Riverside Amusement Park (Indianapolis)
Encyclopedia
For other parks with the same name, see Riverside Amusement Park (disambiguation)
Not to be confused with Riverside Park (Indianapolis), which is also known as "Riverside City Park"
Riverside Amusement Park was an amusement park
in Indianapolis, Indiana
, USA from 1903 to 1970. Originating as a joint venture between engineer/amusement park developer Frederick Ingersoll
and Indianapolis businessmen J. Clyde Power, Albert Lieber, and Bert Fiebleman, the park was built by Ingersoll's Pittsburgh Construction Company adjacent to Riverside City Park at West 30th Street between White River and the Central Canal in the Riverside
subdivision of Indianapolis.
papers were filed for Riverside Amusement Company with the State of Indiana. The list of company directors included William Jineson (of Charleroi, Pennsylvania
), Elmore E. Gregg and Frederick Ingersoll (both of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
), J. Clyde Power and Albert Leiber (both of Indianapolis). The following May, the park opened and was an immediate success. One of Ingersoll's signature figure 8 roller coaster
s was one of several attractions pulling in the crowds in the park's early days; another was a looking-glass
maze
. The park's first manager, Frank P. Thomas, Sr., decided not to charge an admission fee for entry onto the grounds, opting to charge the patrons by the individual ride (5 cents for the "double-eight tobaggan railway", for example).
Despite Ingersoll's turning his attention away from Riverside Amusement Park and toward his plans for Rocky Glen Park
and Indianola Park
(with his Luna Parks only two years into the future), Power (himself an engineer) and the directors of the Riverside Amusement Company quickly added an Old Mill ride
in which boats were ridden through a darkened tunnel into a replica of a working flour mill. In 1906, J.S. Sandy became the new manager and hired 120 men to expand and update the park. Live entertainment
added to the throngs as Sandy arranged for increased streetcar service into the park. On 6 May, 1906, opening day for the park's fourth season, approximately 30,000 people visited the park (one-fifth the population of Indianapolis at the time), according to Sandy. Two weeks later, a second competing amusement park, Wonderland, opened its gates to the public. By the end of the year another, White City
, opened along the White River, north of the Indianapolis city limit. The three-way rivalry involving Riverside Amusement Park, Wonderland, and White City intensified over the next two years (White City was destroyed by fire 26 June 1908; Wonderland met the same fate three years later).
Attractions and rides were being added in an increasing rate: an "aerial swing," a Japanese bowling alley, a "Gee Whiz", an electric carousel
, a miniature railway, various arcade and carnival games... and a massive (350 feet long) shoot-the-chutes
ride. Each new ride was bedecked with lighting similar to that of the Luna Parks (not only of Coney Island
but also Ingersoll's burgeoning empire in Cleveland
and Pittsburgh
). Riverside Amusement Park also benefitted from the increased popularity of its skating rink, dancing pavilion, canoes, and rowboats - each generating revenues as the park's new rivals spent thousands of dollars with new attractions and rides. The last notable addition under the aegis of J.S. Sandy (as mechanical rides were rapidly declining in popularity) was the bathing beach (with a six-story-tall diving tower), opened in 1910.
s), replaced the miniature railroad with a longer one, expanded the dancing pavilion and converted it into a roller skating
rink, and housed the games and concessions in new concrete buildings. The additional investments reversed the park's trend in declining attendance over the previous decade (this trend was mirrored nationally as amusement park after amusement park ceased to exist after the initial first-decade-of-the-new-century boom).
Lewis also instituted a "whites only
" policy in the park, permitting African American
s access to the park only on designated days. It would remain in effect for almost 50 years.
In 1939, control of the park was passed from Lewis Coleman to his son John. The younger Coleman kept the park alive through the World War II
years by sponsoring wartime relief programs to military families and emphasizing patriotism in his park's publicity.
Riverside Amusement Park's attendance increased after the end of World War II
and the return of the region's troops to their home. The residents of Indianapolis gained in mobility (due to greater availability of motor transportation) and in leisure activity. An estimated one million people visited the park's midway
and skating rink in 1952. By the end of the decade, Coleman added new attractions and rides, including one that became popular in the newly-opened Disneyland, an automobile turnpike ride. Ironically, theme parks like Disneyland and the private automobile also proved to be two major contributors to the demise of the park less than two decades later.
Increased cost of insurance, maintenance, and new rides, coupled with increased competition from the emerging theme parks, were cited by Coleman as the park closed for the last time at the end of the 1970 season. All the rides were sold or demolished by 1978.
The land lay undisturbed for more than two decades, until the construction of the River's Edge subdivision in the early 2000s.
Not to be confused with Riverside Park (Indianapolis), which is also known as "Riverside City Park"
Riverside 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...
, USA from 1903 to 1970. Originating as a joint venture between engineer/amusement park developer 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...
and Indianapolis businessmen J. Clyde Power, Albert Lieber, and Bert Fiebleman, the park was built by Ingersoll's Pittsburgh Construction Company adjacent to Riverside City Park at West 30th Street between White River and the Central Canal in the Riverside
Riverside, Indianapolis
The Riverside neighborhood is a historical neighborhood on the near west side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The housing consists mainly of American foursquare-type homes and bungalows built in the 1910s to 1920s. Seventy-five percent of the homes in the area were built before 1939...
subdivision of Indianapolis.
Formation and early years
On 6 January 1903, incorporationIncorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
papers were filed for Riverside Amusement Company with the State of Indiana. The list of company directors included William Jineson (of Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. Charleroi was settled in 1890 and incorporated in 1891. The population in 1900 stood at 5,930; in 1910, 9,615; in 1920, 11,516, and in 1940, 10,784...
