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By Max Jaeger
Brooklyn Daily
A cooperative housing development in Coney Island celebrated its 50th year in grand style.
The Warbasse Amalgamated Houses rang in its golden anniversary on last weekend with a free screening of the movie “Frozen” on Saturday night and a pull-out-all-stops street fair the next day. One of the co-op’s directors said the two-day extravaganza was a big hit — especially with the youngsters.
“It was glorious,” said Michael Silverman, president of the co-op’s board of directors. “The best part was listening to the laughter and seeing the smiles of all the kids — the next generation of cooperators.”
Carnival attractions filled the W. 5th Avenue festival, which ran between Neptune and West avenues, Silverman said.
“It was a street full of rides,” he said.
The co-op paid for the fair by selling advertisements in its 50th anniversary journal, according to Silverman.
“The fair did not come out of cooperators’ pockets,” he said.
The co-op opened in 1964 under the Mitchell-Lama program and currently houses about 8,000 people in 2,584 apartments. Still reeling from Hurricane Sandy, staffers at the Warbasse Houses are working restore on-site generators and bring buildings up to new federal flood guidelines without raising costs for residents, Silverman said.
“Affordable housing is always the key for us,” he said.