Luna Park, Cleveland
Encyclopedia
Luna Park was an amusement park
in Cleveland, Ohio
, USA, from 1905 to 1929. Constructed by Frederick Ingersoll
, the park occupied a hilly 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) site bounded by Woodland Avenue, Woodhill, Mt. Carmel, and East 110th Street and included roller coaster
s, carousel
s, a fun house, a Ferris wheel
, a roller rink
, a shoot-the-chutes
ride, a concert
shell, a dance hall
, bumper cars, a baseball
field,and a 20,000-seat stadium
(unofficially called "Luna Bowl", destroyed by 1929 fire) in which American football
was played. On May 18, 1905, Cleveland's Luna Park became the second Ingersoll park of that name (out of 44) to have opened before his death in 1927, and the second amusement park (after Luna Park, Pittsburgh
, which opened weeks earlier) to be covered with electrical lighting.
The monetary demands of upgrading and maintaining his embryonic chain of amusement parks forced Ingersoll, the original owner of Cleveland's Luna Park, to declare bankruptcy in 1908; Ingersoll was forced to sell his Cleveland park to Matthew Bramley, an original investor in (and, later, owner of) Ingersoll's Luna Park Amusement Company who built the Cleveland Trinidad Paving Company into the largest paving company in the world. Bramley added rides to Luna Park as its popularity as a trolley park
grew, in part because beer was sold on the park grounds. After the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
and the beginning of Prohibition
(1920), a primary source of revenue was removed as the park's popularity waned. Bramley officially closed the gates to Luna Park in 1929 for the final time as the Great Depression
took hold in the United States. The park was beset with incidences of arson
, including the fire that destroyed the football stadium), and most of the rides were dismantled and moved to other amusement parks in the early 1930s.
The Cleveland Panthers
of the first American Football League
and the Cleveland Bulldogs
of the National Football League
played their home games in Luna Bowl, and (after the dismantling of the amusement rides had begun) Negro League baseball teams Cleveland Stars (1932), Cleveland Giants
(1933), and Cleveland Red Sox (1934) each played their home games at the ballfield that was originally adjacent to the football stadium. On December 12, 1938, the last vestige of the park, the skating rink, was destroyed by fire. In 1940, the Woodhill Homes housing development was built on the park site.
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 Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, USA, from 1905 to 1929. Constructed by 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...
, the park occupied a hilly 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) site bounded by Woodland Avenue, Woodhill, Mt. Carmel, and East 110th Street and included 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, carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
s, a fun house, a Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, a roller rink
Roller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
, a 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....
ride, a concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
shell, a dance hall
Dance hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub...
, bumper cars, a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
field,and a 20,000-seat stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
(unofficially called "Luna Bowl", destroyed by 1929 fire) in which American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
was played. On May 18, 1905, Cleveland's Luna Park became the second Ingersoll park of that name (out of 44) to have opened before his death in 1927, and the second amusement park (after Luna Park, 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...
, which opened weeks earlier) to be covered with electrical lighting.
The monetary demands of upgrading and maintaining his embryonic chain of amusement parks forced Ingersoll, the original owner of Cleveland's Luna Park, to declare bankruptcy in 1908; Ingersoll was forced to sell his Cleveland park to Matthew Bramley, an original investor in (and, later, owner of) Ingersoll's Luna Park Amusement Company who built the Cleveland Trinidad Paving Company into the largest paving company in the world. Bramley added rides to Luna Park as its popularity as a 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...
grew, in part because beer was sold on the park grounds. After the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution established Prohibition in the United States. The separate Volstead Act set down methods of enforcing the Eighteenth Amendment, and defined which "intoxicating liquors" were prohibited, and which were excluded from prohibition...
and the beginning of Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
(1920), a primary source of revenue was removed as the park's popularity waned. Bramley officially closed the gates to Luna Park in 1929 for the final time as the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
took hold in the United States. The park was beset with incidences of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, including the fire that destroyed the football stadium), and most of the rides were dismantled and moved to other amusement parks in the early 1930s.
The Cleveland Panthers
Cleveland Panthers
The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by General C. X. Zimmerman , the Panthers played their home games in Luna Bowl in Luna Park...
of the first American Football League
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
and the Cleveland Bulldogs
Cleveland Bulldogs
The Cleveland Bulldogs was a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
played their home games in Luna Bowl, and (after the dismantling of the amusement rides had begun) Negro League baseball teams Cleveland Stars (1932), Cleveland Giants
Cleveland Giants
The Cleveland Giants were a Negro Leagues baseball team. The team played only one year, 1933. Their home games were contested at Cleveland's Luna Bowl in Luna Park....
(1933), and Cleveland Red Sox (1934) each played their home games at the ballfield that was originally adjacent to the football stadium. On December 12, 1938, the last vestige of the park, the skating rink, was destroyed by fire. In 1940, the Woodhill Homes housing development was built on the park site.