Inside the Park


These are two rides that I do not know the dates of construction for. The ride on the left is called the Circle Swing. The photo to the right shows the Aerial Swing (a.k.a. the Whirl of the Whirl). It was located back towards the Electric Tower. (Both photos Courtesy of the Library of Congress)


The architecture at Luna was a hodge-podge of styles and one of the most recognizable structures within the park was the Electric Tower. At the tower's base (the left and middle photos) were four fish fountains where water cascaded down stairs into small pools. In the photo on the right the fish have been removed and replaced with a doorway, perhaps an elevator was installed to take waiting guests up in the tower.

These two views show the restaurant and the unique eating boxes that placed guests out above the action. The left photo shows boxes by night. The red tower to the right says "Restaurant" on it and the Whirl of the Whirl rests below it. The right photo shows another restaurant and the Helter Skelter. Both of these photos show how detailed the park was and what care Thompson put into Luna when he designed it. He said, "Buildings can laugh quite as loudly as human beings. A beautiful but excited sky-line is more important in an exposition than the correct demonstration of any man's recollection of the fine points of Sir Christopher Wren's handiwork!"

This windmill sat in a corner of Luna and had a slide attached. If you look carefully you can see a covered slide wrapping around the tower. (Photo Courtesy the Library of Congress)

Frederick Thompson put great care into the park. Click on the left photo and look at the great detail along the promenade. The fir trees, the flags and all the lights all combined to make a modern-day fairyland. Working left to right in the second photo we see the windmill (tucked in the back), the Electric Tower and the centennial tower & the front gate (in the distance). All of the employees that it must have taken to fill the individual stands is staggering by today's standards.

The Gyroplane was an early version of the modern day flat ride (often known as a "spin and puke"). This attraction featured some unique visuals and was set out in the middle of the midway so there were almost as many spectators as riders.

The Front Gate	The Promenades	Luna by Night
Luna Park	The Rides	The Park's Animals

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