History
In 2014, David and Ruth Hoffman, owners of Hoffman's Playland in Latham, announced that the park would close in September. [2] The Hoffmans had searched for a new owner for the amusement rides to no avail, and the rides were scheduled to go to auction. Shortly after the park closed, the Sperber family—owners of the Albany-based furniture store Huck Finn's Warehouse—announced their intent to purchase the rides and build a new park next to the store. [3] The park was constructed on a vacant 3 acre lot, and opened in June 2015. [4] The new park features the Hoffman's Playland rides, a new concession building, and an arcade relocated inside the warehouse. The Lusse Auto Skooter bumper cars were purchased but were not rebuilt at the new park. They were sold to Knoebels Amusement Resort in 2017, where they now operate.
The location itself is allegedly haunted. [5] Some ghost stories stem to the park's location in Latham, with claims that there are spirits attached to the paratrooper ride and food trailer. There are other stories dating back to the new location's association with the Warehouse District of Albany. There was much railroad and canal activity along Erie Boulevard, and the first perforated toilet paper was invented in the Huck Finn's building (then the Albany Perforated Wrapping Paper Company, photos here) by Seth Wheeler. [6] There are rumored to be burial sites from the canal era between the back of the park and the highway. These rumors are unconfirmed, as the alleged burial sites are located in protected wetlands. There are numerous stories about a black robed figure that wanders through the Playland at night protecting the park.
In 2021, the Huck Finn's Warehouse building was sold to Redburn Development, and redeveloped as a mixed-use building featuring apartments and retail, including a Huck Finn Home store. In November 2023, it was announced that Scene One Entertainment (which owns a cinema in Schenectady, and announced plans to relocate its headquarters to the city) would acquire Huck Finn's Playland from the Sperbers. Scene One's CEO Joseph Masher cited his childhood nostalgia of visiting Hoffman's Playland while growing up in Brunswick, and suggested the possibility of synergies with his theater business and other new ventures. He stated that the park would not be relocated, and that he hoped to expand it with new attractions. [7] [8]
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