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Is Lynn’s Trapeze Still Lynn’s? What about the B & B?

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, Redevelopment, tagged B & B Carousell, Coney Island, Luna Park, Lynn Kelly, Lynn's Trapeze, naming rights on October 11, 2010| 6 Comments »

Sign for Lynn's Trapeze at Luna Park. October 10, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky

UPDATE… October 11, 9:20 am…Yes, Lynn’s Trapeze will remain Lynn Kelly’s even though she’s leaving Coney Island for Staten Island! We received word on Monday morning from Zamperla CEO Valerio Ferrari: “A customer broke the sign. It will be replaced once we decide to renew or not all safety signs.” The altered sign was the object of intense speculation over the weekend…

On Sunday, ATZ received a flurry of messages from the Coney Island Rumor Mill about the sign on Lynn’s Trapeze in Luna Park. Something had happened to it overnight: The name of the ride had been sawed off the top! Take a look at the photo of the Mermaid Parade Kiddie flume below, for an example of intact signage.

Lynn’s Trapeze is a Wave Swinger with a center pole graced with historic images of Coney Island. It was named after Lynn Kelly, the president of the Coney Island Development Corporation, when the park opened in May. Kelly oversaw the redevelopment of Coney Island and was fond of referring to Luna Park as her park. But last week she resigned to take the job of CEO with the Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island. Our sources wondered if Kelly lost the naming right to the ride when she left her job with the City?

Sign for Lynn's Trapeze at Luna Park. October 10, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky

ATZ contacted Luna Park CEO Valerio Ferrari to ask about the sign, but we haven’t heard back yet. We can only speculate that Luna Park is about to add a commemorative plaque thanking Lynn Kelly and the flying carousel is not about to be renamed for somebody we’ve never heard of.

Or should naming rights to Luna’s rides be put up for sale to generate revenue? After all, stadiums like Coney Island’s former Keyspan, now MCU Park, aren’t the only ones to sell naming rights. Westchester County- owned Rye Playland offers annual naming rights for the park’s Dragon Coaster and other rides. The new Luna Park is a partnership with the City of New York, which owns the land and receives annual rent plus a percentage of the gross; the arrangement represents a new model for government-owned amusement parks, which are a rarity.

This brings us to a related question on the minds of Coney Island Rumor Mill members. When the restored B & B Carousell is set up in the new Steeplechase Plaza next year, will it still be called the B & B Carousell? Or will naming rights be sold? The initials belonged to Bishoff and Brienstein, who owned and operated the carousel from the 1930’s through the early 1970s. The ride was sold to Jimmy McCullough, who sold it to the City of New York in 2005. Carousell with two “L’s” was the spelling favored by Coney Island ride designer and builder William F. Mangels.

Mermaid Parade Kiddie Ride Sign at Luna Park. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

Coney Island 2011: Zamperla Adding Steeplechase Cavalry Coaster to Scream Zone

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, tagged Coney Island 2011, Luna Park, MotoCoaster, roller coaster, Scream Zone, Steeplechase Ride, Volare, Zamperla on October 4, 2010| 1 Comment »

Coney Island Bound: Zamperla's Motocoaster themed as Steeplechase Cavalry Coaster. Photo © Jim McDonnell via smugmug

In a presentation at last week’s “What’s Next for Coney Island?” panel at CUNY, Valerio Ferrari, President and CEO of Zamperla USA/CAI gave the public its first look at renderings of the four rides set to open at Luna Park’s new Scream Zone in Spring 2011. Two of the rides are Zamperla coasters: a Steeplechase Cavalry-themed MotoCoaster and an American Eagle-themed Volare flying coaster.

Here’s the original commercial for Zamperla’s horseback “Pony Express” launch coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif., where it opened on Memorial Day Weekend in 2008. The prototype- a MotoCoaster with motorcycle seats–opened at Darien Lake in upstate New York, also in 2008.

Last February, ATZ posted “Steeplechase Express: Will Zamperla MotoCoaster Pony Up for Coney Island?” In reply to our query, Ferrari confided that they were then considering having the public decide which type of MotoCoaster seats–motorcycles or horses- would be used. As it turns out, there’s no need for a poll. The Coney Island theming is just the ticket for the new Luna Park. The crescent moons and pinwheel logos on Surf Avenue’s magnificent entrance pay homage to the whimsical gate of the original Luna Park. At the same time, the logo on the Spinning Mouse Coaster, renamed the Tickler in honor of Coney’s William F Mangels pioneering ride, is the Steeplechase Funny Face. A more manic version of the grinning face is also the logo for Scream Zone.

Inspired by Steeplechase Park’s signature horse race ride that made a circuit around the park, Zamperla is bringing in the cavalry! The Zamperla Steeplechase Cavalry Coaster takes its inspiration from the Steeplechase ride, but it does differ quite a bit in design. Most notably, the horses are part of a single train instead of racing against each other on multiple tracks. Another big difference: The ride’s seating design and restraint system was designed to comply with current-day safety standards.

Vintage postcard of George C Tilyou's Steeplechase Ride, which closed in 1964. The Coney Island History Project has an original Steeplechase horse on display.

