Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903)
Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox amusement park 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 (1897, by George C. Tilyou) and Dreamland (1904, by William H. Reynolds).<ref name=Goldfield2006>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.
Luna Park's co-founders Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy had created the "A Trip To The Moon" ride, which had been highly popular during the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, and operated at Steeplechase Park in 1902. Luna Park opened on May 16, 1903, and was highly profitable until Dundy died in 1907. Thompson operated the park alone until 1912, when his lease was canceled. The Luna Amusement Company owned the park from 1911 to 1939; during the Great Depression, creditors foreclosed on Luna Park twice. The park was leased to a syndicate in 1940 and continued to operate during World War II. Over the years, the park's owners constantly added new attractions and shows.
The park's western half was destroyed by a fire in August 1944 and never reopened, while the eastern half closed in September 1944. Although some rides on Surf Avenue continued to operate after 1944, much of the site remained closed for several years; the area was redeveloped as the Luna Park Houses between 1958 and 1962. Though another amusement park opened nearby in 2010 and was named Luna Park to commemorate the original, it is unrelated to the 1903 park.
Development
Between about 1880 and World War II, Coney Island was the largest amusement area in the United States, attracting several million visitors annually.<ref name="Kasson pp. 7–8">Template:Harvnb</ref> Sea Lion Park opened in 1895<ref name="Immerso p. 6">Template:Harvnb</ref> and was Coney Island's first amusement area to charge entry fees;<ref name="Parascandola p. 12">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Immerso p. 55">Template:Harvnb</ref> this, in turn, spurred the construction of George C. Tilyou's Steeplechase Park in 1897, the neighborhood's first major amusement park.<ref name="Parascandola p. 12" /><ref name="Immerso p. 56">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Background
In 1901, Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy created a wildly successful ride called "A Trip To The Moon" as part of the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, New York. The name of the fanciful "airship" (complete with flapping wings) that was the main part of the ride was Luna, the Latin word for the moon.<ref name="Pilat Ranson 1941 p.">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Immerso p. 61" /> The airship, and the park that was subsequently built around it, may have been named after Dundy's sister in Des Moines, Luna Dundy Newman.<ref name="Pilat Ranson 1941 p." /><ref name="Immerso p. 62">Template:Harvnb</ref> George C. Tilyou invited Thompson and Dundy to move their attraction to Steeplechase for the 1902 season.<ref name="Immerso p. 61">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Kasson p. 62">Template:Harvnb</ref> The ride performed poorly during that season, which was extremely rainy.<ref name="Immerso pp. 61–62">Template:Harvnb</ref> Thompson and Dundy opted to establish their own amusement park at the end of the season following a disagreement with Tilyou.<ref name="Kasson p. 62" /><ref name="Immerso pp. 61–62" />
Thompson and Dundy agreed to take over the site of Paul Boyton's 16-acre (6.5 ha) Sea Lion Park in August 1902.<ref name="n116114044">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116114132">Template:Cite news</ref> As part of the deal, they leased some land from Frederick Kister, and they also leased a strip of land on West 12th Street for 25 years.<ref name="n116113397">Template:Cite news</ref> Sea Lion Park had several centerpiece rides, but low attendance during the 1902 season and competition with Steeplechase Park had prompted Boyton to leave the amusement park business.<ref name="Immerso p. 62" /> Thompson and Dundy also leased the adjacent site of the Elephantine Colossus Hotel,<ref name="Immerso p. 62" /> which had burned down in 1896.<ref name="nyt-2016-06-24">Template:Cite news</ref> This gave them Template:Cvt, all the land north of Surf Avenue and south of Neptune Avenue, between West 8th and West 12th Streets.<ref name="n116112126">Template:Cite news</ref>
Construction and opening
Dundy was in charge of raising capital for the project, while Thompson was responsible for the park's layout and architecture.<ref name="Immerso p. 62" /> The Brooklyn Daily Eagle initially estimated that Thompson and Dundy would spend $200,000 renovating Sea Lion Park.<ref name="n116114132" /> Ultimately, the men spent $700,000 (although they advertised it as $1 million) totally rebuilding the park and expanding its attractions.<ref>Woody Register, The Kid of Coney Island, Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements, Oxford University Press · 2001, page 339</ref><ref name="Sheidlower 2021" /> Wall Street financiers and Coney Island speculators each contributed half the project's cost.<ref name="Immerso p. 62" /> By November 1902, Thompson aimed to open the park by May 2 of the following year.<ref name="n116112561">Template:Cite news</ref> Topsy the elephant, which Boyton had bought that season to add to the menagerie of animals at Sea Lion Park, was involved in demolishing some of the old rides. During an October event that involved Topsy hauling the airship Luna from Steeplechase to its new location, handler William Alt was arrested for disorderly conduct after assaulting the elephant with a pitchfork and then turning it loose to wander down Surf Avenue.<ref name="n116112276">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116112746">Template:Cite news</ref> In an organized publicity stunt, Thompson and Dundy announced they would hang Topsy and sell tickets to the event.<ref name="n116112276" /> Following an intervention from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Thompson and Dundy agreed to a more humane method of poisoning, electrocuting, and strangling the elephant in a smaller private affair that was captured in the short film Electrocuting an Elephant.<ref name="Magazine Eschner 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Thompson and Dundy ultimately electrocuted Topsy, then killed her using cyanide, in January 1903.<ref name="n116133207">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1903-01-05">Template:Cite news</ref>
Thompson and Dundy planned to add new rides including a flower garden, a German village, and a Trip to the Moon attraction.<ref name="n116112276" /> The lagoon and the Shoot the Chute attraction were the only parts of Sea Lion Park to be retained.<ref name="Immerso p. 62" /><ref name="Kasson p. 62" /><ref name="n116112276" /> Early plans called for Luna Park to include a tower with 38,000 lights.<ref name="n116114132" /> The park's original rides and attractions also included an infant incubator, a Shoot the Chute ride, a three-ring circus, and a Fire and Flames show that employed over a thousand performers.<ref name="p101426420">Template:Cite news</ref> Luna Park unofficially opened on April 5, 1903, with a live show.<ref name="n116117609">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116117334">Template:Cite news</ref> The same month, Leo Wyent and George M. Foley sued to prevent Thompson and Dundy from issuing a concession allowing a third party to sell cigars and alcoholic beverages at the park.<ref name="n116117071">Template:Cite news</ref> Thompson and Dundy planned to sell alcoholic beverages at one location in the park, the German Village.<ref name="n116117609" />
