Aerial-view-of-Rexford-NY-showing-location-of-amusement-park

Luna Park was one of several names for an amusement park that existed in

Rexford, New York Rexford is a hamlet in Saratoga County, New York, United States, located on the north bank of the Mohawk River. Rexford is in the Town of Clifton Park, near the southwestern town line. Its boundaries, like those of neighboring Alplaus, are uno ...

, near

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, from 1901 to 1933. In addition to Luna Park (the name given by developer/entrepreneur

Frederick Ingersoll Frederick Ingersoll (1876 – October 23, 1927) was an American inventor, designer, builder and entrepreneur who created the world's first chain of amusement parks (known collectively as " Luna Parks" regardless of their actual name) and whose ma ...

when he added rides and assumed control of Rexford Park in 1906), it was also known as Dolle's Park (named after Fred Dolle, who bought the park from Ingersoll in 1912), Colonnade Park, Palisades Park, and (again) Rexford Park (in 1916) before the rides were dismantled in 1933.Susan Rosenthal, ''Schenectady'' (Arcadia 2000) Description of Rexford Park's amusement stand
- Capital District Library CouncilJohn L. Scherer, ''Clifton Park'' (Arcadia 1996) Constructed around the Grand View Hotel (built and opened by Jacob Rupert in 1901), the park was similar to Ingersoll's other

Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...

s in which it was a

trolley park In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. Trolley parks were often cre ...

with

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

s, a

fun house A funhouse or fun house is an attraction found in amusement parks and funfair midways, equipped with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, or amuse visitors. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fun houses are participatory attractions ...

, a

roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located in ...

, a

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

shell, a

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

, a midway, a

Whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

, and a

shoot-the-chutes Shoot the chute is a water-based amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume, which generally seats up to eight passengers, a modern-day shoot the chute ride g ...

ride which presented itself at the park entrance adjacent to a station of the Van Vranken

electric trolley A current collector (often called a "pickup") is a device used in trolleybuses, trams, electric locomotives and EMUs to carry electric power ( current) from overhead lines, electric third rails, or ground-level power supplies to the electric ...

line. Roughly seven decades before the

Skycoaster Skycoaster is the name of a free-fall and flight-simulating amusement park attraction produced and managed by Skycoaster Company, LLC.. On the Skycoaster, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are harnessed in specialized Flight Suits (in a face-down, p ...

rides that now dot various United States amusement parks, Luna/Rexford Park featured an aerial

swing ride The swing ride or chair swing ride (sometimes called a swing carousel, wave swinger, yo-yo, waver swinger, Chair-O-Planes, Dodo or swinger) is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the r ...

. The trolley line charged its passengers five cents each for the trip to the park, but the park did not have an admission charge. The Schenectady Luna Park lasted longer than most of Ingersoll's

s. Ingersoll's shaky finances (he was in

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

court twice between 1908 and 1911) forced him to sell the popular park to Dolle in 1912. Four years (and three name changes) later, new management changed its name one last time, to Rexford Park. Unlike most

amusement parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

of the first decade of the 20th century, Luna/Rexford Park was still standing after the return of the U. S. military from participation in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1925, the Grand View Hotel was destroyed by a fire, but the park stayed open for the season. The popularity of the park declined in the face of the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, forcing the dismantling of the park's rides in 1933. Some of the pilings for the Saratoga trolley line still remain in the

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson R ...

.Rexford Park: Family Funland for Three Decades
- Schenectady Gazette

References

{{coord missing, Capital District Defunct amusement parks in New York (state) 1933 disestablishments in New York (state) 1901 establishments in New York (state) Amusement parks opened in 1901 Amusement parks closed in 1933