According to Zamperla’s website:

The Pony Express comes with two trains, each accommodating up to 16 riders in an innovative pedestal seating design that maximizes safety, comfort and ride freedom. Using the time tested flywheel and clutch launch system, the PONY EXPRESS delivers a high energy ride with low energy costs. Seated two abreast on their own horses, 16 riders are treated to an exhilarating launch from 0–60 km/h (0-37 mph) in 2.5 seconds. The horses then race to the finish line along a 450 meter (1476 ft) track reaching heights of 14.7mt (48 ft.) through a breathtaking series of exciting 65 degree banked turns. Like the MotoCoaster, the PONY EXPRESS can be adapted to any theme. Let Zamperla design a custom layout and specialized theme for your venue.

Zamperla's American Eagle Coaster aka The Volare will be the second coaster in Coney Island's Scream Zone. Photo © Jim McDonnell via smugmug

Additional rides planned for the new Scream Zone include Zamperla’s Turbo Force and a SlingShot high thrill ride from Funtime. The newly re-themed American Eagle made its debut as the Volare, which means “to fly” in Italian, at Denver’s Elitch Gardens in 2002. Zamperla/CAI has a ten-year lease to operate amusements on the 6.9 acres the City bought for $95.6 million from Thor Equities. Zamperla’s Scream Zone will be located on “Parcels B & C, ” the City-owned property at Stillwell and the Boardwalk. The thrill park is expected to open in 2011.

Sept 30: Luna Park CEO, Former Disney VP, Historians to Discuss “What’s Next for Coney Island?”

Posted in Events, historic preservation, Redevelopment, tagged amusement park, Coney Island, CUNY Graduate Centr, free event, Luna Park, Panel Discussion, Save Coney Island, Zamperla on September 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

On Thursday, September 30, CUNY Graduate Center and Save Coney Island are co-hosting “Heritage, Rides, Redevelopment: What’s Next for Coney Island?,” a discussion moderated by Pulitzer prize winning historian Mike Wallace. This is one panel discussion we’re actually looking forward to because the panelists are not academic talk, no-action kind of guys. They’re in it to win it, as we say on the midway.

Speakers include Valerio Ferrari, president and CEO of Zamperla USA and Central Amusement International (CAI), operator of Coney Island’s fabulously successful new Luna Park; David Malmuth, former Disney vice-president, developer of Times Square’s New Amsterdam Theatre, and chief presenter of the Municipal Art Society’s “Imagine Coney”; and Michael Immerso, historian and author of “Coney Island: the People’s Playground” and a recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on the benefits of preserving Surf Avenue’s historic buildings.

Save Coney Island released this architectural rendering of how a restored Bank Of Coney Building might look as The Banker's Ballroom

Admission is free to the September 30th event, which is being held at CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan, but it’s advisable to make a reservation online. The invite reads: “What lies ahead for Coney Island? Join us for a panel discussion on the latest developments in Coney Island and on how Coney’s past can shape its future.”

We’re eager to hear what Valerio Ferrari has to say about his company’s plans for next season and beyond. Zamperla/CAI has a ten-year lease to operate amusements on the 6.9 acres the City bought for $95.6 million from Thor Equities. As we pointed out in our article for IAAPA Funworld, the new Luna Park is a partnership with the City of New York, which receives $100,000 annual rent plus an undisclosed percentage of the gross. This arrangement represents a successful new model for government-owned amusement parks, which are a rarity.

Yesterday, the Mayor’s Office released figures that more than 400,000 visitors took 1.7 million rides during Luna Park’s inaugural season, prompting the City and the park to extend the season through Halloween. We’re thrilled that Scream Zone, set to open next spring at the Boardwalk and Stillwell, will bring in more new rides, including two Zamperla coasters and a SlingShot as well as Go Karts, which have been missed in Coney since Thor evicted them.

Zamperla/CAI's Scream Zone with 4 new rides will debut in 2011 at the City's Stillwell & Boardwalk property. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

It will be interesting to see where David Malmuth takes up the discussion. His plan for Coney Island’s amusement area at MAS’s Imagine Coney event in 2008 was a huge hit with fellow amusement advocates. Though we lost the battle with the City to expand the acreage rezoned for outdoor amusements, Malmuth is still the guy who dazzled us with statistics: “Park sizing analysis suggests that Coney Island will require a minimum of 25 acres to support 3.4 million visitors, ” he said. “It can’t be done in 9 acres. No possible way you can create the variety, and the diversity and joy and excitement with only 9 acres. Minimally you need 25 acres to support that level of attendance.” Malmuth’s stats and charts of park attendance can be found in this pdf available on MAS’s website.

At CUNY, Malmuth and historian Michael Immerso are expected to make a compelling economic case for preserving and reusing Coney Island’s historic buildings. Unfortunately the City has already issued demolition permits to Thor Equities for two of the buildings, the Bank of Coney Island and the Shore Hotel. The heartbreaker is that the permits were issued by the City’s Department of Buildings one day after the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) declared that Coney Island meets the criteria for recognition as a historic district in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. That’s why we’re singin’ “It’s Gonna Take A Miracle.”

But as Save Coney Island notes on their website: “It is a miracle that any of these buildings survived the fires, land speculation, and urban renewal plans that decimated Coney Island over the years. It would be a shame to lose these rare survivors, just when their rehabilitation could provide a necessary boost to Coney’s revival.”

“What’s Next for Coney Island?” is sponsored by the Environmental Psychology Program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, the NYC Graduate Urban Research Network, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Save Coney Island, the Historic Districts Council, Coney Island USA and the Coney Island History Project.

“Heritage, Rides, Redevelopment: What’s Next for Coney Island?”
CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium, 365 5th Ave at 35th St,
Thursday, September 30, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, free event, online registration.