Calling itself "the heart of Coney Island",<ref name="heartofconeyisland">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Luna Park turned on its lights on May 16, 1903,<ref name="nyt-1903-05-17">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p571276984">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> at 8 p.m.<ref name="nyt-1903-05-17" /><ref name="Immerso p. 60">Template:Harvnb</ref> The park's gates opened five minutes later<ref name="Immerso p. 60" /> to a crowd of 45,000 guests.<ref name="Kasson p. 64">Template:Harvnb</ref> It featured 39 shows<ref name="n116138034">Template:Cite news</ref> and initially contained 53 buildings.<ref name="p571268715">Template:Cite news</ref> Admission to the park was ten cents.<ref name="p571303042">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Immerso p. 64">Template:Harvnb</ref> An additional fee was required for some rides, ranging up to 25 cents for the most elaborate attractions, although the park also hosted free shows.<ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> Luna Park was accessible from Culver Depot, the terminals of the West End and Sea Beach railroad lines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its general manager D. S. Smith had arranged for the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) to operate express trains directly to Park Row Terminal in Manhattan during the park's operating hours, terminating directly at Luna Park's main entrance;<ref name="n116117609" /><ref name="n116117334" /> this arrangement continued until 1909.<ref name="n116202032">Template:Cite news</ref> The park was extremely popular, recording 142,000 guests on Independence Day in 1903.<ref name="p571303042" /> Thompson and Dundy had recovered 90 percent of Luna Park's construction cost less than three months after its grand opening.<ref name="Immerso pp. 67–68">Template:Harvnb</ref> Template:Multiple image
Operation
1900s
Because of the success of Luna Park, competition for visitors ramped up on Coney Island.<ref name="nyt-1904-05-08">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p555219317">Template:Cite news</ref> Former state senator William H. Reynolds announced plans in July 1903 to build a hippodrome rivaling Luna Park,<ref name="nyt-1903-07-18">Template:Cite news</ref> and Reynolds opened a third large-scale park, Dreamland, the next year.<ref name="Immerso p. 68">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="p555219317" /> Reynolds wanted Dreamland to surpass Luna Park in every way.<ref name="Immerso p. 68" /> As such, Dreamland featured several times as many lights as Luna Park, an even bigger central tower, more refined architecture, and (according to one source) more "high-class entertainment".<ref name="Sheidlower 2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> At Coney Island's peak in the mid-1900s, Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park competed with each other and with many independent amusements.<ref name="DeSenaShortell2012">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp<ref name="Parascandola p. 11">Template:Harvnb</ref> Dreamland survived until 1911,when it was destroyed in one of the many fires common on Coney Island during the early 20th century.<ref name="n116055065">Template:Cite news</ref>
Thompson and Dundy were constantly changing the park's attractions.<ref name="Luna Park 1998">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ahead of the 1904 season, Thompson and Dundy expanded Luna Park by Template:Cvt,<ref name="nyt-1904-05-15">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Immerso p. 71">Template:Harvnb</ref> bringing its total area to Template:Cvt.<ref name="nyt-1904-05-08" /><ref name="p571422582">Template:Cite news</ref> The expansion included replicas of additional locales,<ref name="p1525629813">Template:Cite news</ref> a Japanese tea garden,<ref name="n116257316" /> a replica of a Himalayan mountain above the Coney Island Creek,<ref name="Immerso pp. 71–73">Template:Harvnb</ref> and a $250,000 reproduction of the Delhi Durbar.<ref name="n116257316">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Immerso pp. 71–73" /> Thompson and Dundy also added several shows, including "Night and Morning" and a series of pageants hosted on a Template:Cvt stage.<ref name="Immerso p. 74">Template:Harvnb</ref> A second deck was added around the central lagoon, increasing the park's capacity by 70,000.<ref name="nyt-1904-05-08" /><ref name="Immerso p. 71" /> George Kessler of the Sea Beach Land Company agreed to buy the land under Luna Park in June 1904 for over $1 million; the sale did not affect Thompson and Dundy's lease.<ref name="p571564831">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1904-06-30">Template:Cite news</ref> Kessler initially took an option on the site; he decided to exercise his option in September 1904.<ref name=p571509316>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, Luna Park had already accommodated two million guests.<ref name="n116168832">Template:Cite news</ref>
For the 1905 season, L. A. Thompson (who was not related to Fred Thompson) added a scenic railway-style roller coaster to Luna Park,<ref name="n116169503">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116169850">Template:Cite news</ref> replacing the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction.<ref name="n116169850" /> Luna Park added several shows ahead of the 1906 season,<ref name="p571850240">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1906-05-13">Template:Cite news</ref> in addition to two slides.<ref name="p2116860179">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Dundy died in early 1907,<ref name="nyt-1907-02-06">Template:Cite news</ref> leaving Fred Thompson as the sole operator of Luna Park.<ref name="nyt-1912-06-09">Template:Cite news</ref> The Brooklyn Daily Eagle said Dundy's death "was a severe blow to Mr. Thompson".<ref name="n116202342">Template:Cite news</ref> Nonetheless, Thompson continued to add to the park, employing four elephants and 700 men during the off-season.<ref name="nyt-1908-04-26">Template:Cite news</ref> For the 1907 season, Thompson added a carousel called the Ocean Wave;<ref name="p571964359">Template:Cite news</ref> in addition, he expanded the ballroom and lagoon, and he relocated the entrance away from the elevated train lines.<ref name="nyt-1907-05-122">Template:Cite news</ref>
