Harry C. Baker (1886 or 1887 – August 23, 1939)
[Associated Press (August 24, 1939)]
"Roller Coaster Man Dies"
''The Des Moines Register''. p. 13. Retrieved April 12, 2021. was an American entrepreneur most notable for his involvement with the construction of
roller coasters. Through partnerships and later, as president of the Harry C. Baker Company, Baker would be involved with notable designs such as the
Cyclone at
Coney Island, the Blue Streak at
Woodcliffe Pleasure Park, and
Jack Rabbit
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...
at
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1899, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. It was purchased in 1 ...
.
Biography
Baker was the former manager of
Rexford Park, Schnectady, New York
and served on the staff at
Riverview Park in Chicago.
From 1920 to 1923, Baker served as the Secretary and Treasurer of the
John A. Miller-led Miller & Baker, Inc.
Serving as office manager of the firm's
Grand Central Terminal location, he was involved with the construction of over 40 coasters.
In 1923, Baker went on to form his own company.
In 1927, the Rosenthal brothers contracted with Baker's firm and designer
Vernon Keenan to build the
Coney Island Cyclone
The Cyclone, also the Coney Island Cyclone, is a wooden roller coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Designed by Vernon Keenan, it opened to the public on June 26, 1927. The roller coaster is on a plot of land at the ...
. After the success of this endeavor, Keenan and Baker once again teamed to build one of the most debated roller coasters of the 1920s, the Blue Streak at Woodcliffe Pleasure Park.
Coasters
During his lifetime, Baker was involved in the building of nearly 40 roller coasters, mostly with John A. Miller.
References
External links
John A. Miller site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Harry C.
Amusement ride manufacturers
Roller coaster designers
Year of birth missing