Parachute Jump
Encyclopedia
The Parachute Jump is a defunct amusement ride
in Coney Island
, Brooklyn
, New York
, whose iconic open-frame steel
structure remains a Brooklyn landmark. 262 feet (79.9 m) tall and weighing 170 tons
(150 tonnes), it has been called the "Eiffel Tower
of Brooklyn". It was built for the 1939 New York World's Fair
in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens
, and moved
to its current site, then part of the Steeplechase Park
amusement park
, in 1941. It is the only portion of Steeplechase Park still standing today. The ride ceased operations in 1968.
The ride was based on functional parachute
s which were held open by metal rings throughout the ascent and descent. Twelve cantilever
ed steel arms sprout from the top of the tower, each of which supported a parachute attached to a lift rope and a set of surrounding guide cables. Riders were belted into a two-person canvas seat hanging below the closed chute, then hoisted to the top, where a release mechanism would drop them, the descent slowed only by the parachute. Shock absorbers at the bottom, consisting of pole-mounted springs, cushioned the landing. Each parachute required three cable operators, keeping labor expenses high.
and George Palmer Putnam
, Amelia Earhart
's husband, built a 115 feet (35.1 m) tower on Stanley's farm in Ocean County, New Jersey
, now the site of Six Flags Great Adventure
. Designed to train airmen in parachute jumping, the first public jump from the tower was made by Ms. Earhart on June 2, 1935.
The Parachute Drop was patented by retired U.S. Naval Commander
James H. Strong and Stanley Switlik, who were inspired by primitive parachute practice towers he had seen in The Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had been using simple wooden towers to train paratroopers since the 1920s, and despite the dangers of the Soviet design, which used just a single guide cable and sometimes found the jumper colliding with the structure, the towers were employed for recreational use as well. Strong designed a safer version which included eight guide wires in a circle surrounding the parachute. In 1936, Strong secured a U.S. patent
for his design, and he built several test platforms at his home in Hightstown, New Jersey
in 1936 and 1937. The military platforms suspended a single rider in a harness and offered a few seconds of freefall after the release at the top, before the chutes opened to slow the fall. Civilians showed a great deal of interest in trying out the ride for themselves, and Strong was quick to turn his invention to non-military use as well, making some design changes in the process: a seat that could hold two, a larger parachute for a slower drop, the metal ring which held the parachute permanently open, and shock-absorbing springs to ease the final landing.
Strong sold military versions of the tower to the Romania
n and U.S. militaries. He installed towers at a New Jersey training center, probably Fort Dix. Four were later installed in Fort Benning
, Georgia. One was toppled in a 1954 tornado
. Two appear to be in use. He also converted an existing observation tower in Chicago
's Riverview Park into a six-chute amusement ride. This enterprise, the "Pair-O-Chutes", did brisk enough business to inspire Strong to apply to build and operate a jump at the 1939 New York World's Fair
.
The ride was built in 1939 for the World's fair, and towered over the fair's "Amusement Zone". The Life Savers
company sponsored the ride, investing $15,000 and decorating the new tower with brightly lit candy-shaped rings. Eleven parachutes were used, leaving the tower with one empty arm. Adult riders paid 40 cents, children a quarter. The trip up took about a minute and the drop down was over in 10 or 20 seconds. The official 1939 Fair guidebook describes the ride:
At one point entangled cables left a Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Rathborne aloft for five hours; the next day they returned to ride again, probably at the behest of publicists for the ride or the fair. Another couple, Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward, were married on the ride in a celebrated "parachute wedding". The entire wedding party was suspended aloft until the newlyweds completed their vows and descended.
, purchased the Parachute Jump for $150,000. It was disassembled and moved to its current location adjacent to the Riegelmann boardwalk
, between West 16th and West 19th Streets. The ride required some modifications in its new windier shore-side location.
The Jump, which attracted as many as half a million riders annually, was described as "flying in a free fall". Occasionally, riders could get "stranded in mid-air or tangled in cables", although sometimes this may have been for the amusement of operators. Nevertheless, the ride was fickle and subject to shutdowns on windy days, and was not very profitable. During World War II
, when much of the city adhered to a blackout
, the ride stayed lit to serve as a navigational beacon.