Coney Island had reached its peak popularity by the late 1900s.<ref name="Immerso p. 81">Template:Harvnb</ref> The park employed over 2,000 people each season, and it accommodated five million guests a year.<ref name="p571852093">Template:Cite news</ref> The park had sold 31 million tickets in its first five seasons,<ref name="Immerso p. 81" /> leading Thompson to say in early 1908: "I believe this surpasses everything in the history of amusement enterprises anywhere in the world."<ref name="nyt-1908-04-26" /> Some of the attractions were replaced with ten live shows during the 1908 season,<ref name="p572074791">Template:Cite news</ref> including Trip to the Moon.<ref name="nyt-1907-05-122"/> Thompson added another live show in 1909,<ref name="p572231671">Template:Cite news</ref> and he also continued to offer novelties, including elephant rides (which attracted guests such as actor Douglas Fairbanks).<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> That year, New York City mayor George B. McClellan Jr. attempted to prevent the park from staging live shows on Sundays, claiming that the shows were illegal;<ref name="nyt-1909-05-22">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p572175923">Template:Cite news</ref> a New York Supreme Court justice granted an injunction in July 1909, allowing Luna Park to host shows on Sundays.<ref name="nyt-1909-07-02">Template:Cite news</ref>
1910s
By October 1910, the New York State Banking Department wanted to place Luna Park into receivership because the firm of Thompson and Dundy had gone bankrupt. However, the park's lawyers contended that the firm was no longer in control of Luna Park.<ref name="nyt-1910-10-15">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p540389584">Template:Cite news</ref> A New York Supreme Court justice ultimately declined to appoint a receiver for the park.<ref name="p572362463">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1031412789">Template:Cite magazine</ref> For the 1911 season, Thompson added attractions and shows such as Sinking of the Maine and the Monkey Music Hall.<ref name="n116233729">Template:Cite news</ref> The Luna Amusement Company, headed by Barron Collier, took over the park about the same year.<ref name="n116205423" /><ref name="nyt-1946-08-07" /> The park's scenery-storage building, a restaurant, and two rides burned down in a large fire in December 1911, several months after Dreamland's destruction, although the rest of the park remained undamaged.<ref name="p574854122">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1911-12-12">Template:Cite news</ref> Thompson ran Luna Park until March 1912, when the Sea Beach Land Company and Charles C. Overton moved to evict Thompson;<ref name="n116202342" /><ref name="n116201837">Template:Cite news</ref> the eviction was finalized the next month.<ref name="nyt-1912-04-04">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p574900929">Template:Cite news</ref> For the 1912 season, the new operators added attractions such as the Kiss Waltz and the Turkey Trot.<ref name="n116233500">Template:Cite news</ref>
Thompson left for San Francisco in 1913,<ref name="n116202580">Template:Cite news</ref> and Oscar Jurney was appointed as the new general manager, working at Luna Park until the end of 1917.<ref name="p1031548479">Template:Cite magazine</ref> For the 1913 season, the new operator added various attractions, including a show called Fire and Sword, as well as two mechanical rides.<ref name="nyt-1913-05-12">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p575084667">Template:Cite news</ref> The following season, the operators added a dancing pavilion and numerous other attractions such as a diving tank.<ref name="nyt-1914-05-24">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116204157">Template:Cite news</ref> The dance pavilion was so popular that a second level was constructed prior to the 1915 season, and the park began screening movies the same season.<ref name="nyt-1915-05-23">Template:Cite news</ref> Also during the 1915 season, the park's managers added an "Oriental Village", featuring Arab, Egyptian, and Turkish villagers, and a "village of midgets", featuring little people.<ref name="nyt-1915-05-23" />
Before the 1917 season, the Luna Park Amusement Company acquired additional land, which was used as a parking lot.<ref name=p1031534252>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In addition, the park's managers installed the Top, a massive steel structure that was designed to resemble a spinning top.<ref name="n116232847">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116232942">Template:Cite news</ref> The toboggan and burro rides were destroyed in a fire in August 1917,<ref name=nyt-1917-08-20>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1031533536">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and a set for a mountain range burned down in March 1918.<ref name=nyt-1918-03-14>Template:Cite news</ref> As a result of the first fire, the toboggan and burro rides were rebuilt.<ref name=p1031534252/> During the 1918 season, Luna Park's managers added several attractions about World War I, including a simulated battlefield.<ref name=nyt-1918-05-19>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1031539829">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The next year, Luna Park installed more war-related attractions,<ref name="p576031397">Template:Cite news</ref> and Henry Miller was appointed as the park's general manager.<ref name=n116205423>Template:Cite news</ref> The park also added shows such as the Darktown Follies and A Trip to Me-Lo-Die, as well as attractions including the Frolic, Over the Top (a variant of the Virginia Reel), the Tanks, and Treat-'em-Rough.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
1920s
For the 1920 season, the park's managers added several funhouse-style attractions,<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> including a tall slide and a children's figure-eight slide.<ref name="n116234444">Template:Cite news</ref> The park also added novelties such as the Pig Slide, a Shoot the Chute-style attraction that featured small pigs rather than people.<ref name="n116235017">Template:Cite news</ref> The park's shows during the early 1920s included China's Fairy Fountains, a monkey orchestra, dancing ponies, and trained leopards.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> Luna Park added more shows in 1922, such as trained lions, trained tigers, "Skia the Perfect Woman", and "Trip to China".<ref name="n116236046">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1031676234">Template:Cite magazine</ref> By 1923, the park had over 100 attractions, including nine theaters and 23 rides.<ref name="p1031695615">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The opening of the Riegelmann Boardwalk, the same year, caused patronage at Luna Park to increase.<ref name="p1505525441">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Arthur Jarvis was appointed as the park's general manager in 1924.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> Under Jarvis's management, the park added a roller coaster called the Sky Chaser,<ref name="p1505525441" /> and it built a picnic grove, a grandstand, and an athletic field.<ref name="n116238573">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1112966035">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, two entrances to Luna Park were constructed to serve the new attractions.<ref name="n116238573" /> During the same season, actress Mary Pickford sponsored the construction of a play area for children who had gotten lost.<ref name="nyt-1924-08-25">Template:Cite news</ref> Jarvis soon made further changes, including replacing the carousel and installing the Custer Cars, Skooter, and Tumblebug rides.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
