Rockaways' Playland

Last updated

Rockaways Playland, Car Ride, 1977 Rockaways Playland, Mike and Nancy, 1977.png
Rockaways Playland, Car Ride, 1977

Rockaways' Playland was an amusement park that operated from 1902 to 1987 in Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York City. Bounded by Beach 97th and Beach 98th Streets between Rockaway Beach Boulevard and the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, Rockaways' Playland was created in 1902 by roller coaster designer LaMarcus Adna Thompson. By 1903 a ferry dock was added not far from the park, making it more convenient to reach (from just about everywhere in New York City) than some of the competing amusement parks. The park was sold in 1927 to Robert Katlin, who added amenities such as a gym and swimming pool, and the following year to A. Joseph Geist, who achieved greater success than the previous owners. Between 1928 and 1970, Rockaways' Playland was extremely successful, drawing 175 million visitors. It closed in 1987 due to a sharp increase in the price of insurance. [1]  

Contents

History

Thompson's Amusement Park

The park site was originally developed as a resort area in 1876 by William Wainwright. [2]

In 1900, George Tilyou, owner of Steeplechase Park in Brooklyn's Coney Island, purchased land in the Seaside neighborhood along Rockaway Beach. He called the plot "Steeplechase Park". [3] Within a year, Tilyou offered to sell 2 acres (0.81 ha) to LaMarcus Adna Thompson, [4] a roller coaster designer who had been nearly bankrupted when the assassination of William McKinley prevented him from showing his Switchback Railway at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. [4] Still, Thompson managed to buy the property by 1901 and begin construction on an amusement park. [2] [3]

Thompson's Amusement Park is variously said to have opened in 1901, [3] 1902, [2] [5] or 1903, [3] [6] [7] on land that extended to the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk. In 1903, a ferry dock was built adjacent to the park, enabling visitors from other boroughs to visit it or one of the other several amusement districts along the beach and boardwalk. [8] [9] By 1905, Thompson was operating the amusement park by himself. [2]

After Thompson died in 1919, his family operated the park [8] until they sold it to a syndicate led by Robert Katlin in December 1927. [10] Katlin opened several facilities and amusements including a new arena, gymnasium, and swimming pool. [8]

Geist operation

In January 1928, the park was purchased by A. Joseph Geist, a Queens lawyer and businessman who would go on to serve as the president of the Rockaways Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Higher Education. [11] [12] Renaming it Rockaways' Playland, Geist soon launched an expansion project that added a dance hall, menagerie, and roller coaster. [2] [6] He added numerous attractions in the early 1930s, and by 1936, he was advertising that the park contained 24 distinct attractions. [13] New York City parks commissioner Robert Moses shut the amusement area in 1937, as he intended to build the Shore Front Parkway through the area. A waterfront stretch measuring 200 feet (61 m) by 2.5 miles (4.0 km) was condemned, and Geist lost half of his rides. [4] Moses had also destroyed the nearby bungalows in an unsuccessful attempt to shut down Playland. [14] Following a rebuilding program costing between $3 million and $5 million, Geist reopened Playland in 1939. [4]

Playland saw attendance decrease during World War II. A wartime blackout was applied to the area, which mandated that the park's lights be shut off to avoid enemy detection; the blackout was lifted in August 1945. [4] More attractions, including a kiddie park named Joytown, were added in 1949, followed by the installation of new lighting systems the following year under a $1 million modernization program. [13] [4] Visitors continued to arrive from various places in the New York metropolitan area such as Jersey City, Lower Manhattan, and Yonkers. [13] Boats to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn would start operating in 1954, [15] followed by another ferry service to Westchester in 1964. [16]

Throughout the 1950s, Playland hosted numerous events and special occasions. [15] One New York Times article in 1953 described how six hundred orphans were taken to Playland. [17] When Geist died in 1960, his son Richard took over the park and added numerous contests, such as beauty pageants every Monday evening and children's contests each Saturday afternoon. [15] [6] Playland saw a small attendance decrease during the 1964 New York World's Fair, hosted in nearby Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, though attendance quickly returned to normal levels after the fair. [16] By 1970, Playland had attracted 175 million visitors in the years since A. Joseph Geist had purchased the park. [6] Attendance began to decline in the late 1970s as the rides became more dated. [16]

"Playland" sign at the Beach 98th Street station Beach 98th Street-Playland Sign.jpg
"Playland" sign at the Beach 98th Street station

The 1985 season was the last operating season for Playland, though at the time, Richard Geist did not intend for the park to close permanently. [16] The following year, insurance premiums increased eightfold, from $50,000 in 1985 to $408,000 in 1986. At that time, Geist decided not to reopen the park. [16] [5] Upon Playland's closure, a housing development was planned on Playland's site. [5] The land was still vacant in 1995. [7] While the site was developed by 2003, the Beach 98th Street station of the New York City Subway still bore the name "Playland". [18]

