Olentangy Park

Formerly located in Columbus, Ohio in the area of Clintonville, in the early years of the 20th century Olentangy Park was the largest amusement park in the United States.

Location

History

The 1880 to 1899 "The Villa"

Olentangy Park originated in 1880 when Robert M. Turner acquired a wooded area of land along the Olentangy River. A Mill already existed on the property on the edge of the river just north of what is now Ackerman Road, and the area was popular for picnics and swimming. The first development of this property was a formal picnic ground and swimming area in 1881. Soon a tavern was built on the site, and Mr. Turner named the area "The Villa."

Little changed for "The Villa" between 1881 and 1895, apart from the addition of a few small rides, a carousel, and possibly pony rides. In 1895 the Columbus Railway, Power and Light Company purchased "The Villa" from Mr. Turner. The land was at the extreme northern end of their North High Street trolley line, and just across the street from the companies trolley house, located on the northeast corner of North High Street and Ackerman Road. The company hoped to use "The Villa" to attract riders to it North High Street trolley route. The first noticeable changes were the addition of electric lighting to the park area around 1896, and the inclusion of the park to the list of trolley stops located on North High Street. The company also continued to operate the tavern on the site.

1899 to 1909

1899 saw one of the most important changes to occur for the park. That year 100 acres of the park was purchased from the Columbus Railway, Power and Light Company by the Dusenbury brothers of New Lexington, Ohio, and the area renamed Olentangy Park. The brothers quickly set about to turn their purchase into a major amusement park. Soon the Park's first roller coaster arrived. Known as the "Figure Eight," it was small and tame compared to rides still to come.

At the end of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair the Dusenbury brothers purchased the World's Fair's "Japanese Gardens" and relocated the entire gardens and buildings to Olentangy park. The gardens soon became a beautiful, tranquil retreat from the Park's rides and noise.

By 1910 the brothers had added considerably to Olentangy Park. A zoo, complete with monkeys, bears, and even eventually elephants was built near the Park's southern end. A boat house, known as the "Canoe Club" was constructed along the banks of the Olentangy River, from which visitors could rent a canoe for a quiet afternoon of boating on the Olentangy. An Arcade was constructed along the northern end of the Park which featured rows of enclosed rides such as "The Olde Mill," and the "Tunnel of Love." A restaurant replaced the former tavern, though more importantly an enormous theatre was built near the river, the largest theatre in America at the time. A formal picnic area was cleared in the ravine separating the north end of the park from the south and wooden walking bridges were built over the ravines connecting the Park's various points.

Electric lighting was added throughout the Park, and the North High Street Trolley was now diverted directly into the Park. Trolleys could exit North High Street at North Street, traveling through a large "castle gate" before arriving at the Park's exclusive trolley stop. Olentangy Park had become one of a growing number of "Trolley Parks" appearing in the United States, parks that blossomed with the arrival of trolley lines capable of transporting visitors from every corner of the city.

The 1910s

The 1910s was a period of rapid growth for Olentangy Park, and saw the arrival of some of the Park's most famous rides. One of the first looping coasters ever built, the "Loop-the-Loop," was added. The "Loop-the-Loop" did not last long, due to the stress it placed upon riders, but two other major coasters were soon to follow, the "Whirlwind" and the "Red Devil." The "Red Devil" was built only a few feet from North High Street and once soared dozens of feet above the west side of the road. A fabulous Ferris wheel, swing ride and pony rides arrived as well.

"Shoot-the-Chutes," a tall water slide popular at many amusements parks at the time, was added in the center of the Park's Arcade. Riders could board a wide, flat bottomed boat that traveled up a side chute then shot down the slide at great speed, creating an enormous wave that would douse riders with water, as well as many spectators. In time, an elephant was trained to ride down the slide, to the delight of Park visitors.

In 1914 a magnificent Mangels-Illions carousel was purchased for the Park. With 52 horses and 2 chariots hand carved by the Lithuanian master carousel carver Marcus C. Illions and Sons, this "Grand Carousel" was one of only a few manufactured by the William F. Mangels Company as a Mangels-Illions carousel. (The restored carousel is now in operation at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.)

