White City (Indianapolis)
Encyclopedia
For other parks of the same name, see White City (amusement parks)
White City (also known as White City Amusement Park) was an amusement park
in Indianapolis, Indiana
's Broad Ripple Park that was in operation from 26 May 1906 until 26 June 1908. The trolley park
was constructed and owned by the Broad Ripple Transit Company. Similar to nearby rivals Riverside Amusement Park
and Wonderland, White City was inspired by an exhibit in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
in Chicago. Although the park's grand opening
was immensely successful, White City's existence was the briefest of the three, having been open for two and one-half seasons before burning to the ground. Throughout the park's existence, advertisements touted White City as "the amusement park that satisfied."
and Indianapolis residents Raymond Van Camp, Robert Light (president of the Broad Ripple Rapid Transit Company), Milton Huey, and John W. Bowles. Light suggested the northern Indianapolis site for White City as he realized that placing the park at the end of the streetcar line would virtually guarantee a profit for his railway company. Park manager W. C. Tabb started to construct a boardwalk
through and around a grove
of tall trees and connecting various rides and exhibits.
In the months prior to grand opening, the park had already become a favorite destination as thousands of people visited the site to watch the construction process. On 26 May 1906, White City opened its six iron entrance gates to the public for the first official time. Park management increased local interest on Opening Day by hiring an airship
(the White Eagle, owned by Horace Wild) to hover "thousands of feet over the park" as its occupants dropped money orders redeemable at the office of the Indianapolis Star.
The park's main entrance was topped with an arch that was similar to that of Frederick Ingersoll
's Luna Parks and local competitor Wonderland (all of which were patterned after the entrance of Coney Island's Luna Park
). Also similar to Wonderland, White City's main entrance was framed by two office buildings. After a visitor paid twenty cents
to pass through the arch, the customer stepped onto the boardwalk while facing White City's bandstand
.
Although White City was situated on land adjoining White River (as was Riverside Amusement Park to the south), the park's primary drawing cards were the rides and live entertainment. Along with contemporary staples Shoot-the-Chutes
, merry-go-round, roller coaster
s (including a scenic railway through the park's many trees), a funhouse
, and other mechanical rides, White City featured a baby incubator exhibit (made popular by Luna Parks on Coney Island
and in Pittsburgh
, but originated in the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition
), a simulation of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
, and a firefighting exhibit ("Fighting the Flames") around a 500 feet (152.4 m) center court. Rides called "Razzle Dazzle
", "Hale's Tour of the World", "The Hereafter", "Bump-the-Bumps", and "Loop the Loop" also proved popular with the people who visited the park. A concrete
walkway
over the Shoot-the-Chutes was a popular attraction in its own right as people would stand on the concrete arch
to watch the riders plunge into the lake below. Postcards with pictures from this vantage point were reliable sellers in the early part of the Twentieth Century.
Live entertainment in the form of marching band
s (military
and civilian), animal acts, acrobatics
, and vaudeville
was a staple of White City. A renovated theater building was transformed into a roller skating rink as a dancing pavilion
and a restaurant
were built from scratch. An arcade
(including a shooting gallery
) was built alongside the midway
near the Shoot-the-Chutes' lake. Other attractions included "The Fun Factory" and the Mystic Cave. A baseball diamond was also built.
Aquatic activities were available when the park opened, with a community swimming pool
and boat rides
on the White River. In 1908, a two-story pavilion was opened at the riverside
, along with a promenade. In addition, a large pool framed with a concrete
-lined "bathing beach" was under construction as the park entered its third season of operation.
unveiled its mechanical rides in 1903, while Wonderland had its grand opening a week before White City in 1906), and the competition amongst the three trolley park
s was intense for the brief existence of White City. The three parks battled for newspaper
space in 1906, buying advertising on a regular basis to tout the parks' (especially Wonderland and White City) "newest attraction." At that time, it became evident that, despite the continuing popularity of the three parks, Indianapolis could not sustain all three as the nationwide amusement park boom started to subside in the latter third of the first decade of the Twentieth Century.
