Playland (also known as Playland-at-the-Beach and Whitney's Playland, beginning in 1928[1]some say 1926[2]) was a 10-acre (40,000-square-meter) seaside amusement park located next to Ocean Beach, in the Richmond District at the western edge of San Francisco, California, along Great Highway, bounded by Balboa and Fulton streets. $$ - $$$ American Cafe Vegetarian Friendly, $$$$ Italian Contemporary Vegan Options, $$$$ American Steakhouse Gluten Free Options, $$ - $$$ Asian Hawaiian Vegetarian Friendly, $$ - $$$ Asian Thai Vegetarian Friendly, $$ - $$$ Mediterranean Middle Eastern Vegetarian Friendly, Points of Interest & Landmarks Churches & Cathedrals. "Chutes at the Beach" opened in 1921, along Ocean Beach between Balboa and Fulton Streets. #playland #birthdayweekend #29 #beer #crazyparty #crazygirls #coronaparalasreinas #tomorrowmore, Celebrating #Playland #SanFrancisco #California, Nickabeth Into America The crowd, spanning an estimated 10,000 people, may have been the largest that Playland-at-the-Beach had seen in months. 205 were here. Two months later, a fire of undetermined origin ravaged a large L-shaped warehouse at Playland, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Associations journal. By 1890, trolley lines reached Ocean Beachthe Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, the Park & Ocean Railroad, and the Sutro Railroadthat encouraged commercial amusement development as a trolley park. We drove down there, and I saw the rubble, said Neal Hemming, a stationary engineer for the Murphy Windmill in Golden Gate Park who was 11 years old at the time. I have always admired the artistry of his shots of Kelly's Cove, Ocean Beach, and Playland's final days. By 1884, a steam railroad was in place to bring people to the Ocean Beach Pavilion for concerts and dancing. [hidden information] this is a very large indoor inflatable for sale can be used outdoor works perfect in good condition $4,000 or best offer or trade this is 26 by 28 inflatable bounce house with a 22 ft slide Playland all in one used in great condition industrial blows up hard Leo Whitney retired in 1939, and by 1942, George Whitney owned all 10 acres of the amusement park. EDITORIAL VIDEO 94 Playland_ (san_francisco) Stock Photos & High-Res Pictures Browse 94 playland_ (san_francisco) photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. USA. San Francisco's Big Dipper roller coaster at Playland-at-the-Beach, circa 1920s. You could have bought the Alpine Racer ride for $100 at the auction: Dennis O'Rorke grew up in the Richmond District and went to Playland as a child. PHOTOS: A Very Different Side Of Ocean Beach, San Francisco Public Library's Historical Photograph Collection, San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection. The Bob Sled Dipper (or Bobs) was a state-of-the-art toboggan-style coaster ride with rides seated in tandem in two-passenger cars strung eight to a train. In the Richmond District you can still get milk, beer, or a candy bar at the neighborhood market. It was situated on the southeast corner of Playland's south block, but the area was closed in 1964 or 1965, and the Racer stood idle for about a year until it was moved to the northwest corner of the main block. "It was a favorite destination," Moretta explained. Whitney stopped operating Playland in 1968. Playland wasnt perfect but I wont forget it.. George Whitney commissioned the inventor to build another one at Playland on the southeast block of the park. Generations of San Franciscans grew up eating Playland It's-Its (ice cream smooshed between two oatmeal cookies) and sit-down meals of quasi-Mexican food at The Hot House. In 1937, George Whitney Sr. purchased the then-vacant Cliff House from the Sutro estate and reopened it as an upscale roadhouse that same year. But growing up, every time I revisited, there was a rush as I entered. Demolished: 1972. The famous funhouse mirror sequence at the end of Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai (1948) was filmed in Hollywood, but in the last moments of the movie, the exterior shot of Welles walking past the funhouse was filmed at Playland. Patrons entered by first passing through a mirror maze which had originally been a separate attraction on the opposite side of the midway. The area that was Playland began as a 19th-century squatter's settlement, "Mooneysville-by-the-Sea". In last week of 1971, developer Jeremy Ets-Hokin announced his purchase of the ten-acre site for $6.6 million. [14], Camera Obscura was built and in place at the lower terrace of the Cliff House in 1946. [5] It was not until 1913 that Looff leased land for the carousel and its house, the Looff Hippodrome, that the carousel came to Playland. [11] The Laffing Since deemed seismically unsound, the school building had been used for offices and storage, and the large paved play yard was used occasionally as a parking lot or for recreation. San Francisco Story Preview: Seeing the End of Playland. The attractions in this corner of the city had the added novelty of. Idora Park and Playland-at-the-Beach: Bay Area Amusement Parks of a Bygone Era. Prior to joining the newsroom in 2019, she worked for the Roxie Theater, Noise Pop and Frameline Film Festival. Is this your business? Some say the park went downhill after he tore down the Big Dipper Roller Coaster. The Big Dipper was razed in 1955 due to rising costs to keep the ride in operation, but its replacement, a Wild Mouse roller