The 1920s

The single most noticeable addition to Olentangy Park in the early 1920s was the construction of the world's largest swimming pool. Located near the Park's theatre, the pool was several hundred feet long, and able to accommodate hundreds of bathers. In an effort to simulate an "ocean side setting" like that found in New Jersey, hundreds of tons of sand were trucked in and dumped around the pool's edges, allowing sunbathers their own beach. The pool would remain the largest in the world for many years, and even today remains the third largest ever constructed in the United States.

All this building placed enormous financial strains upon the Dusenbury brothers, and following a poor turnout in the 1923 season the brothers were forced to sell Olentangy Park to a group of investors under the name "The Olentangy Amusement Company," and placed under the management of Max Stern. The investors continued to operate the Park successfully throughout the remainder of the 1920s, though little changed and few new rides or attractions were added.

In 1929 two new brothers would take control of Olentangy Park, when Leo and Elmer Heanlein signed a lease on the Park from 1929 to 1938. Under the Heanlein brother's control the Park's zoo was expanded, and a fun house added to the Arcade, but the depression was taking its toll on amusement parks across the country, and only the constant booking of popular bands and acts for the ballroom and theatre kept Olentangy Park operating.

1930 to 1939

In 1937 the L.L. LeVeque Company purchased Olentangy Park. The purchase was made mostly to sell off the Park's rides and equipment. In 1938 the carousel, Ferris wheel airplane ride, dodgem and rifle range was sold to the Gooding Amusement Company, which also owned the Columbus Zoo. Many of the rides were relocated to the Wyandot Lake Amusement Park.

1938 would be Olentangy Park's last season, and the Park closed for good that September. By the spring of 1939 most of the Park's buildings, rides, coasters and gardens were leveled to make way for the building of the Olentangy Village apartment complex. The complex was built by the L.L. LeVeque Company and designed by Washington D.C. architect Raymond Snow. In 1940 a large bowling alley, known as Olentangy Lanes, was constructed on the site of the Park's former parking lot. It would stand until destroyed by fire in 1980.

Olentangy Park survivors

The last standing structures from inside the Park were the "castle gate" and the Park's huge theatre. Both stood until 1940 when they were destroyed in separate fires. The only building still standing today is the Park's large office and zoo keeper's quarters. This large stone house is located at the curve of North Street and has since been divided into six apartments.

Some of the Park's original wrought iron fencing can still be seen along the northern side of North Street from High Street to the curve at the stone office house, the same portion of North Street that also served as the Park's original walk up entrance. This fencing, with its distinctive "O" pattern, was duplicated in the 1950s along North High Street and can still be seen there today.

If one were to walk along the Olentangy River north from the Ackerman Road bridge they would eventually come across a concrete foundation partially submerged on the banks of the river, and a set of concrete steps going half way up the bank. This is the foundation of the Park's "Canoe Club" and the steps that once led up to the Park's theatre. The concrete foundations of the wooden walking bridges crossing the picnic ravines are still visible on either side of the ravine's streams. The former picnic ravine is now located behind a tanning salon on North High Street and is overgrown and filled with garbage.

Olentangy Park's magnificent 1914 Mangles-Illians carousel was moved in 1939 to Wyandot Lake Amusement Park near the Columbus Zoo where it continued to operate, though in deteriorating condition. In 1999 it was removed from Wyandot Lake and Carousel Works Inc. was commissioned to undergo a million dollar restoration, returning it to its former glory. This beautiful carousel resumed operation in the spring of 2000 in its new climate controlled home at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where 42,000 riders paid $1 each to ride it in just the first month of operation. On July 28, 2004, the carousel celebrated its one millionth rider since being restored and moved to the zoo.^[1]

The Olentangy Park swimming pool survived for decades as a functioning part of the Olentangy Village apartment complex. In 1996 the pool was reduced to half its former size to make room for new apartment buildings, and finally in 2002 the remainder of the pool was filled in to create new village space.

References

1. ^ The Columbus Zoo Carousel Spins its One Millionth Rider

External links

• Postcard of the Olentangy Park Dance Hall
• http://www.carouselworks.com/
• http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/oldcolumbus/rec.cfm

Coordinates: 40°01′17″N 83°00′53″W / 40.021469°N 83.014771°W / 40.021469; -83.014771