Steeplechase Park closed in 1964, the victim of rising crime, neighborhood decline, and competing entertainment. Authorities disagree on whether the Parachute Jump immediately stopped operating or continued until 1968. The New York Times issued a correction in November 2003, stating that a report in a column earlier that month "gave an incorrect year from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the shutdown of the ride. It occurred in 1964, when the rest of Steeplechase Park closed, not in 1968", while Kaufman's History says "The Jump continued to operate until 1968, part of a group of small scale rides operated on the now nearly vacant lot." The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation agrees with Kaufman, stating "the property was subleased to small ride operators and concessionaires, who ran the Parachute Jump until 1968."
The Pair-O-Chutes – Strong's earlier jump tower built at Riverview Park in Chicago – was demolished in 1968, leaving the Coney Island tower, even if inoperable, as the only such civilian tower in the world. The site barely escaped a condominium
development by Fred Trump, but public opposition and the expense of demolition scuttled the project. The City of New York acquired the Steeplechase site in 1969, and control of the Jump passed to the city's parks department, which attempted to sell it in 1971. No buyers were found, and demolition was considered but eventually rejected, due both to the high price to the city that demolition would cost and to a nascent preservation movement. Organizations including the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce and the Gravesend
Historical Society made efforts to save the structure, which seemed to bear fruit in July 1977 when, after more than four years of consideration, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the tower a city landmark. The chairwoman of the commission took the opportunity to call it Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower. Hope for the tower's future was short-lived, though: only three months later the city Board of Estimate overturned the landmark designation, citing doubts about the tower's structural integrity. Demolition was again planned but never came to pass.
In 1980, the Parachute Jump was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
, and in 1989, New York once again recognized it as a city landmark. Beginning in 1993, the City of New York painted and stabilized the structure, painting it in its original colors, but the structure still suffers from rust in the salt air. With Coney Island in a period of revival, including the minor league baseball
stadium MCU Park next door, a $5 million restoration plan by the New York City Economic Development Corporation has been underway since 2002; , the upper part of the structure was completely dismantled, and steel structural elements were being completely replaced as necessary. There has been serious discussion of making the ride operable. This would require significant redesign to meet modern safety standards, however, and expert amusement-ride consultants wonder whether this would be possible in a modern litigious environment.
The City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) assumed responsibility for the Jump in 2000 and in 2003 engaged engineering firm STV to rehabilitate the structure. STV in turn in 2004, commissioned Leni Schwendinger Light Projects LTD to develop a lighting concept for the Parachute Jump. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s Office, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the City’s Economic Development Corporation, Leni Schwendinger Light Projects LTD, and STV, comprised a partnership that worked for two years on the project - from inception to completion. On July 7, 2006, the lighting installation designed by Leni Schwendinger made its public debut, showcasing each of its six animated seasonal scenarios (featuring most spectral colors, except for green, which cannot show on the red painted tower). The computer-programmed scenarios reflect a calendar of local significance, such as the Boardwalk season (and non-Boardwalk season), and holidays such as the Mermaid parade, as well as natural phenomena, such as the lunar cycle. A scenario for American patriotic holidays is programmed for said celebrations, and for other holidays there is a sequence entitled "Kaleidoscope".
Officials state that the lights are to be left on from dusk to midnight during summer, and from dusk to 11 p.m. the rest of the year. In observance of the "Lights Out New York" initiative, during the bird migratory seasons the tower lighting goes dark at 11:00.