coaster called Alpine Racer, never achieved the same level of popularity. If you're really feeling nostalgic, you can head to El Cerrito to the Playland-Not-At-The-Beach museum, which features artifacts from the amusement park. Some of these mementos were displayed at Playland-not-at-the-beach, a museum in El Cerrito run by Richard Tuck and Frank Biafore. Read our. Finally we're left with the actual demolition, the sad and beautiful ruin porn that hits some of us longtime San Franciscans on multiple levels. By 1928, it had been renamed Whitneys Playland, but most referred to it as Playland-at-the-Beach, and the name stuck. The restaurant was named for Topsy, a character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and its decor depicted Negro stereotypes. Nice bar with a good vibe. Receive exclusive promotions, new event announcements, and exciting park updates. Playland (also known as Playland at the Beach and Whitney's Playland beginning in 1928) was a seaside amusement park located next to Ocean Beach, in the Richmond District at the western edge of San Francisco, California along Great Highway where Cabrillo and Balboa streets are now. Some mused the teddy bears and Kewpie dolls once won over games of Skee-ball or Fascination would become collectors items. There are great compositions, like this somewhat unsettling shot of the slides in the Fun House: Or this triangle of the girl, the trashcan, and the words, "The Gun.". Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Collect, curate and comment on your files. The park became faded, dingy, and a hang-out for seedier elements as families in the city chose suburban destinations for recreation. But Playlands glory days were waning. [10] George Whitney was called The Barnum of the Golden Gate as he went on to buy up the concessions and even bought the Sutro Baths in 1952. (Courtesy of Jim Smith) Read the transcript here. Along with Looff's carousel and the Chutes, a fun house, bumper cars, coaster rides, and a Ferris Wheel stood among a midway of dozens of carnival games, souvenir shops, and food stands. He was also the mastermind behind the It's-It," San Francisco's now-legendary oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich. I think that that land was zoned for public recreation and the city was more than remiss in not assuring that the area remained a place for all to enjoy on a recreational basis.. Our . 95% of travelers recommend this experience. Thanks for the photographs, Dennis, and for your constant generosity in sharing these images with just about everyone for decades. Another favorite was the Diving Bell, a metal chamber that took guests under water and then returned them to the surface with a big splash. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Located near Phoenix, we have rides, LEGO build & play zones, a 4D cinema & more! At various times, the rides at Playland included: Skyliner, Rocketship, Big Dipper, Big Slide, Dodg 'Em (bumper cars), Limbo (dark house), Kookie Kube, Dark Mystery (which started as an African-themed dark ride but was redone in the 1950s with a Dali-esque surrealistic facade), the Mad Mine (a dark ride that literally covered over Dark Mystery), Scrambler, Twister, and Kiddie Bulgy. Inside provided hours of fun! He died after a six-week illness in 1981, and was identified in his obituary as the man who razed Playland. Two other developers Tef Kutay and Zev ben Simon's Taldan Investment Co. built condos over the site in the 1980s, with the last 1.7-acre fragment of land approved for development in 1993. Playland's heyday were the World War II years and 1950s. Whitney died in 1958, and his son left his job at Disneyland to take over the park. Streetcar Stop #1 People hang out at Playland-at-the-Beach in the years leading up to its closure and demolition. San Francisco, Muse Mcanique is located in Fisherman's Wharf on Pier 45, although San Francisco locals may remember its long history for several decades at the Cliff House. In them he often captures the loneliness and the sense of passing time. I loved studying the machinery of that place, even as a kid. The Big Dipper roller coaster was gone. Big DipperOpened 1922. City Tour with Bay Cruise Highlights of San Francisco by Land and Sea! [19][20] Driving south along the beach on the Great Highway from the Cliff House, the first building you came to was Topsys Roost, which became more than just a chicken dinner houseit was also a popular nightclub. Playland was open from noon until midnight every day, and became a year-round mecca for cheap thrills one that practically all of San Francisco wanted to experience despite the frequent fog and chilly weather. [1] Nightlife / The Fun House is perhaps the coolest thing to see (and, in fact, you can still catch a glimpse of the totally creepy Laffing Sal mechanical character at the Musee Mecanique on Fishermans Wharf). This ride was also called The Grizzly. Playland (415) 440-7529 | Website 1351 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109 | Directions See all 6 Add Photo Hours: None Listed Update Hours Tags: Nob Hill, Nightlife, Bars Is this your business? The accident may have precipitated the transfer of the park from John Friedle to the Whitney Brothers. From bumper cars to human turntables, the now-defunct park was the destination for families, date night couples and sailors in the mid 20th century. [3] By 1884, a steam railroad was in place to bring people to