The 1925 season saw the addition of a Samoan village, an Egyptian village, and a wild-west show.<ref name="nyt-1925-05-17">Template:Cite news</ref> Shows such as hula performances and the Charleston Chateau were added during the 1926 season, at which point the park was expanded to Template:Cvt.<ref name="p1113088911">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116238783">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, the park added a saltwater swimming pool in 1926.<ref name="n116265653">Template:Cite news</ref> Herbert Evans, the park's longtime amusement manager, was rehired in 1928 and immediately announced plans for additional rides at Luna Park.<ref name="p1031876456">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Evans indicated that he would reduce the park's admission fees, relocate several shows to Surf Avenue, give four free-admission shows per day, and replace the underused athletic field with a parking lot.<ref name="p1031871952">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The park spent $250,000 on improvements ahead of the 1929 season,<ref name="p1113377104">Template:Cite news</ref> installing attractions such as a court of nations.<ref name="nyt-1929-05-19">Template:Cite news</ref>
1930s
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Ahead of the 1930 season, Luna Park's managers installed a large cyclorama depicting Richard E. Byrd's Antarctic base,<ref name="nyt-1930-04-23">Template:Cite news</ref> and they installed a Lindy-Loop ride.<ref name="p1031939019">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rex D. Billings was appointed as the park's general manager the following year.<ref name="p1031966055">Template:Cite magazine</ref> For the 1931 season, the park added attractions like a Dodge 'Em ride, a dark ride called the Pretzel, and a South Pole panorama.<ref name="nyt-1931-05-24">Template:Cite news</ref> Luna Park struggled financially in the early 1930s, having been unable to profit from children's rides, cockroach racing, marionette shows, or roller skating.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> To attract visitors, Luna Park reduced admission fees for many attractions.<ref name="n116241635">Template:Cite news</ref> During the Great Depression, three of the park's creditors filed a bankruptcy petition against Luna Park in 1933, asking a federal court to place the park into receivership.<ref name="nyt-1933-05-17">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1221805012">Template:Cite news</ref> The proceeding was a friendly receivership, which allowed the Luna Amusement Company to continue operating the park.<ref name="p1032022015">Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the time, the park reportedly had $1.25 million in liabilities and had incurred a net loss during the preceding three seasons.<ref name="p1221805012" /><ref name="p1032022015" />
Billings made several modifications to the park before the 1933 season, including installing a skating rink in the Fun House and adding a beer garden.<ref name="p1240069593">Template:Cite news</ref> Every year, Luna Park had traditionally opened on the Saturday closest to May 15,<ref name="nyt-1933-05-15">Template:Cite news</ref> but the receivership proceeding had delayed the opening of the 1933 season by one month.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> Most of Luna Park was closed during 1934, amid a poor season for Coney Island's amusement-ride industry;<ref name="p1475838461">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="n116244692">Template:Cite news</ref> half of the rides were gated off, and the park did not host any live shows.<ref name="n116244692" /><ref name="p1032070832">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Prior to the beginning of the 1935 season, the park's operators added a variety of rides and attractions,<ref name="n116245731">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1032075999">Template:Cite magazine</ref> spending $70,000 in total.<ref name="n116246345">Template:Cite news</ref> The manager, Charles R. Miller, reported that Luna Park's revenue during 1935 was at its highest level in six years, in part because of the presence of new basketball and handball courts, a large swimming pool, and new shows.<ref name="p1032075999" />
Luna Park's operators added more attractions during 1937, including two funhouses and an assortment of flat rides, but they were unable to compete with Coney Island's beach, which charged no admission and was consequently more popular among travelers.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> The following year, Miller added vaudeville shows and replaced the Streets of Paris attraction with a concert space called Willow Green.<ref name="p1032159712">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Collier owned the park until his death in March 1939.<ref name="nyt-1939-03-14">Template:Cite news</ref> The park had gone into receivership the prior month when the Prudence Bonds Corporation foreclosed on a $400,000 mortgage that was placed on the park.<ref name="p1032179380">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Jack and Irving Rosenthal, operators of Palisades Amusement Park, considered taking over Luna Park at that time.<ref name="n116247312">Template:Cite news</ref> The park ultimately reopened in June 1939<ref name="n116055305">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1319976503" /> after Harry Meinch, Silvio Pinto, and Walter Burgess leased Luna Park from its creditors.<ref name="p1319976503">Template:Cite news</ref> For the previous two seasons, only a small section of the park was open to the public.<ref name="n116056615">Template:Cite news</ref>
Early 1940s
