Steeplechase Park - Parachute Jump

Parachute Jump

At the close of the 1939 World's Fair, Tilyou's son Frank purchased the fair's Parachute Drop and moved it to his park. The ride, inspired by a training device for paratroopers, saw interest during the remainder of World War II, but declined after the end of the war. However, perhaps due to the expense involved in destruction, the ride outlived the remainder of the park, operating until 1964. Still too expensive to tear down, the tower was finally declared a landmark in 1977, (added to the National Register of Historic Places) and the city took the unusual step of declaring it a landmark again in 1988. Today it is the only remaining artifact of Steeplechase.