In 2005, the Parachute Jump was the focus of an architecture
competition by the Coney Island Development Corporation and the Van Alen Institute which drew over 800 entries. The 7800 square feet (724.6 m²) Parachute Pavilion, at the base of the Jump, will be an all-season activity center including a souvenir shop, restaurant, bar, and exhibition space. The winning design team was Kevin Carmody,Andrew Groarke, Chris Hardie and Lewis Kinneir, of London. Their design follows strict guidelines to harmonize with the landmark structure, including a maximum height of 30 feet (9.1 m). As of 2006, this scheme has yet to be realized. Sometimes the tower can be seen lighting up rhythmically, sometimes as if in rhythm to the music played in nearby MCU Park.
at each of their first three parks. Marketed under the name "Parachute Drops", the first opened as the "Texas Chute Out" in 1976 at Six Flags Over Texas
. The second opened in 1976 as the "Great Gasp
" at Six Flags Over Georgia
before being demolished in 2005 to make room for a new roller coaster
. The third opened in 1978 as the "Sky Chuter" at Six Flags Over Mid-America
. It closed in 1982, and was relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure
, where it opened in 1983 and was renamed "Parachuter's Perch" from 1983 to 2005, then renamed "Edwards AFB Jump Tower" in 2006. It is still operating today.
Intamin also produced another "Parachute Drop" for Knott's Berry Farm
in the late 1970s. Named the "Sky Jump", this version was unique because it not only had standup chairs (similar to a few on the one at Six Flags Over Georgia), but was also an observation tower
with a rotating cabin to carry visitors to the top. While the parachute jump portion of the tower was removed in 2001, the observation tower still stands, although it is not currently operational.
In 2001, Disney opened small (60 ft) parachute rides in two of its brand new parks, named Jumpin' Jellyfish
. At Disney's California Adventure
there are two towers located in the park's Paradise Pier
section. In Tokyo DisneySea
there are three towers in the indoor section of the park's Mermaid Lagoon. Both rides are themed with "parachutes" resembling jellyfish, although they are simply for theming. The rides both ascend and bounce down while pulled by the cables, and do not actually freefall like other parachute attractions.
LaQua in Tokyo, Japan, also has an Intamin parachute drop ride named Sky Flower. Like the ones previously at Six Flags Over Georgia and Knott's Berry Farm, Sky Flower has standup seats, and remains the only Intamin parachute drop ride to have them.
In 1986, The World's Fair Expo '86 in Vancouver the USSR Space tower "Parachute" with sky cabin was Open in March '86 to October '86.
imagery shows a construction skirt and crane, and Windows Live
shows partial disassembly.
Amusement ride
Amusement rides are large mechanical devices that move people to create enjoyment. They are frequently found at amusement parks, traveling carnivals, and funfairs.-Notable types:*Afterburner*Ali Baba*Balloon Race*Booster...
in 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....
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, whose iconic open-frame steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
structure remains a Brooklyn landmark. 262 feet (79.9 m) tall and weighing 170 tons
Short ton
The short ton is a unit of mass equal to . In the United States it is often called simply ton without distinguishing it from the metric ton or the long ton ; rather, the other two are specifically noted. There are, however, some U.S...
(150 tonnes), it has been called the "Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
of Brooklyn". It was built for the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, and moved
Structure relocation
A structure relocation is the process of moving a structure from one location to another. There are two main ways for a structure to be moved: disassembling and then reassembling it at the required destination, or transporting it whole. For the latter, the building may be pushed on temporary rails...
to its current site, then part of the Steeplechase Park
Steeplechase Park
Steeplechase Park was an amusement park in the Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York from 1897 to 1964. It was one of the leading attractions of its day and one of the most influential amusement parks of all time.-Beginnings:...
amusement park
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...
, in 1941. It is the only portion of Steeplechase Park still standing today. The ride ceased operations in 1968.
The ride was based on functional parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
s which were held open by metal rings throughout the ascent and descent. Twelve cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed steel arms sprout from the top of the tower, each of which supported a parachute attached to a lift rope and a set of surrounding guide cables. Riders were belted into a two-person canvas seat hanging below the closed chute, then hoisted to the top, where a release mechanism would drop them, the descent slowed only by the parachute. Shock absorbers at the bottom, consisting of pole-mounted springs, cushioned the landing. Each parachute required three cable operators, keeping labor expenses high.