While Riverside Amusement Park tried to survive by reducing expenditures (it managed to survive until 1970), White City and Wonderland tried different tacks in trying to increase their attendance to overcome increase costs of insurance
and construction. White City started to emphasize its live performances and its natural settings (offering more activities near the bank of the White River), while landlocked
Wonderland continued its upgrading of its mechanical rides. In 1907, White City added "Paris by Night," "Kemp's Model City," a "mysterious flying lady," and a billiard hall. White City was the first Indianapolis amusement park to open that year, and White City management took advantage of it by advertising "all roads lead to White City" in the week before the opening of Wonderland. White City (and Riverside) had live acts presenting a Wild West theme that was becoming a national rage at that time; on 19 April 1907, White City management announced plans for the construction for the "world's largest swimming pool" to be opened in 1908.
Despite attempts to separate White City from the other two Indianapolis parks, many of its newer offerings were usually duplicated at one or both of its competitors, from the Wild West theme to albino
aerialists
to additional animal acts. All three parks offered pyrotechnics
for their Decoration Day (later called Memorial Day
) celebrations, but White City offered a re-enactment of the Thaw-White Tragedy in which New York City
architect Stanford White
was shot by Harry Thaw after the latter accused the former of seducing Thaw's wife, Evelyn Nesbit
.
As the dog days
of summer 1907 ensued, White City increased its emphases on water activities and its picnic
grounds as weekly promotions not involving the mechanical rides appeared regularly in editions of the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis News. As the market begins to contract, White City survived the 1907 season while Wonderland almost succumbed to the competition. Only a reincorporation saved the park in eastern Indianapolis for another season (after an infusion of new investments, and an expansion of the park's facilities, Wonderland managed to stay in business until it was destroyed by fire in 1911).
("The London Ghost Show"), a new motion picture theater, and an alligator
show which Wood claimed he "dug up in a Cincinnati
vaudeville show."
Interest in the park was piqued upon the 21 June 1908 announcement of the impending grand opening of the swimming pool. Dug out of two acres of land, the concrete pool was surrounded with bath house
s for 1000 men and 500 women. Shower
s with hot and cold water were constructed; ownership also announced plans for rental of bathing suits once the pool was open. The walkways around the pool were covered with sand to promote (in the words of White City management) a "true seashore
feel." A grandstand
was built for spectators as management had planned to hold the occasional boat
race in it.
It was not to be.
According to an article in the Indianapolis Star, a fire started in a simulated opium den
in the Mystic Cave. The fire spread over virtually the entire White City grounds, sparing only the swimming pool area (the pool was scheduled to have its grand opening
the next day, 27 June 1908). An investigation revealed that the source of the ignition was a burning joss stick
no wider than the head of a pin
. The inferno caused damage estimated to be $161,000 to the uninsured park (only the Japanese bowling alley was insured (for $1000). It proved to be a mortal blow to White City.
rail line. In 1922, the park was sold to new owners who soon changed the name to Broad Ripple Amusement Park.
The park remained closed for three years. The Union Traction Company bought it on March 6, 1911, quickly restored it, and operated it for eleven years. The pool was the main attraction, with new buildings (boathouse, dance hall, dining hall) and playground equipment to compliment it. The pool would host three prominent events: the 1922 National Swimming Event and the Olympic tryouts of 1924 and 1952. In the 1924 event Johnny Weissmuller
, of Tarzan
fame, won the 100-meter freestyle qualifier. In May 1922 the park was sold to the new Broad Ripple Amusement Park Association, and in 1927 was sold to a brewery executive from Terre Haute, Indiana
, Oscar Baur.
By 1938 the park boasted of its concrete pool, billed as "the world's largest", 20 acres (8 ha) of free parking, a new ballroom, and mechanized rides. The Board of Parks Commission of Indianapolis bought the property on May 18, 1945, paying $131,500 for the 60 acres (24 ha) property, and returned the area to general recreation, destroying all rides they could not sell. Only the carousel remained in Indianapolis. The steam locomotive is at the Indiana Transportation Museum
at Noblesville, Indiana
.
In 1945, the City of Indianapolis bought the park, filled in the swimming pool, sold any remaining rides (and destroyed the unsold ones except for the 1919-vintage carousel
), and converted the grounds into a city park, which was once again named Broad Ripple Park. The Broad Ripple Park Carousel was purchased by The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
in 1950 and was moved there. Added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1987, the carousel is still in operation.
