Luna Park, Olcott Beach
Encyclopedia
Luna Park was an amusement park
on the shore of Lake Ontario
in Olcott Beach, New York, USA. A popular venue for live entertainment (with the Dreamland Dance Hall), it was open to the public from 1898 to 1926 (predating the Coney Island
Luna Park
by five years). The name of the dance hall
and the inscription on the arch spanning the park's main entrance led to the commonly used nickname of "Dreamland."
In contrast to the similarly named parks that were opened throughout the United States from 1903 to 1914, the primary attractions presented by the Olcott Beach Luna Park were not large rides like the Shoot-the-Chutes
and roller coaster
s but a section of Lake Ontario
lakeshore
(a popular swimming attraction), restaurants and concessions (shared by the park and nearby Castle Inn), and live entertainment (at Dreamland Dance Hall). Smaller-scale mechanical rides were gradually added, including a circle swing ride. While the "lives" of most of the other Luna Parks were relatively brief (virtually all were gone by 1915), the Olcott Beach park maintained its prominence as a popular recreation stop and a major venue for live entertainment into the 1910s, as Olcott Beach remained a popular stop for both steamboats along the shore of Lake Ontario and interurban
trains connecting Albany
, Niagara Falls
, and Buffalo
.
After World War I
, Olcott Beach's prominence as a popular tourist
destination faded quickly as the automobile replaced trains and steamboat
s as the city's primary method of access. As tourism dollars declined in the region, so did Luna Park and its main competitor, Rialto Park. While the crowds were dwindling in the 1920s, Luna Park managed to survive the 1926 season, its last in operation.
The following year, a massive fire destroyed virtually every building on Cooper Street (including the Castle Inn and the train station across the street) and most of Main Street. Luna Park was destroyed. The beachside hotels could not be saved and were eventually razed. So was nearby Rialto Park (opened 1902): it was demolished in 1928. Olcott Beach didn't have any operating amusement parks until 1940, when Olcott Amusement Park opened amidst a resurgence of the city (staying in operation until 1986). New Rialto Park opened at the site of its namesake in 1942 and stayed in operation for 50 years.
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
on the shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
in Olcott Beach, New York, USA. A popular venue for live entertainment (with the Dreamland Dance Hall), it was open to the public from 1898 to 1926 (predating the Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
Luna Park
Luna Park, Coney Island
Luna Park was an amusement park at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City from 1903 to 1944. A second Luna Park was opened on the former site of the nearby Astroland amusement park...
by five years). The name of the dance hall
Dance hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub...
and the inscription on the arch spanning the park's main entrance led to the commonly used nickname of "Dreamland."
In contrast to the similarly named parks that were opened throughout the United States from 1903 to 1914, the primary attractions presented by the Olcott Beach Luna Park were not large rides like the Shoot-the-Chutes
Shoot-the-Chutes
Shoot-the-Chutes is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume, a Shoot-the-Chutes generally has larger boats and one single drop....
and roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
s but a section of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
lakeshore
Lakeshore
-Settlements:* Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada* Lakeshore, Quebec, Canada* Lakeshore, California **Lakeshore, Fresno County, California**Lakeshore, Placer County, California**Lakeshore, Shasta County, California* Lakeshore, New Orleans, Louisiana...
(a popular swimming attraction), restaurants and concessions (shared by the park and nearby Castle Inn), and live entertainment (at Dreamland Dance Hall). Smaller-scale mechanical rides were gradually added, including a circle swing ride. While the "lives" of most of the other Luna Parks were relatively brief (virtually all were gone by 1915), the Olcott Beach park maintained its prominence as a popular recreation stop and a major venue for live entertainment into the 1910s, as Olcott Beach remained a popular stop for both steamboats along the shore of Lake Ontario and interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
trains connecting Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
, and Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Olcott Beach's prominence as a popular tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination faded quickly as the automobile replaced trains and steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
s as the city's primary method of access. As tourism dollars declined in the region, so did Luna Park and its main competitor, Rialto Park. While the crowds were dwindling in the 1920s, Luna Park managed to survive the 1926 season, its last in operation.
The following year, a massive fire destroyed virtually every building on Cooper Street (including the Castle Inn and the train station across the street) and most of Main Street. Luna Park was destroyed. The beachside hotels could not be saved and were eventually razed. So was nearby Rialto Park (opened 1902): it was demolished in 1928. Olcott Beach didn't have any operating amusement parks until 1940, when Olcott Amusement Park opened amidst a resurgence of the city (staying in operation until 1986). New Rialto Park opened at the site of its namesake in 1942 and stayed in operation for 50 years.