Attractions

At its opening, Thompson's Amusement Park included a steeplechase-style ride, where patrons would race along a track on horse-shaped vehicles, as well as a 1,000-foot-long (300 m) bathhouse on the boardwalk. The park also included a midway with a funhouse, Skee-Ball ramp, and shooting gallery when it opened. [3] The first roller coaster in the park was added in 1924 and was called the Gravity Wonder. [8] A "tent city" with cabanas was located on the northern part of Thompson's Amusement Park. [4]

In 1928, a 165-foot-long (50 m) Olympic-size swimming pool was added to Playland, being used for Summer Olympic tryouts. [8] [18] [19] An 8,000-seat arena was also added; [4] [6] before being torn down in 1930, it was used for circuses, as well as for church services on Sundays and for boxing matches on Fridays. [8] A dance hall, gymnasium, and menagerie, were also added, [8] [6] and a 5,500-locker bathhouse was built. [4]

In 1930 Geist added a Noah's Ark style attraction, with a setting resembling Mount Ararat, on the arena's site. The ark was a walk-through exhibit that featured "the sounds of rain, thunder, and Noah giving orders". [13] Other additions in the early 1930s included flat rides such as the Rig-a-Jig, Leaping Lena, Cave O'Laffs, and the Pretzel. [13] A wooden roller coaster called the Atom Smasher was added in 1938. [18] Designed by Vernon Keenan, it measured 3,000 feet (910 m) long and had a maximum height of 70 feet (21 m). [20]

The Atom Smasher was featured in the 1952 film This Is Cinerama . [13] [4] [19] [21] The release of This Is Cinerama and its popularity and positive reception brought thousands of visitors to Playland. [15] Playland was also shown in the 1982 movie Sophie's Choice . [16] [4]

Related Research Articles

Steeplechase may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coney Island</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to the north and includes the subsection of Sea Gate on its west. More broadly, the Coney Island peninsula consists of Coney Island proper, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach. This was formerly the westernmost of the Outer Barrier islands on the southern shore of Long Island, but in the early 20th century it became a peninsula, connected to the rest of Long Island by land fill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolley park</span> Amusement park prototype

In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. Trolley parks were often created by the streetcar companies to give people a reason to use their services on weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playland (New York)</span> Historic amusement park in New York

Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York, along the Long Island Sound. Built in 1928, the 280-acre (110 ha) park is owned by the Westchester County government. Beginning in 2018 the park has been operated under contract by Standard Amusements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903)</span> Former amusement park in Brooklyn, New York

Luna Park was an amusement park that operated in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, United States, from 1903 to 1944. The park was located on a site bounded by Surf Avenue to the south, West 8th Street to the east, Neptune Avenue to the north, and West 12th Street to the west. Luna Park was located partly on the grounds of the small park it replaced, Sea Lion Park, which operated between 1895 and 1902. It was the second of the three original, very large, iconic parks built on Coney Island; the others were Steeplechase Park and Dreamland. At Coney Island's peak in the middle of the 20th century's first decade, the three amusement parks competed with each other and with many independent amusements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeplechase Park</span> Former amusement park in New York City

Steeplechase Park was an amusement park that operated in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, United States, from 1897 to 1964. Steeplechase Park was created by the entrepreneur George C. Tilyou as the first of the three large amusement parks built on Coney Island, the other two being Luna Park (1903) and Dreamland (1904). Of the three, Steeplechase was the longest-lasting, running for 67 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playland (Vancouver)</span> Amusement park in Vancouver, BC

Playland Amusement Park is an amusement park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The amusement park is located at Hastings Park and is operated by the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), an organization that hosts an annual summer fair and exhibition adjacent to Playland. Playland opened at its current location in 1958, although its predecessor, Happyland, operated at Hastings Park from 1929 to 1957. Playland was formally made a division of the PNE in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Beach, Staten Island</span> Neighborhood of Staten Island in New York City

South Beach is a neighborhood on the East Shore of Staten Island, New York City, situated directly south of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. South Beach is bounded by New York Bay on the southeast, Seaview Avenue on the southwest, Laconia Avenue on the northwest, Reid and McClean Avenues on the north, and Lily Pond Avenue on the northeast. It is adjacent to Midland Beach to the southwest, Dongan Hills and Old Town/Concord to the northwest, and Fort Wadsworth and Rosebank to the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Dipper (Belmont Park)</span> Amusement ride

The Giant Dipper, also known as Mission Beach Roller Coaster and historically by other names, is a historical wooden roller coaster located in Belmont Park, a small amusement park in the Mission Beach area of San Diego, California. Built in 1925, it and its namesake at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk are the only remaining wooden roller coasters on the West Coast designed by noted roller coaster designers Frank Prior and Frederick Church, and the only one whose construction they supervised. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Dipper</span> Historic roller coaster in California

The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. The Giant Dipper, which replaced the Thompson's Scenic Railway, took 47 days to build and opened on May 17, 1924, at a cost of $50,000. With a height of 70 feet (21 m) and a speed of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h), it is one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in the world. As of 2012, over 60 million people have ridden the Giant Dipper since its opening. The ride has received several awards such as being named a National Historic Landmark, a Golden Age Coaster award, and a Coaster Landmark award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playland (San Francisco)</span> Amusement park in California, 1921 to 1972

Playland was a 10-acre (40,000-square-meter) seaside amusement park located next to Ocean Beach, in the Richmond District at the western edge of San Francisco, California, along Great Highway, bounded by Balboa and Fulton streets. It began as a collection of amusement rides and concessions in the late 19th century, and was preceded by Chutes at the Beach, opened in 1921. Playland closed Labor Day weekend in 1972.

