Indianola Park
Encyclopedia
Indianola Park was an amusement park that operated in the University District in Columbus, Ohio
from 1905-37.
The success of Coney Island’s new Luna Park
and his own experience using recreations to draw buyers inspired Miles to go into the amusement park business.
The park was designed by amusement park impresario Frederick Ingersoll
who also designed Pittsburgh
and Cleveland
’s Luna Parks.
Indianola Park opened its gates to the public on Thursday, June 8, 1905.
In 1908, a theater was added to the park and Indianola began presenting vaudeville for its patrons. For the next 15 years, the park entertained visitors with everything from Shakespeare plays and Grecian dancers to circus animals and diving horses.
Events like balloon ascensions, high wire acts, outdoor motion pictures, live presentations of distant sporting events, baby beauty pageants, and massive fireworks extravaganzas were also part of the park’s draw.
For the 1909 season, the park underwent major renovations. A shoot-the-chutes ride, The Blue Streak roller coaster, and a “Human Laundry” funhouse were added. The band shell area was also expanded. From 1909-15, Indianola was home field for the Columbus Panhandles, an early professional football team.
Indianola enjoyed sustained popularity through the 1910s. Crowds as large as 10,000 flocked to the park on summer weekends. As many as 5,000 people could be found enjoying the pool on hot summer days. Buoyed by the national dance craze launched by Irene and Vernon Castle, the dance pavilion did brisk business all year round.
The dance pavilion was remodeled for The Jazz Age. Repairs were made to the swimming pool. The locker areas were expanded.
New amusements were added: The Thriller roller coaster, seaplane circle swings, a caterpillar ride, and Custer Cars.
Indianola also became much more aggressive in advertising and promotions.
The park gradually dropped vaudeville and band concerts. The dance pavilion orchestra was replaced with local and touring jazz bands favored by flappers and their beaus. The Phil Baxter’s Texas Tommies and Tom Howard’s Melody Lads were the two most popular bands.
The park continued to do well into the mid-1920s but the days of the urban amusement park were numbered. Radio and motion pictures were growing in popularity and costing parks visitors. The greater mobility offered by the automobile increased consumers’ recreation possibilities at the expense of the amusement parks.
In 1927, perhaps in response to changing conditions, the park sold its land north of E. 19th Ave. to the Columbus Board of Education for the construction of a new school. Indianola Junior High School
opened in 1929 and remained a school until 2009.
The Great Depression made a challenging situation even more so. Few people had money to spare for a day at the amusement park.
The record hot summers of the early 1930s helped keep the park afloat during the lean years. Temperatures in the upper 90s for weeks on end convinced people to take a dip in the pool who otherwise might have passed
The hot summers only delayed the inevitable. After the 1937 season, Indianola closed for good.
The mall thrived for decades but by the 1990s, it had seen better days. By the early 2000s, most of the storefronts were empty and the mall was deteriorating.
In 2006, Xenos Christian Fellowship purchased Indianola Park Shopping Center. The mall was massively rehabbed and the old dance pavilion was converted into a worship center, which opened in 2007.
Indianola Park Entrance: http://www.universitydistrict.org/image.php?searchterm=&fold=&item=3&start=28
Indianola Park Dance Pavilion and Pool: http://www.universitydistrict.org/image.php?searchterm=&fold=&item=9&start=84
Indianola Park Dance Pavilion: http://www.universitydistrict.org/image.php?searchterm=&fold=&item=4&start=0
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
from 1905-37.
Location
The entrance to Indianola Park was at N. 4th St. and E. 19th Ave. The park itself covered approximately 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) and extended from E. 18th Ave. north to E. Norwich Ave. and east from N. 4th St. to the Big Four railroad tracks.History
Indianola Park was established in 1905 by dentist-turned-developer Charles Miles (1866-1939). Miles was president of the Summit Land Company, which developed residential neighborhoods in the former farmland across High Street from The Ohio State University.The success of Coney Island’s new 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...
and his own experience using recreations to draw buyers inspired Miles to go into the amusement park business.
The park was designed by amusement park impresario 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...
who also designed 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...
and Cleveland
Luna Park, Cleveland
Luna Park was an amusement park in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, from 1905 to 1929. Constructed by Frederick Ingersoll, the park occupied a hilly site bounded by Woodland Avenue, Woodhill, Mt...