White City (also known as White City Amusement Park) was an 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 Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
's Broad Ripple Park that was in operation from 26 May 1906 until 26 June 1908. The trolley park
Trolley park
In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. These trolley parks were created by the streetcar companies to give people a...
was constructed and owned by the Broad Ripple Transit Company. Similar to nearby rivals Riverside Amusement Park
Riverside Amusement Park (Indianapolis)
For other parks with the same name, see Riverside Amusement Park Not to be confused with Riverside Park , which is also known as "Riverside City Park"...
and Wonderland, White City was inspired by an exhibit in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
in Chicago. Although the park's grand opening
Grand opening
Grand opening is a term used when a business, public office, or private association wishes to announce the official opening of a new location. This differs from just opening the doors on the first day, in that a grand opening is more of a celebration event, not just the first day having the doors...
was immensely successful, White City's existence was the briefest of the three, having been open for two and one-half seasons before burning to the ground. Throughout the park's existence, advertisements touted White City as "the amusement park that satisfied."
Origin and grand opening
White City arose in the national wave of increasing interest in amusement parks. The third of three major Indianapolis amusement parks to be open in the space of three years, White City was incorporated 4 October 1905. Officers of the corporation include Leon Bailey of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Indianapolis residents Raymond Van Camp, Robert Light (president of the Broad Ripple Rapid Transit Company), Milton Huey, and John W. Bowles. Light suggested the northern Indianapolis site for White City as he realized that placing the park at the end of the streetcar line would virtually guarantee a profit for his railway company. Park manager W. C. Tabb started to construct a 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....
through and around a grove
Grove (nature)
A grove is a small group of trees with minimal or no undergrowth, such as a sequoia grove, or a small orchard planted for the cultivation of fruits or nuts...
of tall trees and connecting various rides and exhibits.
In the months prior to grand opening, the park had already become a favorite destination as thousands of people visited the site to watch the construction process. On 26 May 1906, White City opened its six iron entrance gates to the public for the first official time. Park management increased local interest on Opening Day by hiring an airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
(the White Eagle, owned by Horace Wild) to hover "thousands of feet over the park" as its occupants dropped money orders redeemable at the office of the Indianapolis Star.
The park's main entrance was topped with an arch that was similar to that of Frederick Ingersoll
Frederick Ingersoll
Frederick Ingersoll was an inventor, designer, and builder who created the world's first chain of amusement parks and whose manufacturing company built 277 roller coasters, fueling the popularity of trolley parks in the first third of the Twentieth Century...
's Luna Parks and local competitor Wonderland (all of which were patterned after the entrance of Coney Island's 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...
). Also similar to Wonderland, White City's main entrance was framed by two office buildings. After a visitor paid twenty cents
Cent (United States coin)
The United States one-cent coin, commonly known as a penny, is a unit of currency equaling one one-hundredth of a United States dollar. The cent's symbol is ¢. Its obverse has featured the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of his birth. From 1959 to 2008, the reverse...
to pass through the arch, the customer stepped onto the boardwalk while facing White City's bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
.
Attractions and exhibits
Although White City was situated on land adjoining White River (as was Riverside Amusement Park to the south), the park's primary drawing cards were the rides and live entertainment. Along with contemporary staples 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....
, merry-go-round, 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 (including a scenic railway through the park's many trees), a funhouse
Funhouse
A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways in which patrons encounter and actively interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse the visitor. Unlike thrill rides, funhouses are participatory attractions, where visitors...
, and other mechanical rides, White City featured a baby incubator exhibit (made popular by Luna Parks on Coney Island
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...
and in Pittsburgh
Luna Park, Pittsburgh
Luna Park was an amusement park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, from 1905 to 1909. Constructed and owned by Frederick Ingersoll, the park occupied a 16 acre hilly site bounded by Baum Boulevard, North Craig Street, and Centre Avenue, and included roller coasters, picnic pavilions, carousels, a...
, but originated in the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition
Trans-Mississippi Exposition
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
), a simulation of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
, and a firefighting exhibit ("Fighting the Flames") around a 500 feet (152.4 m) center court. Rides called "Razzle Dazzle
Razzle Dazzle
Razzle Dazzle was the title of a Canadian children's program produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation between 1961 and 1966....
