Opened to the public on June 20 1909, Coney Island was among the most elaborate amusement parks of its day. Founded and owned by Otto G. Benschuetz, it featured landscaped grounds, a children's playground, a bandstand for outdoor concerts, and a dance pavilion that also served as a skating rink and theatre. The park also included an artificial lake with boats, covered landings, and bath houses. Its heyday ended after Benschuetz's death in 1912. An aircraft assembly plant later occupied the site in the early twenties, and an auto court was established there afterward. Fire destroyed the pavilion in 1927, a second blaze in 1930 took other structures, and all remaining buildings were torn down when Interstate 80 was constructed in the 1960s.