The Cyclone is here. Plus, the Cyclones baseball team.

So is Nathan’s Famous. And the beach, of course, with some of Coney Island’s own polar bears. These Coney Island favorites are represented on a 220-foot-long mural on Surf Avenue by Brooklyn-based artist Vincent Ballentine.

What You Need To Know

A new mural was created at 1709 Surf Ave. in Coney Island 

It features neighborhood staples like the Cyclone, the Cyclones baseball team, hot dogs and a mermaid from the Mermaid Parade 

The mural, from artist Vincent Ballentine, was made possible through a partnership between developer BFC Partners and the nonprofit ArtBridge

“We’re just trying to help make this place a little bit better, a little bit more pretty every day,” he said.

Ballentine is discussing the construction fencing on what is the third of three affordable housing buildings from BFC Partners. It’s located at 1709 Surf Ave., a shell’s throw from the beach.

BFC partnered with ArtBridge to get the mural done. The nonprofit organization transforms urban infrastructure, like construction sites, into canvases for public art.

“We try to amplify public art by using the public, engaging with the public in order to make the murals by using community engagement to make sure we capture the voices of the people where the art is going to exist,” said Jon Souza, the program director of ArtBridge.

To make that happen, workshops were held in the community with residents and at local schools to propose ideas for capturing the flavor of Coney Island.

“A lot of it is about capturing people’s stories so it feels a little bit more personal to them,” said Souza. 

Joseph Ferrara, of BFC Partners, said the mural creates excitement for the new housing. When the building is complete, that will make 1,250 units of 100% affordable housing inside buildings constructed on former parking lots.

“The most important fabric of a neighborhood are the people who live in it, so what we want to do is make sure it’s inclusive for all, and it’s a pretty exciting project for us,” said Ferrara. 

The building is expected to be completed by next spring. Meanwhile, the mural remains as a reminder of what the neighborhood and its people offer.