", "Hale's Tour of the World", "The Hereafter", "Bump-the-Bumps", and "Loop the Loop" also proved popular with the people who visited the park. A concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
walkway
Walkway
In US English, a walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. These include sidewalks, footbridges, stiles, stairs, ramps, paseos or tunnels...
over the Shoot-the-Chutes was a popular attraction in its own right as people would stand on the concrete arch
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
to watch the riders plunge into the lake below. Postcards with pictures from this vantage point were reliable sellers in the early part of the Twentieth Century.
Live entertainment in the form of marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s (military
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
and civilian), animal acts, acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, and vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
was a staple of White City. A renovated theater building was transformed into a roller skating rink as a dancing pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
and a restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
were built from scratch. An arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
(including a shooting gallery
Carnival game
A carnival game is a game of chance or skill that can be seen at a traveling carnival, charity fund raiser, amusement park, or on a state and county fair midway....
) was built alongside the midway
Midway (fair)
A midway at a fair is the location where amusement rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated....
near the Shoot-the-Chutes' lake. Other attractions included "The Fun Factory" and the Mystic Cave. A baseball diamond was also built.
Aquatic activities were available when the park opened, with a community swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and boat rides
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
on the White River. In 1908, a two-story pavilion was opened at the riverside
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
, along with a promenade. In addition, a large pool framed with a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
-lined "bathing beach" was under construction as the park entered its third season of operation.
Establishment and competition
White City was the third of the three Indianapolis amusement parks to have opened (Riverside Amusement ParkRiverside Amusement Park (Indianapolis)
For other parks with the same name, see Riverside Amusement Park Not to be confused with Riverside Park , which is also known as "Riverside City Park"...
unveiled its mechanical rides in 1903, while Wonderland had its grand opening a week before White City in 1906), and the competition amongst the three trolley park
Trolley park
In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. These trolley parks were created by the streetcar companies to give people a...
s was intense for the brief existence of White City. The three parks battled for newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
space in 1906, buying advertising on a regular basis to tout the parks' (especially Wonderland and White City) "newest attraction." At that time, it became evident that, despite the continuing popularity of the three parks, Indianapolis could not sustain all three as the nationwide amusement park boom started to subside in the latter third of the first decade of the Twentieth Century.
While Riverside Amusement Park tried to survive by reducing expenditures (it managed to survive until 1970), White City and Wonderland tried different tacks in trying to increase their attendance to overcome increase costs of insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
and construction. White City started to emphasize its live performances and its natural settings (offering more activities near the bank of the White River), while landlocked
Landlocked
A landlocked country is a country entirely enclosed by land, or whose only coastlines lie on closed seas. There are 48 landlocked countries in the world, including partially recognized states...
Wonderland continued its upgrading of its mechanical rides. In 1907, White City added "Paris by Night," "Kemp's Model City," a "mysterious flying lady," and a billiard hall. White City was the first Indianapolis amusement park to open that year, and White City management took advantage of it by advertising "all roads lead to White City" in the week before the opening of Wonderland. White City (and Riverside) had live acts presenting a Wild West theme that was becoming a national rage at that time; on 19 April 1907, White City management announced plans for the construction for the "world's largest swimming pool" to be opened in 1908.
Despite attempts to separate White City from the other two Indianapolis parks, many of its newer offerings were usually duplicated at one or both of its competitors, from the Wild West theme to albino
Albinism
Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...
aerialists
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
to additional animal acts. All three parks offered pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
for their Decoration Day (later called Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
) celebrations, but White City offered a re-enactment of the Thaw-White Tragedy in which New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
architect Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
was shot by Harry Thaw after the latter accused the former of seducing Thaw's wife, Evelyn Nesbit
Evelyn Nesbit
Evelyn Nesbit was an American artists' model and chorus girl, noted for her entanglement in the murder of her ex-lover, architect Stanford White, by her first husband, Harry Kendall Thaw.-Early life:...
.
As the dog days
Dog Days
"Dog Days" are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically observe the warmest summer temperatures. In the Southern Hemisphere, they typically occur in January and...
of summer 1907 ensued, White City increased its emphases on water activities and its picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
grounds as weekly promotions not involving the mechanical rides appeared regularly in editions of the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis News. As the market begins to contract, White City survived the 1907 season while Wonderland almost succumbed to the competition. Only a reincorporation saved the park in eastern Indianapolis for another season (after an infusion of new investments, and an expansion of the park's facilities, Wonderland managed to stay in business until it was destroyed by fire in 1911).