’s Luna Parks.
Indianola Park opened its gates to the public on Thursday, June 8, 1905.
1900s & 1910s
In its original configuration, the park featured a dance pavilion, a mammoth swimming pool, an Ingersoll Figure 8 Roller Coaster, a carousel, a scenic railroad, a band shell, a restaurant and snack stands, picnic grounds, and athletic playing fields.In 1908, a theater was added to the park and Indianola began presenting vaudeville for its patrons. For the next 15 years, the park entertained visitors with everything from Shakespeare plays and Grecian dancers to circus animals and diving horses.
Events like balloon ascensions, high wire acts, outdoor motion pictures, live presentations of distant sporting events, baby beauty pageants, and massive fireworks extravaganzas were also part of the park’s draw.
For the 1909 season, the park underwent major renovations. A shoot-the-chutes ride, The Blue Streak roller coaster, and a “Human Laundry” funhouse were added. The band shell area was also expanded. From 1909-15, Indianola was home field for the Columbus Panhandles, an early professional football team.
Indianola enjoyed sustained popularity through the 1910s. Crowds as large as 10,000 flocked to the park on summer weekends. As many as 5,000 people could be found enjoying the pool on hot summer days. Buoyed by the national dance craze launched by Irene and Vernon Castle, the dance pavilion did brisk business all year round.
1920s
In 1923, the park underwent a change in management. The new owners invested thousands of dollars in renovations. For weeks before opening day, advertisements trumpeted “A Greater Indianola” and “The Biggest Year of All.”The dance pavilion was remodeled for The Jazz Age. Repairs were made to the swimming pool. The locker areas were expanded.
New amusements were added: The Thriller roller coaster, seaplane circle swings, a caterpillar ride, and Custer Cars.
Indianola also became much more aggressive in advertising and promotions.
The park gradually dropped vaudeville and band concerts. The dance pavilion orchestra was replaced with local and touring jazz bands favored by flappers and their beaus. The Phil Baxter’s Texas Tommies and Tom Howard’s Melody Lads were the two most popular bands.
The park continued to do well into the mid-1920s but the days of the urban amusement park were numbered. Radio and motion pictures were growing in popularity and costing parks visitors. The greater mobility offered by the automobile increased consumers’ recreation possibilities at the expense of the amusement parks.
In 1927, perhaps in response to changing conditions, the park sold its land north of E. 19th Ave. to the Columbus Board of Education for the construction of a new school. Indianola Junior High School
Indianola Junior High School
Indianola Junior High School was the first junior high school in the United States. Its school building still exists and is owned by the Columbus City Schools, though it is now occupied by Graham Expeditionary Middle School, a charter operated by the Graham Family of Schools. On June 30, 1980, it...
opened in 1929 and remained a school until 2009.
1930s
Reduced to just its core of the dance pavilion and the pool, Indianola soldiered on into the 1930s.The Great Depression made a challenging situation even more so. Few people had money to spare for a day at the amusement park.
The record hot summers of the early 1930s helped keep the park afloat during the lean years. Temperatures in the upper 90s for weeks on end convinced people to take a dip in the pool who otherwise might have passed
The hot summers only delayed the inevitable. After the 1937 season, Indianola closed for good.
After Indianola Park
In 1948, Indianola Park was converted into a shopping center. The pool was filled in and paved over for a parking lot. A dozen or so shops and restaurants were built around its perimeter. The former dance pavilion became an Ohio Food Giant supermarket.The mall thrived for decades but by the 1990s, it had seen better days. By the early 2000s, most of the storefronts were empty and the mall was deteriorating.
In 2006, Xenos Christian Fellowship purchased Indianola Park Shopping Center. The mall was massively rehabbed and the old dance pavilion was converted into a worship center, which opened in 2007.
External links
Indianola Park:http://indianolapark.com/index.htmlIndianola Park Entrance: http://www.universitydistrict.org/image.php?searchterm=&fold=&item=3&start=28
Indianola Park Dance Pavilion and Pool: http://www.universitydistrict.org/image.php?searchterm=&fold=&item=9&start=84
Indianola Park Dance Pavilion: http://www.universitydistrict.org/image.php?searchterm=&fold=&item=4&start=0