the first amusement ride at the Citys ocean sidea "Gravity Railroad" roller coaster, and to the Ocean Beach Pavilion for concerts and dancing. OtherCityGuides, 2023 SanFrancisco.com: A City Guide by Boulevards. The bold thrills and sad death of Playland, S.F.'s amusement park Updated: 3 a.m. March 7, 2022 Barney Peterson / The Chronicle It's hard to imagine now, but for the majority of the 20th Century. We also offer airsoft, laser tag, & Nerf parties [10] It was eventually sold to Jeremy Ets-Hokin (a millionaire developer) in 1971 and torn down on September 4, 1972. Skateland was a popular destination for roller skating. Western Neighborhoods Project Patrons sitting on the balcony level could slide from their coops down to the dance floor if they wanted to dance. The area that was Playland began as a 19th Century squatter's settlement, "Mooneysville-by-the-Sea", at the western edge of San Francisco. As trolley lines developedmaking it easier for San Francisco residents to make a trip out to the beachand the Cliff House opened (in 1863), followed by the extravagant Sutro Baths (in 1896), more rides and attractions filled up the area, including a carousel, Ferris wheel, the Big Dipper roller coaster, and The Whip. In 1926, new manager George Whitney changed the name to Playland-at-the-Beach. SFUSD, SFPA, Supervisor Katy Tang's Office, Friends of Playland at 43rd Avenue, Sunset Youth Services, Climate Action Now! Men in suits and hats, brothers in matching shirts And then there's just the historical documentation, seeing structures that tens of thousands of San Franciscans and visitors had worn to a nub, that the ocean winds and sea fog ate at for decades. Sal from the Fun House is now located in the Muse Mcanique in San Francisco. Looff, which was allegedly intended for a Coney Island-inspired theme park on Market and 8th streets called Steeple Chase Park, which was destroyed in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. To run a bulldozer and do irreparable damage only takes a few hours. But in general is a nice place. [10], By the mid-1930s, Whitney decided to close Topsys Roost, focusing instead on the Cliff House restaurant. Playland began a series of waffle stands, shooting galleries, and other concessions at San Francisco's Ocean Beach designed to remove recreation-seekers from their nickels. [6], Around 1913, Arthur Looff leased a piece of land for a carousel and its housethe Looff Hippodrome, located next to John Friedle's concessions. Around the same time, he also sold his familys controlling interest in Playland to developer Robert Frazier. It began as a collection of amusement rides and concessions in the late 19th century and was known as Chutes At The Beach as early as 1913. [10] The Topsy's Roost building later became the site of the Edgewater Ballroom, a slot car raceway, the second home of Chet Helm's Family Dog Productions, and lastly, the Friends and Relations Hall. [13] The Fun House had air jets, rickety catwalks, steep, moving and rocking staircases, the topsy-turvy barrel, and the three-story climb up to the top of "the longest, bumpiest indoor slide in the world,"[9] and a 200-foot (61m) indoor slide. San Francisco, CA. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk had a funhouse with an identical interior (but not exterior) until it was remodeled in 1983. He ended up hiring Whitneys son, George Whitney Jr., as his seventh engineer, and it was the ride consultants insistence that Disney could not use real animals on his Jungle Cruise attraction that eventually led to the invention of audio animatronics, suggests the 2010 documentary, Remembering Playland at the Beach. Whitney went on to become the Manager of Fantasyland. It had a live orchestra and dance floor and was decorated so it looked like the patrons were sitting in ramshackle chicken coops. This ride originated at the 1939-40 Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island. This was a German-made, This page was last edited on 22 June 2023, at 00:01. [9][10] The park was purchased by developers and closed forever on Labor Day, September 4, 1972. Playland is a loud, crowded, and pack with young hip hop kids. Although the school site may be redeveloped for teacher housing in coming years, it has been enjoyed by many residents as a tremendous community asset during this interim phase. See "Updates" tab for details. Prior to that, the area was known as "Concessions at the Beach." Arthur Looff came to San Francisco to oversee the construction of his fathers, Mery-Go-Round around 1914. The four-alarm blaze took more than two hours to contain, in addition to causing over $400,000 in damages and injuring five firefighters. Playland also included a Fun-tier Town for little western gals and little cowboys, which was an area with ten rides geared for children with a western motif and a place for birthday parties. Through the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Whitney acquired more and more of the game and restaurant operations in the park. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. #LiPix #saturdaynight I love weekends specially in the city, First night done! Playland Bar. Advertise with us | Contact us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map, Hertz Rent A Car - San Francisco Rental Locations, San Francisco Accommodations - Hotels-motels, Holiday Inn San Francisco - Golden Gateway, Laurel Court Restaurant & Lounge - The Fairmont San Francisco.