Milton Sheen, the park's manager, announced plans in early 1940 to renovate Luna Park for $100,000.<ref name="n116056312">Template:Cite news</ref> Later that year, Sheen announced plans to relocate at least eight attractions from the 1939 New York World's Fair after the fair closed.<ref name="n116054686">Template:Cite news</ref> Prior to the 1940 season, a syndicate composed of Edward and Harry Lee Danziger, William Miller, and Sheen took over the park,<ref name="n33987755">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1505731802" /> signing a ten-year lease in December 1940.<ref name="p1505731802">Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the end of that month, Miller announced plans to relocate 15 attractions from the World's Fair to Luna Park.<ref name="nyt-1941-01-01">Template:Cite news</ref> The plans also included a building for commercial exhibits, a swimming pool, a ballroom, and live shows.<ref name="nyt-1941-01-01" /><ref name="n1160540592">Template:Cite news</ref> Luna Park's managers ultimately spent $9 million to rebuild the park and install new attractions.<ref name="p1654301597">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Even after the United States entered World War II, Luna Park was allowed to open for the 1942 season, but the park had to keep its lights dimmed for wartime security.<ref name="p1264412674">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1942-05-31">Template:Cite news</ref> Miller continued to operate the park for the 1943 season while his partners, the Danzigers, served in the United States Army. Despite wartime restrictions and increased ticket prices, Luna Park remained popular.<ref name="p1401242949">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:External media Several concessions were damaged in a fire in February 1944, but most of the park remained untouched.<ref name="p1254585424">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1944-02-27">Template:Cite news</ref> After weeks of negotiations,<ref name="p1285834277">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Miller and the Danziger brothers agreed to purchase Luna Park from Prudence Bonds on August 3, 1944.<ref name="n116064406">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1944-08-03">Template:Cite news</ref> The cost was estimated at $275,000; the price included a $125,000 purchase-money mortgage.<ref name="p1283105762">Template:Cite news</ref> Miller planned to renovate the park for the 1945 season and rename it Bill Miller's Luna Park.<ref name="nyt-1944-08-03" /><ref name="p1285839081">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Miller and the Danzigers were not scheduled to take title until September 15.<ref name="p1287082319">Template:Cite news</ref>
Destruction
Fire and aftermath
A fire on August 13, 1944, destroyed much of Luna Park, causing $800,000 in damage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Among the attractions destroyed in the fire were the Dragon's Gorge, the Mile Skyway roller coaster, the Coca-Cola tower, and various games and flat rides.<ref name="p1257752525">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1032325455">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The western half of the park was destroyed, but the main entrance, administration building, swimming pool, and other rides near the park's entrance were not seriously damaged.<ref name="p1032325455" /> The undamaged part of Luna Park reopened on August 18<ref name="nyt-1944-08-19">Template:Cite news</ref> and continued to operate until September 15, 1944.<ref name="nyt-1944-09-18">Template:Cite news</ref> Before the fire, the park's business had suffered due to declining patronage and a lack of new attractions.<ref name="p1285840183">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The few rides that survived the fire also operated during the 1945 season,<ref name="p1040008170">Template:Cite magazine</ref> but the interior of the park remained closed.<ref name="n116065299">Template:Cite news</ref> During that season, Prudence Bonds leased the rides along Surf Avenue to Abe Siskin, Phil Pates, and Chick Guelfi,<ref name="p1285854937">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="p1040011213">Template:Cite magazine</ref> who renovated the Ole Opry House attraction into a music hall called Little Old New York.<ref name="p1285854255">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In the two years after the fire, legal disputes ensued over the park's insurance payout,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1946-08-07">Template:Cite news</ref> which amounted to $152,000 and was paid to Prudence Bonds.<ref name="p1040011213" /> Miller filed several lawsuits, including one to evict Prudence Bonds, who he claimed had illegally leased the attractions on Surf Avenue to Siskin, Pates, and Guelfi.<ref name="p1040011213" /><ref name="p1040009803">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Brooklyn Municipal Court initially ruled that Prudence Bonds had to leave by July 1, 1945,<ref name="p1040009803" /> but the ruling was overturned on appeal in August 1945.<ref name="p1285854937" /><ref name="p1040011213" /> The New York Court of Appeals, in July 1946, awarded the park to the Danziger brothers for $135,000.<ref name="nyt-1946-08-07" /> The Danzigers immediately resold the park back to Prudence Bonds, estimating that it would cost $2 million to rebuild the site.<ref name="nyt-1946-08-07" /><ref name="p225942705">Template:Cite news</ref> The park's interior remained closed, and some of the attractions had been sold or placed for sale, but the attractions on Surf Avenue were still operational.<ref name="nyt-1946-08-07" /><ref name="p1268019601">Template:Cite news</ref>
Demolition and redevelopment
In August 1946, the park was sold to Morton S. Wolf and Associates. The buyers announced that they would tear down the interior of Luna Park and build housing for military veterans and their families.<ref name="p1268019601" /><ref name=nyt-1946-08-18>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The plans called for 17 structures with a total of 625 three-and-four-room apartments. Wolf and Associates planned to preserve only the swimming pool, which was the only pool on Coney Island with a license to use ocean water.<ref name="p1268019601" /> The rides along Surf Avenue, formerly part of Luna Park, were not included in the sale.<ref name="p1267976112">Template:Cite news</ref> That October, during Luna Park's demolition, the remains of the park were damaged in another fire.<ref name="nyt-1946-10-03">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1287126198">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the 1947 operating season, Luna Park's facade (including its entrance) was demolished and replaced with additional concessions.<ref name="nyt-1947-04-06">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1268013205">Template:Cite news</ref> Despite Wolf and Associates' plans for the site, construction on the housing development never started. The remains of the park were visited only by "youngsters at play" and a fire inspector who visited once a week.<ref name="p1335547657">Template:Cite news</ref> Several minor fires further damaged the park.<ref name="nyt-1948-11-23">Template:Cite news</ref> For instance, the remains of the Mile Skyway were destroyed in another fire in 1948.<ref name="p1039930532">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="nyt-1948-11-23" />
