The Pipe within the Pavilion of Fun. A covered slide, riders would ascend to the top of the stairs and sped down to the pavilion floor.

After the fire of 1907 Tilyou rebuilt the Pavilion of Fun as a "glass and steel shed."  It covered five acres and the forerunner to current indoor parks like the Edmonton Mall and Knott's Camp Snoopy.  A 1914 guide listed the following attractions within the Pavilion: the Golden Stairs, the Bounding Billows, the Whirlpool, the Roof Garden, the Razzle Dazzle, the Human Roulette Wheel, the Bicycles, the Cave of the Winds, the South Pole, the Soup Bowl, the Uncle Sam, the Human Pool Table, the Down and Out and the Barrel of Love (aka School Days).  

This is an interesting view of the park, looking north towards the front of the park and Surf Avenue. To help orient yourself, the Steeplechase ride is back and to the right and the Giant See-Saw is to the left.  (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

The air tower is one of those rides that we know very little about. This was not the circle swing, that was another ride. If you click here, you'll notice that the swing in the foreground and the tower for the Air Tower is in the background. That corresponds with this picture as the Atlantic and the Steeplechase Pier are directly behind the tower. Most black and white photos either had a full range of color added or simply a blue tint to give a sense of the sky and the ocean. If you look closely you will notice the gold glitter added to the postcard. To make some postcards stand out, many two or three-tone cards added silver and/or gold glitter during the early 1900's.

This is another object where little information is known. It is the clock inside of Steeplechase Park. The clock was very detailed with automated bell-ringers, a sun and large "buttons" which appear to be months or days of the week (located directly below the clock face). If you have any information to share about this item, please contact me at asandy@depauw.edu .  

The Human Roulette Wheel.  What appears today as a lawsuit waiting to happen was one of the most popular rides in the Pavilion of Fun.  The concept was deceptively simple, riders boarded, the wheel started to rotate and the riders were tossed off...working from the outside in.  Sometimes the person on the hub stayed on for the entire ride.  According to Coney Island historian Richard Snow, Tilyou got the idea for the ride by walking along the beach and saw children being pushed on an overturned cart wheel.  Some examples of this ride can still be found at parks or fairs in England (as evidenced from the photos at Theme Park Review).

Steeplechase Park

Tour the grounds & pool

Ride The Steeplechase horse race

See Coney from the Parachute Jump