Thunderbolt (1925 roller coaster)
| Thunderbolt | |
|---|---|
| The inactive Thunderbolt in 1986 | |
| Coney Island | |
| Location | Coney Island |
| Coordinates | 40°34′26′′N 73°58′57′′W / 40.57389°N 73.98250°W / 40.57389; -73.98250 |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1925 (1925) |
| Closing date | 1982 (1982) |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Designer | John A. Miller |
| Height | 86 ft (26 m) |
| Duration | 1:17 |
| Thunderbolt at RCDB | |
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The Thunderbolt was a wooden roller coaster located at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by John Miller,[1] it operated from 1925 until 1982 and remained standing until it was demolished in 2000.[2] [3] The demolition was controversial, as the property owner Horace Bullard was not notified, nor had any formal inspection been done on the structure.[4]
In June 2013, it was announced that a new steel roller coaster would be constructed on Coney Island named the Thunderbolt.[5] The steel coaster opened in 2014 and uses a completely different design.[6]
In popular culture
[edit ]It was featured briefly in Woody Allen's 1977 film Annie Hall as the boyhood home of Alvy Singer (Allen's character).[2] The house was a real residence, built in 1895 as the Kensington Hotel. The roller coaster was constructed with part of its track scaling the top of the building.[7] [8]
The indie rock/slowcore band Red House Painters 1993 album, Red House Painters (Rollercoaster) features a sepia toned photograph of the Thunderbolt as its cover art. The last film to photograph the Thunderbolt was Requiem for a Dream .
In the 1995 IMAX film Across the Sea of Time , the coaster is featured in abandoned condition.
In the 1998 movie He Got Game , Spike Lee features the coaster in its dilapidated state.
References
[edit ]- ^ Rutherford, Scott (2000) The American Roller Coaster, MBI Publishing Company, Wisconsin. ISBN 0760306893.
- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Thunderbolt (Coney Island - George Moran)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ^ "End of the line". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. Associated Press. November 19, 2000. p. 10A.
- ^ Dan Barry (October 4, 2003). "About New York; Giuliani Razed Roller Coaster, And the Law". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Thunderbolt (Luna Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ^ Brown, Stephen R. (June 14, 2014). "Coney Island's new Thunderbolt roller coaster officially opens". NY Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
- ^ "The House under the Roller Coaster by Steve Zeitlin". www.nyfolklore.org. Archived from the original on April 26, 2002.
- ^ Donnelly, Tim (July 28, 2013). "Life Under the Thunderbolt". New York Post. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
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- Former roller coasters
- Amusement rides introduced in 1925
- Amusement rides that closed in 1982
- Wooden roller coasters
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