Luna Park

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Luna Park

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LUNA PARK

My favorite of the amusement parks is the dazzlingly beautiful Luna Park. Called an "Electric Eden", it was the vision of architect Frederic Thompson and his partner, Elmer "Skip" Dundy. Luna opened on a sultry May evening in 1903. In order to fully exploit the massive spectacle of the new-fangled, electrically lit wonder, Luna's opening was announced by the sudden flashing on of its thousands of lights, a sight so stunning it prompted a reporter to write, "about 45,000 men, women and children, strolling along Surf Avenue, stopped, rubbed their eyes, and stood in wonder and pinched themselves." This is what they saw....

Maxim Gorky, on his first glimpse of Luna Park:

"Thousands of ruddy sparks glimmer in the darkness, limning in fine, sensitive outline on the black background of the sky, shapely towers of miraculous castles, palaces and temples. Golden gossamer threads tremble in the air. They intertwine in transparent, flaming patterns, which flutter and melt away in love with their own beauty mirrored in the waters. Fabulous and beyond conceiving, ineffably beautiful, is this fiery scintillation.

Maxim knew what he was talking about, yes??

Frederick Thompson and Skip Dundy

Skip Dundy died suddenly of pneumonia several years after Luna Park's opening. Without his more grounded friend, Frederic Thompson succumbed to his propensity for alcohol and gambling, and lost ownership of Luna Park. He died shortly thereafter, in 1919. Luna Park suffered several fires and many changes in management before finally burning to the ground in the 1940's. On the site now stands the Luna Park Housing Projects.

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	Vanished History \| home An introduction \| Coney Island History \| Luna Park \| Steeplechase Park \| Dreamland Park \| Coney Island Extras \| Wentworth By The Sea \| Saltair \| Sutro Baths & Cliff House \| Contact Me - History Polls \| Gif Luna Park ============================================ LUNA PARK My favorite of the amusement parks is the dazzlingly beautiful Luna Park. Called an "Electric Eden", it was the vision of architect Frederic Thompson and his partner, Elmer "Skip" Dundy. Luna opened on a sultry May evening in 1903. In order to fully exploit the massive spectacle of the new-fangled, electrically lit wonder, Luna's opening was announced by the sudden flashing on of its thousands of lights, a sight so stunning it prompted a reporter to write, "about 45,000 men, women and children, strolling along Surf Avenue, stopped, rubbed their eyes, and stood in wonder and pinched themselves." This is what they saw.... Maxim Gorky, on his first glimpse of Luna Park: "Thousands of ruddy sparks glimmer in the darkness, limning in fine, sensitive outline on the black background of the sky, shapely towers of miraculous castles, palaces and temples. Golden gossamer threads tremble in the air. They intertwine in transparent, flaming patterns, which flutter and melt away in love with their own beauty mirrored in the waters. Fabulous and beyond conceiving, ineffably beautiful, is this fiery scintillation. Maxim knew what he was talking about, yes?? Frederick Thompson and Skip Dundy Skip Dundy died suddenly of pneumonia several years after Luna Park's opening. Without his more grounded friend, Frederic Thompson succumbed to his propensity for alcohol and gambling, and lost ownership of Luna Park. He died shortly thereafter, in 1919. Luna Park suffered several fires and many changes in management before finally burning to the ground in the 1940's. On the site now stands the Luna Park Housing Projects. =============================================