Wolf continued to rent the rides on Surf Avenue to Siskin, Pates, and Guelfi until 1948, when Karl Klarnet took over operations. Wolf sold the Surf Avenue frontage to the Bonra Realty Company in July 1948.<ref name="p1039898644">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Bonra planned to replace the old buildings and entrance on Surf Avenue with two new structures for about $100,000.<ref name="p1039926300">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The park's administration building on Surf Avenue remained vacant until May 1949, when it was also destroyed by a fire while being demolished.<ref name="nyt-1949-05-16">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1326789371">Template:Cite news</ref> In January 1950, the eastern half of the site was sold again to Ball Park Movies Inc., which wanted to build a drive-in theater.<ref name="p1335547657" /><ref name="nyt-1950-01-16">Template:Cite news</ref> By then, the site contained the remains of several rides, although all of the buildings had since been demolished.<ref name="p1335547657" /> Fred Trump acquired the park's eastern half from Ball Park Movies in October 1950, with the intention of constructing housing there.<ref name="nyt-1950-10-17">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1327424245">Template:Cite news</ref> Trump bought the park's western half, measuring Template:Cvt, in 1953 for $625,000.<ref name="nyt-1953-09-18">Template:Cite news</ref> This was one of several large residential developments being planned for Coney Island at the time.<ref name="p1040167848">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Trump had assembled a Template:Cvt site, comprising not only the former Luna Park but also a strip of land stretching west to the New York City Subway's Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue station.<ref name="nyt-1955-12-09">Template:Cite news</ref>
Trump had wanted to obtain financing from the Federal Housing Administration, which withheld funding after federal officials indicted Trump on charges of profiteering in connection with a separate development.<ref name="nyt-1955-12-09" /> The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) took over the site and announced in December 1955 that it would build a housing development for $200,000.<ref name="nyt-1955-12-09" /><ref name="p1327312980">Template:Cite news</ref> The Coney Island Chamber of Commerce opposed the project, while the New York City Board of Estimate was in favor.<ref name="p1326291494">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1955-12-15">Template:Cite news</ref> To comply with the Board of Estimate's requests, NYCHA revised its plan in early 1956 to exclude the attractions along Surf Avenue.<ref name="nyt-1956-01-19">Template:Cite news</ref> The site was temporarily used as a public parking lot during the 1956 operating season<ref name="nyt-1956-07-06">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1040134626">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and again in 1957.<ref name="nyt-1957-05-14">Template:Cite news</ref> NYCHA took title to the site in November 1956<ref name="nyt-1956-11-26">Template:Cite news</ref> and began constructing the housing project in July 1958.<ref name="nyt-1958-07-09">Template:Cite news</ref> The development was converted to a housing cooperative<ref name="p1327360718">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1961-05-13">Template:Cite news</ref> prior to its completion in 1962.<ref name="p116308676">Template:Cite news</ref> A small part of the site, at Neptune Avenue and West 12th Street, was sold in 1960 and became a shopping center.<ref name="nyt-1960-01-07">Template:Cite news</ref>
Description
Luna Park was 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.<ref name="p1335547657" /> Originally occupying Template:Cvt,<ref name="n116112126" /> Luna Park was expanded to Template:Cvt by 1904,<ref name="p571422582" /><ref name="nyt-1904-05-08" /> then to Template:Cvt by 1926.<ref name="p1113088911" /><ref name="n116238783" /> At its peak in the early 20th century, Luna Park employed hundreds of people and had its own police force, fire department, and clinic.<ref name="p1031695615" /> Compared to the original Dreamland, the original Luna Park was smaller in scale but better organized, leading Town and Country magazine to say: "The impression one takes from Luna Park is one of activity and extreme organization."<ref name="p2116860179" /> Luna Park also differed from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, which had inspired many of Coney Island's earlier rides and was generally designed in a neoclassical style. According to author John F. Kasson, "The Columbian Exposition preached discipline [while] Luna Park invited release", even though the buildings at both locations were made of plaster.<ref name="Kasson p. 64" />
Fred Thompson designed the park's buildings with elements from a variety of sources.<ref name="Kasson p. 64" /> Thompson did not want to use classical details, saying: "It is marvelous what you can do in the way of arousing human emotions by the use that you make, architecturally, of simple lines".<ref name="Immerso pp. 66–67">Template:Harvnb</ref> Generally, the buildings were designed in an Oriental style;<ref name="Kasson p. 64" /><ref name="p1860666604">Template:Cite magazine</ref> many of the park's architectural features were adapted from the Pan-American Exposition, including colonnades, loggias, porticoes, domes, and minarets.<ref name="Immerso pp. 64–65">Template:Harvnb</ref> The park originally contained organic architectural details, such as dolphins (which were placed at the bottom of the park's electric tower) and griffins (which were placed on the Dragon's Gorge ride).<ref name="Kasson p. 65">Template:Harvnb</ref> Thompson also wanted the architectural elements to exude a feeling of luxury.<ref name="Kasson p. 662">Template:Harvnb</ref> Kasson and Michael Immerso characterized Luna Park's design as being carnival-like, a deliberate effect intended to immerse visitors.<ref name="Kasson p. 65" /><ref name="Immerso p. 67">Template:Harvnb</ref> Like Steeplechase Park, Luna Park was marketed as a family-friendly destination; Thompson dubbed it "the place for your mother, your sister, and your sweetheart".<ref name="Immerso p. 78">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name=nyt-1909-05-18>Template:Cite news</ref>
The park was initially illuminated at night by over 200,000 electric lights,<ref name="n116115058">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n116115805">Template:Cite news</ref> installed on 132 towers and turrets;<ref name="n116115058" /><ref name="n116116503">Template:Cite news</ref> the lights changed color every second.<ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> Although Luna Park had far more light bulbs than Steeplechase Park, it was surpassed only a year later by Dreamland's one million bulbs.<ref name="p1525629813" /> Luna Park had over 600,000 electric lights by 1908,<ref name="nyt-1908-04-26" /> which was expanded yet again to 1.45 million lights by 1912.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> The lighting scheme contributed to Luna Park's character and, according to Kasson, "symbolized its topsy-turvy order".<ref name="Kasson p. 662"/>
Entrance and main court
