INFO: Book on Rye Playland (published May 08)
Dana Schwartz
http://www.lohud.com:80/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807200354
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July 20, 2008
New book showcases park's rich history
Gerald McKinstry
The Journal News
RYE - When Kathryn Burke sifted through the Westchester County
Archives a few years ago, the Eastchester woman came across a
collection on Playland.
She was impressed, dug some more and learned a few things about the
popular amusement park.
"The photos just drew me in," the 52-year-old Catholic elementary
school teacher at Christ the King School in Yonkers said during a
recent visit to the park. "That's really what drew me in was the
images."
The people in those pictures - their faces and signature styles from
the 1920s, 30s and beyond were particularly interesting and brought
the place to life, she said.
The art-deco buildings, stucco towers and rides like the famed Dragon
Coaster, carousel, The Whip and Derby Racer (one of only two left in
the country) added to the nostalgia.
Those images and related stories have been compiled by Burke in a
recently published book, "Images of America Playland."
The book is part of the Arcadia Publishing series; it's the second for
Burke who previously published "Bridges of the Hudson River" with the
same publisher.
The park, which this year celebrated its 80th anniversary, is listed
on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
Playland Amusement Park was set into motion in 1922 when the
then-Board of Supervisors created the Westchester County Park
Commission.
The county later acquired 214 acres on Long Island Sound for a beach,
bathhouse, boardwalk, shipping dock and other recreational uses in an
area near what was then known as Manursing Island.
The intent was to create one of the best amusement parks and beach
resorts in the world, Burke said, which was particularly unique
because it was, and remains, publicly owned.
The King of Siam even visited after a diplomatic trip to Washington
D.C., because Westchester's parks "were world renowned," Burke said.
"The people who set up the parks were visionary," Burke said. "They
really wanted Westchester to be a special place. The parks system was
supposed to rival Central Park."
In 1928, "record-breaking crowds arrived" - most by bus and car and
others by steamship, steam-powered ferries that brought folks to
Playland's dock from Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island and New York
City.
Many visitors enjoyed places like The Beach Hill Inn and Gus's
luncheonette as well as the beach, which had a "Tan-O-Meter" to
encourage successful sunning.
Playland subsequently added an Olympic-size swimming pool and a
casino, which made it a year-round destination.
When the pool opened in 1929, it was run by Gertrude Ederle, an
Olympic gold-medal winner and the first woman to swim the English
Channel. She was assisted by Johnny Weissmuller, an Olympic freestyle
champion who went on to play "Tarzan" in films.
A prudish Playland until 1937 even banned "topless" bathing suits for
men. The parks commissioner at the time feared "that the nude male
torso might detract from the beauty of the landscape."
While it remains the most popular of the county parks, Playland has
not been without its challenges.
In recent years, turnout has been dipping under a million a year,
buildings need repair and there have been a series of fatal accidents.
County officials, however, maintain they are aggressively addressing
safety and looking to the future by investing in buildings and
infrastructure.
The Westchester County Board of Legislators in May approved borrowing
$8.8 million to renovate the historic, but deteriorating bathhouse
that is expected to be home of Westchester County's first children's
museum. Coincidently, that was done on the same day the book was
published, Burke said.
County Executive Andrew Spano, who was about 5 years old the first
time he went to Playland and enjoyed rides that are still there today,
wrote the book's foreword.
Spano called the park "a memory maker" and said it is unrivaled in its
historic and community significance.
Spano said the United States only government-owned amusement park was
"a prototype for others around the world."
"The vision of amusement and government doesn't go together," Spano
said. "If these guys didn't have that vision, Westchester would be a
different place today."
Spano hoped the book would bring back memories for those who have
enjoyed Playland and help others to "understand its history."
Burke echoed those sentiments.
"It keeps with that vision of being a very special place," Burke.
said. "The history is really something people need to understand."
Kathryn Burke will autograph copies of "Images of America Playland" at
6 p.m. Wednesday (23 July 2008) at the Playland Amusement Park in Rye.
The book costs $19.99 and is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders and
other local bookstores throughout Westchester County. It also is
available at Amazon.com.
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Dana Schwartz