Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
| Location | Santa Cruz, California, United States  |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1907 |
| Operating season | Year-round (limited operation September-March) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 35 |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Water rides | 1 |
| Website | http://www.beachboardwalk.com/ |
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907 and operated by the family-owned Santa Cruz Seaside Company since 1915, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of two seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States (the other being the Santa Monica Pier). The West Coast once hosted many more beach parks, including the Pike in Long Beach, California, Neptune Beach in Alameda and Playland at San Francisco's Ocean Beach. All have long since closed, but the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk survives as a reminder of a bygone era in amusement. It has won the Golden Ticket Award for Best Seaside Amusement Park in both 2007 and 2008.
Overview
The Boardwalk extends along the coast of the Monterey Bay, from just east of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. At the western edge of the park lies a large building known as the Casino (which does not offer gambling), which contains a video arcade, an indoor miniature golf course, a laser tag arena and the Cocoanut Grove banquet room and conference center. A Laffing Sal automated character, from Playland-at-the-Beach, is viewable near the miniature golf course.
East of the Casino, the boardwalk portion of the park stretches along a wide, sandy beach visitors can access easily from the park. The eastern end of the boardwalk is dominated by the Giant Dipper roller coaster, one of the best-known wooden coasters in the world and one of the most visible landmarks in Santa Cruz. The Dipper and the Looff Carousel, which still contains its original 342-pipe organ built in 1894, are both on the United States National Register of Historic Places[1] and were, together, declared to be a National Historic Landmark.[2] In addition, the park itself is a California State Historic Landmark.[3]
In many ways, the Boardwalk has changed little from its turn-of-the-century origins. Old-fashioned carnival games and snack booths can be found throughout the park. The atmosphere evokes East Coast seaside parks,[citation needed] such as Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York and the many parks on the Jersey Shore.
As of 2007, the park is headed by Charles Canfield, the son of Laurence Canfield who purchased the park from Charles I. D. Looff in the 1950s.
History
The Boardwalk was founded by Santa Cruz businessman Fred Swanton, who aimed to create a "Coney Island" for the West Coast.[citation needed] Swanton began his project in 1904 with the original Casino. Twenty-two months after it opened, the building was gutted by a fire that started in the kitchen. Rebuilding began just a few months later; the original Boardwalk, a pier and a new Casino opened in 1907.[citation needed] The park has been owned and operated by the Santa Cruz Seaside Company since 1911.[4]
In 1911, woodcarver and amusement park pioneer Charles Looff created the Looff Carousel. His son, Arthur, suggested that the park owners replace the park's first thrill ride, the aging L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway, with a modern wooden coaster, the Giant Dipper, which was designed by the younger Looff and opened in 1924.[5] Business slowed down during the Great Depression and World War II, but the Casino's Cocoanut Grove ballroom was at its peak.
Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, many older seaside amusement parks closed, including the Pike and Playland-at-the-Beach. The Boardwalk survived — and thrived — by introducing many new attractions and undergoing an extensive renovation in the early 1980s.
On June 25 2006 the new ride WipeOut opened, featuring music written by the park's Audio Specialist, Donaven Staab. On June 22 2007 the Boardwalk turned 100 years old, marking "100 Years of Fun".
In March 2007, the Boardwalk installed a Wurlitzer Style 165 band organ to use along with the Adolf Ruth & Sohn organ already in place. It was bought for a price of $250,000 and restored by the Stinson Band Organ Company of Ohio. The new Wurlitzer organ features a front portion that serves as a façade to hide the inner workings of the organ. The front also features beautifully rendered illustrations of the San Francisco Cliff House, and more. At the time of the Wurlitzer's installation the Ruth & Sohn organ was sent to Stinson for restoration. A new facade was fabricated that features historical illustrations of the Beach Boardwalk as well as figures playing drums. The Ruth & Sohn organ returned to the Boardwalk in October 2008. The Boardwalk also owns a Wurlitzer Style 146 band organ and plans to have it restored as well.
Rides
Roller Coasters
- Giant Dipper - wooden out-and-back (1924) Arthur Looff
- Hurricane - steel Hurricane (1992) S.D.C.
- Sea Serpent - steel kiddie (2000) Miler Industries
Cocoanut Grove
The Cocoanut Grove is a conference center, banquet room and performing arts venue at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California.
The Cocoanut Grove has been part of the Boardwalk in one form or another since the park opened, adopting its current name in the 1930s. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Grove was a popular spot for major big band acts, including Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton and Tommy Dorsey.[6] Howard Hughes was a frequent guest.
Today, the Grove rarely hosts musical acts. It is primarily a venue for weddings, banquets, school formal occasions and reunions, and corporate events.
Appearances in popular culture
The Boardwalk is featured prominently in the films Dangerous Minds, Sudden Impact, Harold and Maude, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, The Lost Boys, and The Sting II. Matt Costa's video "Mr. Pitiful" was filmed in part in the Boardwalk, along with the music videos for "Caravan Girl" by Goldfrapp and "If This Is It" by Huey Lewis and the News. The Boardwalk was also featured in a roller coaster documentary titled "America Screams" which was hosted by Vincent Price. The video game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland features a Santa Cruz level in which the Boardwalk is visible.
See also
References
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks Program". Retrieved 2008-07-19.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Looff Carousel & Roller Coaster On The Beach Boardwalk". National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL). United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ^ "Santa Cruz". Office of Historic Preservation. State of California. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: About Us". Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Santa Cruz Seaside Company. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
- ^ History of the Santa Cruz Beach Boradwalk, retrieved 2008-07-19
- ^ "DANCE; They Come to the Dance Floor Bearing a Gift: Jazz". NYTimes.com. NYTimes.com. 2000-05-14. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
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