Rocky Point Amusement Park

Last updated
Rocky Point Park
Ferris Wheel, Rocky Point, RI.jpg
Location Warwick, Rhode Island, United States
Coordinates 41°41′21″N71°22′3″W / 41.68917°N 71.36750°W / 41.68917; -71.36750
StatusDefunct
Opened1847
Closed1995
SloganWe've Got Your Summer at Rocky Point
Operating seasonMemorial Day Weekend thru mid-September
Attractions
Total24+
Roller coasters2+
Water rides1

Rocky Point Park was an amusement park on the Narragansett Bay shore of Warwick, Rhode Island. It operated from the late 1840s until it closed in 1995. In 1996, the park officially filed for bankruptcy.

Contents

History

Captain William Winslow conceived the idea for a family entertainment park in the 1840s. He had purchased land and began to offer amusements and serve dinner by 1847.

In July 1936, the salt-water swimming pool at the park hosted tryouts for the 1936 Summer Olympics. [1]

1940s postcard Amusement Center, Rocky Point Park, R.I (79847).jpg
1940s postcard

Rocky Point Park was one of the most popular attractions in Rhode Island from the 1950s through the mid-1990s. It featured rides such as the Skyliner, Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, Log Flume, and the Freefall, which fell 13 stories at 55 mph (89 km/h). It also featured the Shore Dinner Hall, known for its clam cakes, steamers, lobsters, and Rhode Island style clam chowder. It seated more than 4,000 patrons at a time. [2]

Rocky Point also occasionally hosted concerts in its Palladium Ballroom. Musical artists who performed at the venue included:

Final years

Rocky Point's financial situation became in the early 1990s. [7] The company that owned the park began to lose money in its attempts to leverage Rocky Point Park to fund other ventures. Rocky Point closed in 1995, then reopened briefly in 1996 as a farewell to patrons. Rides were sold in an auction, such as the Flume and Corkscrew, and are now in use at other amusement parks. [8] The Corkscrew was sold for $850,000 to Wild Waves Theme Park in Federal Way, Washington in 1997, where it was renamed the Wild Thing and remains in operation as of 2015. [9]

Post-business era, vandalism

Remnants of the Skyliner ride, 2018 Rocky Point State Park - Skyliner2.JPG
Remnants of the Skyliner ride, 2018

The Rocky Point land was purchased in 2003 for $8.5 million, and its main building called the "Big House" was attacked by vandals who lit it on fire on September 2, 2004.[ citation needed ]

Another fire started on October 16, 2006 at around 11 a.m., this time in an executive building on the waterfront. Police reported no injuries in either fire. It is unclear if this fire was caused by arson.[ citation needed ]

On May 7, 2007, demolition of the remaining midway began with a press conference at the park. A handful of stands and minor buildings had already been demolished. [10]

The documentary film You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park premiered at the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket, Rhode Island on September 7, 2007. The film garnered a five-star review from The Providence Journal and played to a sold-out crowd of 1,100 people. [11]

The city of Warwick secured a federal grant in February 2008 to purchase about half of the 82 acres (33 ha) remaining Rocky Point Park, including much of the view of the bay. [12] The city took title to 41 acres (170,000 m2) shoreline of the former park in August 2008. [13]

A ballot proposal passed on November 2, 2010 to issue state funding to "acquire the title to land in and around what used to be Rocky Point Park to establish the land as a public park." [14] The Small Business Administration accepted the state's offer to purchase the Rocky Point property on September 17, 2012 to be developed into a state park. [15]

The sale was conveyed on March 28, 2013 on the remaining 82 acres of the former amusement to the state of Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will oversee the operation and maintenance of the entire property. [16]

Re-opening

An arch from the amusement park remains in the state park Rocky Point State Park1.JPG
An arch from the amusement park remains in the state park

Rocky Point State Park opened to the public on June 26, 2011 featuring an asphalt mile-long walking path along the shore of Narragansett Bay. [17] The Shore Dinner Hall was demolished, while the rest of the amusement area was cleared and opened to the public. The majority of the space is now an empty field for use as a park. A few elements of the park remain, including the upper and lower stations for the Skyliner gondola ride, ruins of an old water tank, and a large arch by the entrance that was built for the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing, Queens and subsequently moved to Rocky Point. [18] [19] [20]

The State of Rhode Island began coordinating the development of Rocky Point State Park with the City of Warwick in November 2011. Public use is being managed by the DEM Parks and Recreation office. [21] [22]

See also

References

  1. "Splash to the Past". Cranston Herald . May 3, 2018. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  2. "World's Largest Shore Dinner Hall, Rocky Point". CardCow.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  3. "Rocky Point concerts". RIRocks. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. "Rocky Point" . Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  5. "Search for setlists: tour:(1983 Tour (Reach The Beach)) (page 3) | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  6. The Fixx live at Rocky Point Warwick RI 8 19 83 , retrieved 2023-02-11
  7. "In re: C.R. Amusements, LLC d/b/a Rocky Point Amusement Park" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-02-12. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  8. "Website for You Must Be This Tall". rockypointmovie.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-17. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  9. "Ride Rocky Point's Corkscrew Once Again". WPRO . 6 January 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  10. Cynthia Needham (May 8, 2007). "It's the end of the line for beloved Rocky Point". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-06-04. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  11. Michael Janusonis (September 7, 2007). "Movie review: Rocky Point rides again in You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-09-17. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  12. "Round and Round They Go: Remembering Rocky Point Park". rockypointpark.org. March 24, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-07-07. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  13. Barbara Polichetti (August 14, 2008). "No challenges to Warwick's acquisitions of 41 acres of former Rocky Point Amusement Park". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  14. "Rhode Island Capital Bonds for Open Space Question, Question 4 (2010)". Archived from the original on 2012-12-06. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  15. Mario Hilario (September 17, 2012). "RI purchases Rocky Point to develop state park". Turnto10.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  16. "The Rocky Point Foundation" . Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  17. Paul Davis (June 21, 2011). "Update: Part of Rocky Point Park opens Friday". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2011-06-23. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  18. Parker, Paul Edward (1 January 2015). "First Day Hike highlights newest state park at Rocky Point / Gallery". The Providence Journal . Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  19. Forsberg, Tim (21 January 2016). "Mystery of the Rocky Point 'Tower'". Warwick Beacon .
  20. Grosch, Connie (27 September 2016). "Iconic Rocky Point arch unveiled – with fresh paint". Rhode Island Foundation.
  21. "Rocky Point State Park". Rhode Island State Parks & Recreation. State of Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  22. "Rocky Point to open to public Oct. 25". 17 October 2014.