to this potentially valuable and unique waterfront park was an area of 55 acres upon which two socalled ˮamusement parks” were located, together with ramshackle hotels, shanties, and cheap, rundown bath houses. The proper development of Manursing Island Park necessitated that this 55 acres be added. Public sentiment got behind a movement in a request that the Park Commission purchase this additional land. This was done at a cost of two and one-half million dollars, but with the understanding that so costly an outlay for land necessitated a development which would provide a substantial income.
It was then that the Westchester County Park Commission decided to demolish all existing structures within the area and to plan an amusement park possessing artistic merit to attract a class of people who before resented going to summer amusement resorts of the ˮConey Island” type and to educate the habitual amusement park goers to an appreciation and a desire for things beautiful. Such an enterprise, the Commission believed, would contribute largely to the pleasure of thousands of people and at the same time provide an income of sufficient size to pay the interest
on the bonds for land and construction costs, the entire maintenance and operating costs of the park, and leave a sizeable balance to be returned to the County to be credited to the maintenance and operating expenses of park areas not producing income.
The design of an amusement park presented new and unusual problems, probably the most difficult ones being to bring together the various rides, walkthrough shows, games, and concessions, into an orderly arrangement and to treat the structures architecturally so as to present a pleasing and unified ensemble. In order to acquaint ourselves with many of the hitherto unforeseen problems, the landscape architect visited many of the noted amusement parks of the United States. He learned of the existence of the science of “showmanship, ” an im
portant factor to be recognized. A collaborator had to be found to work with architect and landscape architect who could be charged with the practical planning of the amusement devices, the planning of entrances and exits, and the arrangement of the devices in so far as their relation to one another was concerned. We found, also, that we must know something about crowd psychology; we learned that people will not walk up stairs, that ramps are better; that they will not turn corners to reach places more or less obscurely located; that they will
not walk long distances unless there is something to attract them along the way, and so on. As a collaborator on these special phases of our problem, we were fortunate in obtaining Frank W. Darling, undoubtedly the best qualified amusement park man in America.
We were now prepared to go forward with the plan. From the beginning of the work landscape architect, architect, engineers, amusement
park expert, lighting experts, swimming pool designer, and others, collaborated on all phases of this complex problem. The landscape architect acted as coordinator in the planning work and prepared the general development plan.
The plan provided for a curved beach and boardwalk about one-quarter of a mile long, with a bath house to accommodate 10, 000 lockers. In conjunction with the bath house a fresh water swimming pool 150ʹ×75ʹ was planned. The boardwalk was 40 feet wide and the beach 100 feet wide at high tide. To prevent the washing away of the sand, long rock jetties were planned projecting out like long arms into Lond Island Sound. The amusement park section extended from one end of the boardwalk north to an 80 acre lake in Manursing Island Park. The design took the shape of a huge sickle, the mall of the amusement park section being the handle, the curved boardwalk the blade. Where handle and blade met a large entrance plaza was planned, in the center of it a large basin with a
ENTRANCE TO KIDDIELAND
Photo by Van Anda
It was then that the Westchester County Park Commission decided to demolish all existing structures within the area and to plan an amusement park possessing artistic merit to attract a class of people who before resented going to summer amusement resorts of the ˮConey Island” type and to educate the habitual amusement park goers to an appreciation and a desire for things beautiful. Such an enterprise, the Commission believed, would contribute largely to the pleasure of thousands of people and at the same time provide an income of sufficient size to pay the interest
on the bonds for land and construction costs, the entire maintenance and operating costs of the park, and leave a sizeable balance to be returned to the County to be credited to the maintenance and operating expenses of park areas not producing income.
The design of an amusement park presented new and unusual problems, probably the most difficult ones being to bring together the various rides, walkthrough shows, games, and concessions, into an orderly arrangement and to treat the structures architecturally so as to present a pleasing and unified ensemble. In order to acquaint ourselves with many of the hitherto unforeseen problems, the landscape architect visited many of the noted amusement parks of the United States. He learned of the existence of the science of “showmanship, ” an im
portant factor to be recognized. A collaborator had to be found to work with architect and landscape architect who could be charged with the practical planning of the amusement devices, the planning of entrances and exits, and the arrangement of the devices in so far as their relation to one another was concerned. We found, also, that we must know something about crowd psychology; we learned that people will not walk up stairs, that ramps are better; that they will not turn corners to reach places more or less obscurely located; that they will
not walk long distances unless there is something to attract them along the way, and so on. As a collaborator on these special phases of our problem, we were fortunate in obtaining Frank W. Darling, undoubtedly the best qualified amusement park man in America.
We were now prepared to go forward with the plan. From the beginning of the work landscape architect, architect, engineers, amusement
park expert, lighting experts, swimming pool designer, and others, collaborated on all phases of this complex problem. The landscape architect acted as coordinator in the planning work and prepared the general development plan.
The plan provided for a curved beach and boardwalk about one-quarter of a mile long, with a bath house to accommodate 10, 000 lockers. In conjunction with the bath house a fresh water swimming pool 150ʹ×75ʹ was planned. The boardwalk was 40 feet wide and the beach 100 feet wide at high tide. To prevent the washing away of the sand, long rock jetties were planned projecting out like long arms into Lond Island Sound. The amusement park section extended from one end of the boardwalk north to an 80 acre lake in Manursing Island Park. The design took the shape of a huge sickle, the mall of the amusement park section being the handle, the curved boardwalk the blade. Where handle and blade met a large entrance plaza was planned, in the center of it a large basin with a
ENTRANCE TO KIDDIELAND
Photo by Van Anda