page_title: Parachute Jump
section_title: Steeplechase Park
hierarchical_section_title: Parachute Jump / Operation / Steeplechase Park
caption_attribution_description: English: Parachute Jump This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 80002645
context_page_description: The Parachute Jump is a defunct amusement ride and a landmark on the Riegelmann Boardwalk on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. It consists of a 250-foot-tall, 170-short-ton open-frame, steel parachute tower. It has twelve cantilever steel arms radiating from the top of the tower; when it was in operation, these each supported a parachute attached to a lift rope and a set of guide cables. Riders were belted into a two-person canvas seat, lifted to the top, and dropped; the parachute and shock absorbers at the bottom would slow their descent.
  The ride was built for the 1939 New York World's Fair at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, also in New York City. Capped by a 12-foot flagpole, it was the tallest structure at the Fair. In 1941, after the World's Fair, it was moved to its current location in the Steeplechase amusement park on Coney Island. It ceased operations in the 1960s following the park's closure, and the frame fell into disrepair.
  Despite proposals to either demolish or restore the ride, disputes over its use caused it to remain unused through the 1980s. Since the 1990s, it has been renovated several times, both for stability and for aesthetic reasons.
context_section_description: Frank Tilyou and George Tilyou Jr., the owners of Steeplechase Park, acquired the Jump for $150,000 (equivalent to $2,607,353 in 2019). The park was recovering from a September 1939 fire, which had caused $200,000 (equivalent to $3,676,077 in 2019) and injured 18 people. The fire had destroyed many of the larger attractions, including a Flying Turns roller coaster, whose site stood empty a year after the blaze. The Parachute Jump was disassembled and moved to the site of the Flying Turns coaster, adjacent to the boardwalk. The ride required some modifications in its new, windier, shore-side location, including the addition of 30-foot-deep (9.1 m) foundations. The relocation was supervised by the engineer Edwin W. Kleinert and architect Michael Mario. Its installation was part of a larger reconstruction of an 800-foot-long (240 m) section of the boardwalk.
  The Jump reopened in May 1941. Unlimited rides on the Parachute Jump were initially included within Steeplechase Park's single admission fee, which cost $0.25 (equivalent to $4.35 in 2019) at the time of the ride's relocation. Later, the brothers introduced "combination tickets", which included the park admission fee and a predetermined number of ride experiences on any of the attractions in the park. During World War II, when much of the city was subject to a military blackout, the ride stayed lit to serve as a navigational beacon. The Parachute Jump originally used the multicolored chutes from the World's Fair; however, by the mid-1940s, these had been replaced with white chutes. According to Jim McCollough, a business partner and nephew of the Tilyou brothers, the frame was repainted every year.
  The Parachute Jump attracted up to half a million riders during each annual operating season. Most riders reached the top of the tower in just under a minute, whereas their descent took 11–15 seconds. The experience was described as similar to "flying in a free fall". The Parachute Jump was popular among off-duty military personnel, who took their friends and loved ones to the ride. Occasionally, riders became stuck mid-jump or were tangled within the cables. The ride was subject to shutdowns on windy days, especially when breezes exceeded 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). Additionally, at least fifteen people were required to operate the Parachute Jump, making it unprofitable.
  Coney Island's popularity receded during the 1960s as it underwent increased crime, insufficient parking facilities, and patterns of bad weather. These difficulties were exacerbated by competition from the 1964 New York World's Fair, also in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, which led to a record low patronage at Steeplechase Park. On September 20, 1964, Steeplechase Park closed for the last time, and the next year, the property was sold to developer Fred Trump. On the site of Steeplechase Park, Trump proposed building a 160-foot-high (49 m) enclosed dome with recreational facilities and a convention center.
caption: The Parachute Jump, as seen from directly below
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