The arched entrance on Surf Avenue was described in The Street Railway magazine as "covering half of an entire city block",<ref name="n734413798">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Immerso pp. 62–63">Template:Harvnb</ref> with four monolithic figures, one at each of its corners.<ref name="nyt-1903-05-17" /><ref name="p571276984" /><ref name="Immerso pp. 62–63" /> The entrance gate contained five ticket kiosks, shaped like Roman chariots and staffed by "young women dressed in evening attire and Merry Widow straw hats emblazoned with red feathers".<ref name="Immerso p. 63">Template:Harvnb</ref> A large avenue called the Court of Honor extended straight from the entrance and was surrounded by 53 buildings.<ref name="Immerso p. 63" /> There was a replica of Venice to the right of the court,<ref name="p571276984" /><ref name="n734413798" /> which included a miniature Grand Canal with gondoliers, as well as a model of the Piazza San Marco.<ref name="Immerso p. 63" /> To the left of the Court of Honor were three large buildings, which featured the Trip to the Moon, War of Worlds, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attractions.<ref name="nyt-1903-05-17" /><ref name="Immerso pp. 63–64">Template:Harvnb</ref> Other attractions, which housed various shows, the Grand Casino, and the Old Mill and Helter Skelter attractions, were placed alongside the Court of Honor.<ref name="Immerso p. 64" />
At the center of the park in the middle of a lake was the 200-foot-tall (61 m) electric tower<ref name="nyt-1903-05-17" /><ref name="n116115058" /> that was decorated with 30,000 incandescent lamps.<ref name="n116115805" /> Each of the tower's four sides had 48 illuminated circles.<ref name="nyt-1908-04-26" /> The tower was inspired by another at the Pan-American Exposition, which had been twice as tall and illuminated by thousands of lights.<ref name="Immerso pp. 60–61">Template:Harvnb</ref> The lagoon around the tower was bordered by a wide, brightly lit esplanade; there was also a lighted terrace with benches next to the lagoon.<ref name="nyt-1903-05-17" /> Two circus rings were suspended over the central lagoon to keep customers entertained between rides,<ref name="p571268715" /><ref name="n734413798" /> and aerial shows were performed over the lagoon.<ref name="p571268715" /><ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> In contrast to Dreamland, Luna Park generally had narrow pathways. When the park was particularly crowded, patrons were sometimes "compelled to listen to the side show 'barkers'" to avoid the overcrowded paths, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.<ref name="n116245929">Template:Cite news</ref>
Rides and attractions
Luna Park had many rides over the years. Among the attractions that opened in 1903 were Bridge of Laughs, an uneven-surface plank bridge;<ref name="n116264254">Template:Cite news</ref> Midnight Express, a miniature railroad;<ref name="n116115058" /> Shoot the Chutes, a slide left over from Boynton's Sea Lion Park;<ref name="n116115058" /><ref name="n116115805" /> and Trip to the Moon, a roller coaster originally named Drop the Dip.<ref name="n116115058" /><ref name="n116115805" /> One of Luna Park's largest attractions was Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, a submarine ride simulating Jules Verne's 1870 novel of the same name.<ref name="n116115058" /><ref name="n116115805" /> It was housed in a Template:Cvt building<ref name="n116116503" /> and transported guests to a replica of an Eskimo village at the North Pole;<ref name="p571276984" /><ref name="n734413798" /> the building included a tank measuring Template:Cvt deep, and the temperature of the water changed as visitors traveled to different parts of the tank.<ref name="p571431386">Template:Cite news</ref> The park's other original attractions included Infant Incubators, a building displaying a new type of infant care.<ref name="n116138243">Template:Cite news</ref> Canals of Venice, a gondola ride,<ref name="Immerso p. 63" /> was one of the original attractions, but did not open with the rest of the park.<ref name="nyt-1903-05-17" />
Luna Park's attractions were constantly changed over the years. The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction was replaced with a cyclorama in 1905,<ref name="Immerso p. 74" /><ref name="n116169850" /> and Trip to the Moon was relocated in the 1910s before being moved back to Luna Park in 1924.<ref name="Coney Island 150 Years">Template:Cite book</ref> Other rides added to Luna Park after its opening included:
- "Buzzard's Roost" – a side-friction roller coaster designed by L. A. Thompson; added in 1904<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "Daffy Dill & Captain Thompson's Wonder Ship" – an attraction with a deep-sea monster; added in 1937<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "Double Whirl" – a set of six 72-person wheels attached to a Template:Cvt turntable; added in 1906–1907<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "Dragon's Gorge" – a side-friction roller coaster consisting of a Template:Cvt track in a Template:Cvt building with a waterfall; added in 1905<ref name="n116169850" /><ref name="nyt-1905-05-07">Template:Cite news</ref>
- "Helter Skelter" – an adult slide with two chutes; added in 1906–1907<ref name="p2116860179" /><ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "Mountain Torrent" – an early water coaster, which started atop an Template:Cvt mountain and dropped down a series of cascades and ridges<ref name="Immerso p. 73" />
- "Old Mill" – tunnel of love ride;<ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> adapted from the Babbling Brook, a water slide, circa 1904<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "The Teaser" – spinning wooden chairs; installed next to the electric tower in 1910<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "The Tickler" – large round tub that rolled downhill through a winding fence lined path; added in 1907<ref name="p2116860179" /><ref name="p126812269">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- "The Top" – a massive spinning wheel,<ref name="n116232847" /><ref name="n116232942" /> which weighed Template:Cvt, was Template:Cvt wide, and traveled along a Template:Cvt track. The ride was added in 1917 and removed after 1921.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "A Trip to Mars by Aeroplane" – simulation of a Curtiss plane that traveled from Governors Island to Mars; added circa 1909<ref name="Luna Park 1998" />
- "Virginia Reel" – a side-friction roller coaster with circular spinning cars that zigzagged down a track.<ref name="nyt-1908-04-26" /><ref name="p126812269" /> Added in 1908, the ride was invented by the park's superintendent Henry Elmer Riehl, who named it after his daughter.<ref name="Easdown 2012 p. 47">Template:Cite book</ref>
- "Witching Waves" – small cars propelled by an undulating floor; added in 1907<ref name="p126812269" />
Shows, exhibits, and other facilities
