .
According to the Minnesota Historical Society , at the turn of the century there were three hotels on the island . Cottages sat beneath towering trees on streets named for famous German writers like Goethe and Schiller . Guests enjoyed Sunday-afternoon concerts and a bowling alley . The University of Minnesota football team even traveled to Coney Island for preseason practice .
By 1960 , however , the island was completely vacated , and vandalism began taking its toll . The Waconia Bicentennial Committee ’ s Island Committee led efforts to rehabilitate the island in 1975 , and the island was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 . While a study was conducted on possible uses for the island , high costs prevented development .
Meanwhile , growth in the Twin Cities had turned Waconia into an outer-ring suburb . The bigger population needed more room for recreation : as early as 1999 , local Carver County and the Metropolitan Council — which helps plan parks in the Twin Cities region — was exploring the idea of Coney Island as a public open space . Enter local philanthropists Norm and Ann Hoffman . The Hoffmans ’ vision for donating the land began in 2003 when he heard talk of plans to develop the island in ways he didn ’ t think were sustainable . It prompted him to try and block that effort by purchasing land parcels from the island ’ s six other property owners . It took roughly a decade to reach that goal , but Hoffman earned high marks from Carver County officials for sticking to his vision .
In 2016 , Carver County Commissioners accepted a $ 900,000 donation for Coney Island cleanup efforts from the Norman and Ann Hoffman Foundation . The donation marks a final step in a complex process undertaken by the Hoffmans to ensure the land will be developed for public use as part of Lake Waconia Regional Park . The island is fully open to the public .
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2023 | WACONIA | Page 55