Precursors
Stanley SwitlikStanley Switlik
Stanley Switlik was a parachute pioneer. Born in 1890 in Galicia, now part of Poland, he immigrated to the United States at 17 years of age. Originally, his company made heavy sewn items such as golf bags and mailbags.-Parachute tower:...
and George Palmer Putnam
George Palmer Putnam
George Palmer Putnam was an important American book publisher.-Biography:Putnam was born in Brunswick, Maine. On moving to New York City, Putnam was given his first job by Jonathan Leavitt, who subsequently published Putnam's first book...
, Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
's husband, built a 115 feet (35.1 m) tower on Stanley's farm in Ocean County, New Jersey
Ocean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
, now the site of Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
. Designed to train airmen in parachute jumping, the first public jump from the tower was made by Ms. Earhart on June 2, 1935.
The Parachute Drop was patented by retired U.S. Naval Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
James H. Strong and Stanley Switlik, who were inspired by primitive parachute practice towers he had seen in The Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had been using simple wooden towers to train paratroopers since the 1920s, and despite the dangers of the Soviet design, which used just a single guide cable and sometimes found the jumper colliding with the structure, the towers were employed for recreational use as well. Strong designed a safer version which included eight guide wires in a circle surrounding the parachute. In 1936, Strong secured a U.S. patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for his design, and he built several test platforms at his home in Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,494.Hightstown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1853, within portions of East Windsor Township. The borough became...
in 1936 and 1937. The military platforms suspended a single rider in a harness and offered a few seconds of freefall after the release at the top, before the chutes opened to slow the fall. Civilians showed a great deal of interest in trying out the ride for themselves, and Strong was quick to turn his invention to non-military use as well, making some design changes in the process: a seat that could hold two, a larger parachute for a slower drop, the metal ring which held the parachute permanently open, and shock-absorbing springs to ease the final landing.
Strong sold military versions of the tower to the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n and U.S. militaries. He installed towers at a New Jersey training center, probably Fort Dix. Four were later installed in Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia. One was toppled in a 1954 tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
. Two appear to be in use. He also converted an existing observation tower in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Riverview Park into a six-chute amusement ride. This enterprise, the "Pair-O-Chutes", did brisk enough business to inspire Strong to apply to build and operate a jump at the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
.
The World's Fair
Life Savers
Life Savers is an American brand of ring-shaped mints and artificially fruit-flavored hard candy. The candy is known for its distinctive packaging, coming in aluminum foil rolls....
company sponsored the ride, investing $15,000 and decorating the new tower with brightly lit candy-shaped rings. Eleven parachutes were used, leaving the tower with one empty arm. Adult riders paid 40 cents, children a quarter. The trip up took about a minute and the drop down was over in 10 or 20 seconds. The official 1939 Fair guidebook describes the ride:
Eleven gaily-colored parachutes operated from the top of a 250-foot tower, enable visitors to experience all the thrills of "bailing out" without the hazard or discomfort. Each parachute has a double seat suspended from it. When two passengers have taken their places beneath the 'chute, a cable pulls it to the summit of the tower. An automatic release starts the drop, and the passengers float gently to the ground. Vertical guide wires prevent swaying, a metal ring keeps the 'chute open at all times, and shock-absorbers eliminate the impact of the landing. One of the most spectacular features of the Amusement Area, this is also a type of parachute jump similar to that which the armies of the world use in early stages of training for actual parachute jumping.
At one point entangled cables left a Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Rathborne aloft for five hours; the next day they returned to ride again, probably at the behest of publicists for the ride or the fair. Another couple, Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward, were married on the ride in a celebrated "parachute wedding". The entire wedding party was suspended aloft until the newlyweds completed their vows and descended.
Steeplechase Park
After the fair, the Tilyou family, owners of Coney Island's Steeplechase ParkSteeplechase Park
Steeplechase Park was an amusement park in the Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York from 1897 to 1964. It was one of the leading attractions of its day and one of the most influential amusement parks of all time.-Beginnings:...
