Rye Playland 1950

Created by Westchester County in 1927, Rye Playland is the country's only government-owned-and-operated amusement park, as well as the only existing Art Deco-style amusement park in America. Playland was a pioneer since it was completely designed prior to being built. This was a first for the time period. It also was the model for modern “theme parks” including Disneyland. Seven of the park's rides were built before 1930 and are still in operation today: The Whip, The Racing Derby, the Old Mill, Zombie Castle, the Carousel, the Kiddy Coaster, and the famous 128-foot-high Dragon Coaster. Playland was also home to the world famous Aeroplane coaster, which many coaster aficionados consider to be the greatest woodie ever built. It was torn down in the late 1950’s, as Westchester County did not want to spend the money to make the coaster compliant with modern safety regulations.

Lovely and historic, the 280-acre Rye Playland boasts a picturesque boardwalk on Long Island Sound, skating at the Ice Casino (practice home of the NY Rangers), a picnic area, lake boating and kayaking and Mini-Golf. Much of Playland's entertainment schedule is free, including dancing, music concerts, puppet-shows, and summertime fireworks every Wednesday and Friday night. Rye Playland was also the setting for the movie “Big”, starring Tom Hanks. Those segments were actually filmed at the Pool House, which sits adjacent to Playland.

A summer visit with my kids prompted my interest. A few liberties were taken with the recreation of Playland. As I desired to include the Aeroplane coaster, I set the recreation in 1950. I could not find a good brochure or map from this period. Therefore, I added a side friction coaster where the log flume sits today, and several flat rides have been placed helter skelter around the grounds. There actually was a coaster called the Jack and Jill at Playland in the 1940's. This information was obtained from the Rye Playland Museum. There are no known photos, and it only lasted a couple years. Rumor is the coaster was dismantled and moved a few miles down the road to Coney Island. They further stated that it might have been a dueling coaster, but there is no confirmation to this rumor, either. Part of the problem with historic recreations is that most of the rides and attractions were consignments, and changed almost yearly, and sometimes even within a season. Also, the "Kiddie Coaster" was opened in 1929, and remains in operation today. I used the reverser track and cars because it seemed the best fit to the prototype. It is actually fairly popular with the peeps! Please take a moment to visit the Rye Playland website, which I used as a reference, along with dozens of reference photos taken in July this year. You will see that the paths, the permanent structures, the Playland green, and all the classic rides are properly located and themed.

I would like to thank Steve Franks for his excellent recreation of the Aeroplane Coaster, which I used as my inspiration in creating the park. I would also like to give Fisherman a very warm thank you for offering to build and deliver a recreation of the 1928 Dragon Coaster.

An Overview of the entire park. The Bathhouse is just off the screen to the right. The Dragon is in the lower middle, with the Aeroplane to the right of it. The Playland Ice Palace is clearly visible at the top of the screen.

The Swinger and the Cuddle-Up, with the Flying Witch in the lower left.

The 1928 Derby Racer with Kiddieland in the foreground.

The Jack and Jill side friction coaster.

The actual Playland Ice Casino and fountain.

The Playland Ice Casino.

Captain Hook's Seafood Restaurant, part of the Casino complex.

The real Rye Pool House.

The Rye Pool House, where "Big" was filmed.

The Dragon Coaster is on the right, the Old Mill in the lower left, and the Aeroplane stood where the modern steel coaster is visible in the foreground. This was taken from the Ferris Wheel.

The entrance to the Dragon Coaster is on the right, with the Aeroplane Coaster on the left.

Several Game booths are visible in the upper right, and the Whip is the yellow structure in front of the Dragon.

The Old Mill, with the Aeroplane in the foreground.

The Zombie Castle.

The Zombie Castle and Glass House Maze.

An overview of Kiddieland.

The Historic Kiddie Coaster, with the rides contained within it's perimeter. The Artic Flume is lower right, and the Train Station is visible in the lower left.

The picnic grounds and the Caterpillar.