Results tagged “steeplechasepark”

In 1982 Matt Dillon hosted a film on the history of the amusement park (in particular roller coasters) called Wild Rides. He discusses a lot of the Coney Island rides, and there's some great old footage -- check out that "human pool table"! We'd be interested in seeing some numbers on how many people got injured on rides during this time.

With Astroland making way for Thor Equities' development of Coney Island, the amusement park is selling off its rides in an auction. Amusement ride broker Ital International is handling the sale of about two dozen rides. The Daily News is reporting that while many rides are expected to garner bids in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, rides like bumper cars or little boats could be had for under $15,000. The rides are low-priced because apparently it's a buyers' market in carnival rides right now, with a surplus of available amusements. The attractions, ranging from the Astro-Tower to the kiddie-boats, are all on sale now, but will remain at Coney Island until the end of the summer.

As part of an ongoing effort to revitalize Coney Island and its waterfront, the Coney Island Development Corporation and the Van Alen Institute have organized a design competition for a Parachute Pavilion. Architects and designers worldwide are invited to submit their visions for the site of the landmarked Parachute Jump. The icon stands on the site of the former Steeplechase Park, where at one time visitors would enjoy the amusements at the Pavilion of Fun, a gigantic Art Nouveau pavilion of glass and steel.