, purchased the Parachute Jump for $150,000. It was disassembled and moved to its current location adjacent to the Riegelmann boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
, between West 16th and West 19th Streets. The ride required some modifications in its new windier shore-side location.
The Jump, which attracted as many as half a million riders annually, was described as "flying in a free fall". Occasionally, riders could get "stranded in mid-air or tangled in cables", although sometimes this may have been for the amusement of operators. Nevertheless, the ride was fickle and subject to shutdowns on windy days, and was not very profitable. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when much of the city adhered to a blackout
Blackout (wartime)
A blackout during war, or apprehended war, is the practice of collectively minimizing outdoor light, including upwardly directed light. This was done in the 20th century to prevent crews of enemy aircraft from being able to navigate to their targets simply by sight, for example during the London...
, the ride stayed lit to serve as a navigational beacon.
Steeplechase Park closed in 1964, the victim of rising crime, neighborhood decline, and competing entertainment. Authorities disagree on whether the Parachute Jump immediately stopped operating or continued until 1968. The New York Times issued a correction in November 2003, stating that a report in a column earlier that month "gave an incorrect year from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the shutdown of the ride. It occurred in 1964, when the rest of Steeplechase Park closed, not in 1968", while Kaufman's History says "The Jump continued to operate until 1968, part of a group of small scale rides operated on the now nearly vacant lot." The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation agrees with Kaufman, stating "the property was subleased to small ride operators and concessionaires, who ran the Parachute Jump until 1968."
Closure and restoration
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
development by Fred Trump, but public opposition and the expense of demolition scuttled the project. The City of New York acquired the Steeplechase site in 1969, and control of the Jump passed to the city's parks department, which attempted to sell it in 1971. No buyers were found, and demolition was considered but eventually rejected, due both to the high price to the city that demolition would cost and to a nascent preservation movement. Organizations including the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce and the Gravesend
Gravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
Historical Society made efforts to save the structure, which seemed to bear fruit in July 1977 when, after more than four years of consideration, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the tower a city landmark. The chairwoman of the commission took the opportunity to call it Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower. Hope for the tower's future was short-lived, though: only three months later the city Board of Estimate overturned the landmark designation, citing doubts about the tower's structural integrity. Demolition was again planned but never came to pass.
In 1980, the Parachute Jump was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and in 1989, New York once again recognized it as a city landmark. Beginning in 1993, the City of New York painted and stabilized the structure, painting it in its original colors, but the structure still suffers from rust in the salt air. With Coney Island in a period of revival, including the minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
stadium MCU Park next door, a $5 million restoration plan by the New York City Economic Development Corporation has been underway since 2002; , the upper part of the structure was completely dismantled, and steel structural elements were being completely replaced as necessary. There has been serious discussion of making the ride operable. This would require significant redesign to meet modern safety standards, however, and expert amusement-ride consultants wonder whether this would be possible in a modern litigious environment.
The City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) assumed responsibility for the Jump in 2000 and in 2003 engaged engineering firm STV to rehabilitate the structure. STV in turn in 2004, commissioned Leni Schwendinger Light Projects LTD to develop a lighting concept for the Parachute Jump. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s Office, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the City’s Economic Development Corporation, Leni Schwendinger Light Projects LTD, and STV, comprised a partnership that worked for two years on the project - from inception to completion. On July 7, 2006, the lighting installation designed by Leni Schwendinger made its public debut, showcasing each of its six animated seasonal scenarios (featuring most spectral colors, except for green, which cannot show on the red painted tower). The computer-programmed scenarios reflect a calendar of local significance, such as the Boardwalk season (and non-Boardwalk season), and holidays such as the Mermaid parade, as well as natural phenomena, such as the lunar cycle. A scenario for American patriotic holidays is programmed for said celebrations, and for other holidays there is a sequence entitled "Kaleidoscope".
Officials state that the lights are to be left on from dusk to midnight during summer, and from dusk to 11 p.m. the rest of the year. In observance of the "Lights Out New York" initiative, during the bird migratory seasons the tower lighting goes dark at 11:00.