), Elmore E. Gregg and Frederick Ingersoll (both of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
), J. Clyde Power and Albert Leiber (both of Indianapolis). The following May, the park opened and was an immediate success. One of Ingersoll's signature figure 8 roller coaster
Figure 8 roller coaster
A Figure 8 roller coaster is the generic name given to any roller coaster where the train runs through a figure 8 shaped course before returning to the boarding station. This design was one of the first designs to be featured in roller coaster design, along with the out and back roller coaster...
s was one of several attractions pulling in the crowds in the park's early days; another was a looking-glass
Mirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
. The park's first manager, Frank P. Thomas, Sr., decided not to charge an admission fee for entry onto the grounds, opting to charge the patrons by the individual ride (5 cents for the "double-eight tobaggan railway", for example).
Despite Ingersoll's turning his attention away from Riverside Amusement Park and toward his plans for Rocky Glen Park
Rocky Glen Park
Known by a variety of names over its 101-year existence, Rocky Glen Park was a park near Moosic, Pennsylvania, USA. Founded by Arthur Frothingham in 1886 as a picnic park, it was transformed into an amusement park by engineer and entrepreneur Frederick Ingersoll in 1905...
and Indianola Park
Indianola Park
Indianola Park was an amusement park that operated in the University District in Columbus, Ohio from 1905-37.-Location:The entrance to Indianola Park was at N. 4th St. and E. 19th Ave. The park itself covered approximately and extended from E. 18th Ave. north to E. Norwich Ave. and east from N....
(with his Luna Parks only two years into the future), Power (himself an engineer) and the directors of the Riverside Amusement Company quickly added an Old Mill ride
Old Mill (ride)
An Old Mill is a type of amusement park ride with unaccompanied boats on guided tracks floating through dark tunnels. These themed dark rides originated in the late 19th century....
in which boats were ridden through a darkened tunnel into a replica of a working flour mill. In 1906, J.S. Sandy became the new manager and hired 120 men to expand and update the park. Live entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
added to the throngs as Sandy arranged for increased streetcar service into the park. On 6 May, 1906, opening day for the park's fourth season, approximately 30,000 people visited the park (one-fifth the population of Indianapolis at the time), according to Sandy. Two weeks later, a second competing amusement park, Wonderland, opened its gates to the public. By the end of the year another, White City
White City (Indianapolis)
For other parks of the same name, see White City White City 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...
, opened along the White River, north of the Indianapolis city limit. The three-way rivalry involving Riverside Amusement Park, Wonderland, and White City intensified over the next two years (White City was destroyed by fire 26 June 1908; Wonderland met the same fate three years later).
Attractions and rides were being added in an increasing rate: an "aerial swing," a Japanese bowling alley, a "Gee Whiz", an electric carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
, a miniature railway, various arcade and carnival games... and a massive (350 feet long) 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. Each new ride was bedecked with lighting similar to that of the Luna Parks (not only of 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...
but also Ingersoll's burgeoning empire in 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...
and 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...
). Riverside Amusement Park also benefitted from the increased popularity of its skating rink, dancing pavilion, canoes, and rowboats - each generating revenues as the park's new rivals spent thousands of dollars with new attractions and rides. The last notable addition under the aegis of J.S. Sandy (as mechanical rides were rapidly declining in popularity) was the bathing beach (with a six-story-tall diving tower), opened in 1910.
Ownership change
In 1919, the park had new ownership. Lewis Coleman, a lawyer who provided legal advice to the Riverside Amusement Company and took payment in the form of company stock, organized the Riverside Exhibition Company and gained control of the park. With Coleman as president, the park added two large roller coasters (The Flash and The Thriller), installed Dodgem cars (a forerunner of today's bumper carBumper car
Bumper car is the generic name for a type of flat ride consisting of several small electric cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator...
s), replaced the miniature railroad with a longer one, expanded the dancing pavilion and converted it into a roller skating
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...
rink, and housed the games and concessions in new concrete buildings. The additional investments reversed the park's trend in declining attendance over the previous decade (this trend was mirrored nationally as amusement park after amusement park ceased to exist after the initial first-decade-of-the-new-century boom).
Lewis also instituted a "whites only
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
" policy in the park, permitting African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s access to the park only on designated days. It would remain in effect for almost 50 years.
In 1939, control of the park was passed from Lewis Coleman to his son John. The younger Coleman kept the park alive through the 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...
years by sponsoring wartime relief programs to military families and emphasizing patriotism in his park's publicity.
Riverside Amusement Park's attendance increased after the end of 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...
and the return of the region's troops to their home. The residents of Indianapolis gained in mobility (due to greater availability of motor transportation) and in leisure activity. An estimated one million people visited the park's midway
Midway (fair)
A midway at a fair is the location where amusement rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated....
and skating rink in 1952. By the end of the decade, Coleman added new attractions and rides, including one that became popular in the newly-opened Disneyland, an automobile turnpike ride. Ironically, theme parks like Disneyland and the private automobile also proved to be two major contributors to the demise of the park less than two decades later.
Demise of the park
The decade of the 1960s was not a kind one for Riverside Amusement Park, which was losing attendance for the first time since the end of World War II. By the time John Coleman lifted the "whites only" policy (in response to a series of protests organized by the NAACP Youth Council in 1963), the park was losing $30,000 a year.Increased cost of insurance, maintenance, and new rides, coupled with increased competition from the emerging theme parks, were cited by Coleman as the park closed for the last time at the end of the 1970 season. All the rides were sold or demolished by 1978.
The land lay undisturbed for more than two decades, until the construction of the River's Edge subdivision in the early 2000s.