Great Old Amusement Parks is a 1999 PBS television documentary VHS DVD produced by Rick Sebak of WQED Pittsburgh which aired on PBS, on July 21, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riegelmann Boardwalk</span> Boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York

The Riegelmann Boardwalk is a 2.7-mile-long (4.3 km) boardwalk along the southern shore of Coney Island in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1923, the boardwalk runs between West 37th Street to the west, at the edge of the Sea Gate neighborhood, and Brighton 15th Street to the east, in Brighton Beach. It is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starlight Park</span> Public park in the Bronx, New York

Starlight Park is a public park located along the Bronx River in the Bronx in New York City. Starlight Park stands on the site of an amusement park of the same name that operated in the first half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Beach–Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk</span> Boardwalk in Staten Island, New York

The South Beach–Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk, alternately referred to as the FDR Boardwalk or the South Beach Boardwalk, is a boardwalk facing the Lower New York Bay on the East Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. The boardwalk is the main feature of a public park that stretches from Fort Wadsworth and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Miller Field, both part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The park also contains numerous recreational facilities, including a skate park.

Coney Island is a 1991 documentary film that traces the history of Coney Island, the westernmost part of the barrier islands of Long Island, New York. The film covers the island's 1609 discovery by Henry Hudson, its 1870s incarnation as a respectable beach destination for city-dwellers and a showcase of the new developments ushered in by the machine age, the early 20th century, when amusement parks and innovative attractions attracted hundreds of thousands of people each day, and the gradual demise of the amusements.

Vernon Keenan (1886–1964) was an American roller coaster designer best known for his involvement with the Cyclone at Coney Island.

Emil Robert Lucev was an American journalist and historian of Far Rockaway. His work includes study of the early amusement parks created by LaMarcus Adna Thompson and George C. Tilyou, the restoration and history of the Cornell Cemetery, and other features of The Rockaways, and his newspaper articles in The Wave of Long Island. He is the author of The Rockaways, a 2007 postcard history of the peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George C. Tilyou</span> American entrepreneur and showman who founded New York Citys Steeplechase Park

George Cornelius Tilyou (1862–1914) was an American entrepreneur and showman who founded New York City's Steeplechase Park. Born in New York City, his parents had operated businesses in Coney Island from his early childhood. He founded Steeplechase in 1897, and rebuilt it entirely after a 1907 fire. Tilyou died in 1914, leaving the park to his children, who continued to operate it until 1964.

References

    Citations

    1. ↑ Sheidlower, Noah (July 22, 2020). "NYC'S LOST HISTORIC AMUSEMENT PARKS". Untapped New York. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 Lucev 2007 , p. 65.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 Gottlock & Gottlock 2013 , p. 85.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rabin, Bernard; McKenna, Ken (May 30, 1982). "Playland born of tragedy". New York Daily News. pp.  485, 498 – via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
    5. 1 2 3 Fried, Joseph P. (April 24, 1987). "After 86 Years, Rockaways Playland To Be Razed For 300 Condominiums". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Playland Aglitter for 42 d Fun Year". New York Daily News. April 26, 1970. p. 160. Retrieved September 12, 2019– via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
    7. 1 2 Kershaw, Sarah (September 3, 1995). "Neighborhood Report: Rockaway; Building a Home for Rockaway's Lost Soul". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gottlock & Gottlock 2013 , pp. 86–87.
    9. ↑ Lucev 2007 , p. 8.
    10. ↑ "Thompson Amusement Park at Rockaway Park Sold". Brooklyn Times-Union. December 4, 1927. p. 51. Retrieved August 23, 2019– via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
    11. ↑ "A. JOSEPH GEIST, LAWYER WAS 76; Former Member of Board of Higher Education Dies". The New York Times. August 12, 1963. p. 21. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
    12. ↑ "Sells Amusement Park". Brooklyn Times-Union. January 15, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved August 23, 2019– via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
    13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gottlock & Gottlock 2013 , p. 88.
    14. ↑ Lucev 2007 , p. 66.
    15. 1 2 3 4 Gottlock & Gottlock 2013 , p. 89.
    16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gottlock & Gottlock 2013 , p. 90.
    17. ↑ "600 Get Trip to Playland". The New York Times. July 8, 1953. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    18. 1 2 3 Hevesi, Dennis (December 7, 2003). "In Rockaways, a Tide Is Coming In". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    19. 1 2 "Rockaways' Playland thrilled New Yorkers for nearly a century, then it was gone". am New York. Newsday. May 16, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    20. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Atom Smasher  (Rockaways' Playland)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    21. ↑ "Rockaways Playland, Queens NY". Defunct Parks. September 26, 2015.

    Sources

    40°35′02″N73°49′07″W / 40.58389°N 73.81861°W / 40.58389; -73.81861

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.