The park also had dozens of live shows over the years. Two park attendants maintained each show.<ref name="p1031695615" /> When Luna Park opened, its shows included "War of the Worlds", a show that simulated enemy ships firing at a replica of Fort Hamilton;<ref name="n116115058" /><ref name="n116115805" /> "Professor Wormwood's Monkey Theater", which showcased trained dogs, monkeys, and apes;<ref name="p571268715" /><ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> "The Kansas Cyclone", a theater show depicting a Kansas town being destroyed by a tornado;<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> "Fire and Flame", a simulated fire that employed a thousand performers;<ref name="Immerso p. 73">Template:Harvnb</ref> and "Hagenbeck's Wild Animals".<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /><ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> The Durbar attraction, added in 1904, featured a 700-foot-wide stage that exhibited such "dramatic spectacles" as "The Great Train Robbery", "Days of '49", "The Burning of Prairie Belle", and "Crack of Doom".<ref name="Immerso p. 74" /> Later additions included "Fall of Adrianople", a show that depicted a besieged Turkish city.<ref name="Luna Park 1998" /> There were also various theatrical attractions, such as the Chinese Theater;<ref name="p571268715" /><ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> by 1923, the park had nine theaters.<ref name="p1031695615" />
Within Luna Park was the Rath House, a German-style meeting hall that could accommodate 1,000 people and had a main ballroom, banquet rooms, and reception rooms.<ref name="n116115058" /> The park also contained the Grand Casino, along with the Court of Honor.<ref name="Immerso p. 64" /> The park hosted concerts, fireworks, and carnival performances as well.<ref name="Immerso p. 64" /><ref name="n116115058" /> Luna Park also had a swimming pool that, in 1915, was cited as being capable of accommodating 5,000 bathers.<ref name="nyt-1915-05-23" /> Handball and basketball courts were also added after the 1935 season.<ref name="p1032075999" />
The park included multiple sections with small "villages" that housed members of various ethnic groups.<ref name="n116115058" /><ref name="n116115805" /> For example, there was a "Filipino village", featuring actual Filipino villagers who were brought to New York City, as well as "Japanese, Eskimo, Singalese, and Hindu villages".<ref name="n116116503" /> There were also various sections dedicated to different parts of the world, including landscapes themed to Japan, Germany, and Ireland.<ref name="n734413798" /> According to the New-York Tribune, "the villages of foreigners form centres of interest for many visitors to Luna Park".<ref name="p571431386" /> By 1904, the park also had replicas of Delhi, as well as a miniature Hanging Gardens of Babylon with 25,000 plants and 10,000 trees.<ref name="p1525629813" /> Template:Multiple image
Legacy
Reception
The day after the park opened in 1903, a reporter claimed that "the brilliance and beauty and weirdness of it all beggars description".<ref name="Immerso p. 60" /> Soon afterward, the New-York Tribune wrote that the park was "most completely electrically illuminated and most attractively laid out, while there is nothing to which the most fastidious visitor can take the least exception in the way the attractions are presented or attention is drawn to them".<ref name="p571431386" /> Russian author Maxim Gorky said of the park: "With the advent of night, a fantastic city all of fire suddenly rises from the ocean into the sky",<ref name="p512003422">Template:Cite news</ref> while another writer said that Luna Park's skyline "is utterly unlike anything else of its kind in the two Americas".<ref name="Parascandola p. 105">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Tribune wrote in 1904 that "people were at a loss for adjectives and exclamations to describe the City of the Moon last summer; they will be utterly swamped this year."<ref name="p571422582" /> Not all commentary was positive; art critic James Huneker said "every angle reveals some new horror" at Dreamland and Luna Park.<ref name="Immerso p. 79">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Luna Park's electric tower inspired the construction of similar towers at Steeplechase Park and Dreamland.<ref name="n116169503" /> Billboard magazine described Luna Park and Dreamland in 1904 as the "twin sisters of magnificence";<ref name="p1401172922">Template:Cite magazine</ref> the same magazine, in 1918, characterized Luna Park as a "real World's Fair".<ref name="p1031539829" /> Luna Park became so closely associated with Coney Island's amusements that, in 1921, the Standard Union called it "the heart of Coney Island".<ref name="n116233620">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1991, New York Times critic Walter Goodman described Luna Park as "a blazing architectural jumble, from Romanesque to Art Nouveau, alive with aerialists, tightrope walkers, jugglers and elephants."<ref name="nyt-1991-02-04">Template:Cite news</ref> John Kasson wrote in 1978 that, similar to the ornate vaudeville theaters and movie palaces of the early 20th century, "Luna appealed to popular notions of magnificence".<ref name="Kasson p. 65" />
Media
Before the park opened, it was featured in the short silent comedy Rube and Mandy at Coney Island.<ref name="Parascandola p. 317">Template:Harvnb</ref> The song "Meet Me Down At Luna, Lena" was recorded by Billy Murray in 1905 to promote the park, among others.<ref name="Parascandola p. 325">Template:Harvnb</ref> Roscoe Arbuckle's 1917 silent Coney Island featured Luna Park.<ref name="Parascandola p. 318">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Immerso p. 118">Template:Harvnb</ref> The 1928 Oscar-nominated King Vidor movie The Crowd includes scenes filmed at Luna Park,<ref name="nyt-1996-09-29">Template:Cite news</ref> and part of Harold Lloyd's 1928 movie Speedy was also shot at the park.<ref name="Truitt 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Namesakes
The original Luna Park site contains a cooperative apartment complex called Luna Park Houses, completed in 1962. When built, the development contained five 20-story buildings with a total of 1,576 units, each with between one and three bedrooms.<ref name="p116308676" /> Each of the four buildings consists of four wings, which radiate from a core with three elevators and Template:Cvt balconies on each floor.<ref name="p115477270">Template:Cite news</ref>
Coney Island's original Luna Park shares its name with dozens of parks around the world.<ref name="Caves2004">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="JSTOR Daily 2023"/> Carroll Purcell wrote that the name was used by parks in such far-away locations as "Japan to Australia, Egypt to Mexico [...] a chain in Saudi Arabia and a handful of parks in the republics of the former Soviet Union".<ref name="JSTOR Daily 2023">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Another namesake was Coney Island's current Luna Park, which opened in 2010 at the former site of the defunct Astroland park, a parcel of land on the south side of Surf Avenue just across from the original Luna Park site.<ref name="New York Daily News 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="News 12 - Brooklyn 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The newer park, operated by Zamperla, features an entrance patterned after the original Luna Park's main gate.<ref name="nyt-2010-04-24">Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
- Luna Park, list of parks based on the original Luna Park