Demise
Prior to the 1908 season, White City had also changed management, with James L. Wood taking charge of the park. Woods reversed his predecessor's plans emphasizing natural attractions and activities (but not cancelling the construction of the then-mostly-built swimming pool) as he added the "human roulette wheel", a haunted houseHaunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
("The London Ghost Show"), a new motion picture theater, and an alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
show which Wood claimed he "dug up in a Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
vaudeville show."
Interest in the park was piqued upon the 21 June 1908 announcement of the impending grand opening of the swimming pool. Dug out of two acres of land, the concrete pool was surrounded with bath house
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
s for 1000 men and 500 women. Shower
Shower
A shower is an area in which one bathes underneath a spray of water.- History :...
s with hot and cold water were constructed; ownership also announced plans for rental of bathing suits once the pool was open. The walkways around the pool were covered with sand to promote (in the words of White City management) a "true seashore
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
feel." A grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
was built for spectators as management had planned to hold the occasional boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
race in it.
It was not to be.
According to an article in the Indianapolis Star, a fire started in a simulated opium den
Opium den
An opium den was an establishment where opium was sold and smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America and France...
in the Mystic Cave. The fire spread over virtually the entire White City grounds, sparing only the swimming pool area (the pool was scheduled to have its grand opening
Grand opening
Grand opening is a term used when a business, public office, or private association wishes to announce the official opening of a new location. This differs from just opening the doors on the first day, in that a grand opening is more of a celebration event, not just the first day having the doors...
the next day, 27 June 1908). An investigation revealed that the source of the ignition was a burning joss stick
Joss stick
Joss sticks are a type of incense used in many East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, traditionally burned before a Chinese religious image, idol or shrine. They can also be burned in front of a door, or open window as an offering to heaven, or devas...
no wider than the head of a pin
Pin
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.Pin may also refer to:* Award pin, a small piece of metal or plastic with a pin attached given as an award for some achievement...
. The inferno caused damage estimated to be $161,000 to the uninsured park (only the Japanese bowling alley was insured (for $1000). It proved to be a mortal blow to White City.
After the fire
While White City was never rebuilt, the Union Traction Company bought the property in 1911 and installed a swimming pool that was (then) the largest in the world (500 feet long, 250 feet wide) in an effort to bolster weekend traffic on their interurbanInterurban
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...
rail line. In 1922, the park was sold to new owners who soon changed the name to Broad Ripple Amusement Park.
The park remained closed for three years. The Union Traction Company bought it on March 6, 1911, quickly restored it, and operated it for eleven years. The pool was the main attraction, with new buildings (boathouse, dance hall, dining hall) and playground equipment to compliment it. The pool would host three prominent events: the 1922 National Swimming Event and the Olympic tryouts of 1924 and 1952. In the 1924 event Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
, of Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
fame, won the 100-meter freestyle qualifier. In May 1922 the park was sold to the new Broad Ripple Amusement Park Association, and in 1927 was sold to a brewery executive from Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, Oscar Baur.
By 1938 the park boasted of its concrete pool, billed as "the world's largest", 20 acres (8 ha) of free parking, a new ballroom, and mechanized rides. The Board of Parks Commission of Indianapolis bought the property on May 18, 1945, paying $131,500 for the 60 acres (24 ha) property, and returned the area to general recreation, destroying all rides they could not sell. Only the carousel remained in Indianapolis. The steam locomotive is at the Indiana Transportation Museum
Indiana Transportation Museum
The Indiana Transportation Museum is a railroad museum located in the Forest Park neighborhood of Noblesville, Indiana...
at Noblesville, Indiana
Noblesville, Indiana
Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007...
.
In 1945, the City of Indianapolis bought the park, filled in the swimming pool, sold any remaining rides (and destroyed the unsold ones except for the 1919-vintage carousel
Broad Ripple Park Carousel
Broad Ripple Park Carousel, also known as White City Carousel and Children's Museum Carousel, is an antique carousel in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It was installed in 1917 at an amusement park near the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it remained until the building housing it...
), and converted the grounds into a city park, which was once again named Broad Ripple Park. The Broad Ripple Park Carousel was purchased by The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the world's largest children's museum. It is located in the United Northwest Area neighborhood on Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. It is with five floors of exhibit halls...
in 1950 and was moved there. Added to 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...
in 1987, the carousel is still in operation.