In 2005, the Parachute Jump was the focus of an architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
competition by the Coney Island Development Corporation and the Van Alen Institute which drew over 800 entries. The 7800 square feet (724.6 m²) Parachute Pavilion, at the base of the Jump, will be an all-season activity center including a souvenir shop, restaurant, bar, and exhibition space. The winning design team was Kevin Carmody,Andrew Groarke, Chris Hardie and Lewis Kinneir, of London. Their design follows strict guidelines to harmonize with the landmark structure, including a maximum height of 30 feet (9.1 m). As of 2006, this scheme has yet to be realized. Sometimes the tower can be seen lighting up rhythmically, sometimes as if in rhythm to the music played in nearby MCU Park.
Similar amusement rides
While the original Parachute Jump has not been in operation since the 1960s, three similar, but modern Parachute Jumps were created by Intamin Rides for Six FlagsSix Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
at each of their first three parks. Marketed under the name "Parachute Drops", the first opened as the "Texas Chute Out" in 1976 at Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...
. The second opened in 1976 as the "Great Gasp
Great Gasp
The Great Gasp, a Intamin "Parachute Drop" ride, towered over Six Flags Over Georgia for almost 30 years. It became a beacon for the park and an icon of the region during this time.-History:...
" at Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....
before being demolished in 2005 to make room for a new 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...
. The third opened in 1978 as the "Sky Chuter" at Six Flags Over Mid-America
Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags St. Louis , is an amusement park owned by Six Flags, Inc. It is located in Eureka, Missouri, USA . Opened in 1971 as the third theme park of the Six Flags chain, this was the last park that was built under the Six Flags name...
. It closed in 1982, and was relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
, where it opened in 1983 and was renamed "Parachuter's Perch" from 1983 to 2005, then renamed "Edwards AFB Jump Tower" in 2006. It is still operating today.
Intamin also produced another "Parachute Drop" for Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
in the late 1970s. Named the "Sky Jump", this version was unique because it not only had standup chairs (similar to a few on the one at Six Flags Over Georgia), but was also an observation tower
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
with a rotating cabin to carry visitors to the top. While the parachute jump portion of the tower was removed in 2001, the observation tower still stands, although it is not currently operational.
In 2001, Disney opened small (60 ft) parachute rides in two of its brand new parks, named Jumpin' Jellyfish
Jumpin' Jellyfish
Jumpin' Jellyfish is a parachute jump–style ride at Disney's California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan....
. At Disney's California Adventure
Disney's California Adventure
Disney California Adventure, or simply California Adventure, is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney's California Adventure Park. The park is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and...
there are two towers located in the park's Paradise Pier
Paradise Pier
Paradise Pier is a themed "land" at Disney California Adventure, Disneyland's sister park, which are all part of the Disneyland Resort. Its appearance is based on that of Vicotian boardwalks that were once found along the coast of California. Despite its name and the presence of a nearby manmade...
section. In Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea
is a 176-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside Tokyo. It opened on September 4, 2001. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo DisneySea attracted an estimated 12 million visitors in...
there are three towers in the indoor section of the park's Mermaid Lagoon. Both rides are themed with "parachutes" resembling jellyfish, although they are simply for theming. The rides both ascend and bounce down while pulled by the cables, and do not actually freefall like other parachute attractions.
LaQua in Tokyo, Japan, also has an Intamin parachute drop ride named Sky Flower. Like the ones previously at Six Flags Over Georgia and Knott's Berry Farm, Sky Flower has standup seats, and remains the only Intamin parachute drop ride to have them.
In 1986, The World's Fair Expo '86 in Vancouver the USSR Space tower "Parachute" with sky cabin was Open in March '86 to October '86.
External links
, Google MapsGoogle Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
imagery shows a construction skirt and crane, and Windows Live
Windows Live
Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, part of their software plus services platform. A majority of these services are Web applications, accessible from a browser, but there are also client-side binary applications that require...
shows partial disassembly.
- The New York Public Library World's Fair 1939-40 Collection Parachute Jump Imagery