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20-884: Waterfront Park may refer to: Canada [ edit ] Crystal Beach Waterfront Park , Ontario China [ edit ] Tai Po Waterfront Park , Hong Kong United States [ edit ] California San Diego County Administration Center#Waterfront Park District of Columbia Georgetown Waterfront Park Hawaii Kakaako Waterfront Park , Honolulu Kentucky Louisville Waterfront Park , Louisville Massachusetts Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park , Boston New Jersey Mercer County Waterfront Park , Trenton Oregon Tom McCall Waterfront Park , Portland South Carolina Waterfront Park (Charleston) Washington Waterfront Park (Seattle) Vancouver Waterfront Park [REDACTED] Topics referred to by

40-472: A public beach on land west of Crystal Beach Park called Bay Beach Park . It contained rental units, a snack bar, and a dance hall . Rebstock died in 1941, and his estate maintained the property until selling it to the Town of Fort Erie in 2001. A private developer planned to build a 12-story complex on the site called South Beach Condominiums , but the project was abandoned in 2014. Fort Erie has since renovated

60-472: Is considered one of the greatest wooden coasters ever built, and was awarded Coaster Landmark status by American Coaster Enthusiasts . At its peak in the 1940s and early 1950s, the park had about 20,000 visitors daily throughout the summer, from Victoria Day through Labour Day. Boat service from Buffalo was discontinued after a race riot aboard the Canadiana in 1956. George C. Hall died in 1972 and

80-456: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Crystal Beach Waterfront Park Crystal Beach Park occupied waterfront land within Crystal Beach from 1888 to 1989, turning the community into a popular resort town . It operated until 1989 when the park was closed permanently. It is now the site of private gated community. Laugh in

100-540: The Crystal Beach Hill Association , and purchased the land outright from the park's owner. The land where Crystal Beach Park stood was converted into a gated community called Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club in 1992. The concrete pier that was built in 1921 to service the Americana and Canadiana ferries remains part of the complex, albeit in a state of disrepair. The concrete seawall that

120-450: The Cyclone , and The Comet . The Comet was awarded Coaster Landmark status in 2009, and remains in operation at The Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor . Crystal Beach Park was originally a Chautauqua with a beach and side show attractions that was founded by John E. Rebstock on the shores of Lake Erie in 1888. Rebstock turned it into a full-fledged amusement park in 1890. In 1896,

140-537: The Ontario Southern Railway began to provide connection between the park and the mainline rail station in Ridgeway . This service consisted of a unique elevated monorail style train, and ran for only three summers, through 1898. Boat service connected nearby Buffalo with the park. Initially, in the 1890s, a ferry service operated small boats with a capacity of 500 to 1,200. The park's first roller coaster

160-611: The Crystal Ballroom. Artie Shaw arrived late for his Labour Day performance at the venue in 1939, and the crowd of 7,000 rioted. The Cyclone was added to the park in 1926. It was one of the Giant Cyclone Safety Coasters that were designed by Harry G. Traver , and known for their reputation as dangerous and terrifying. In 1947, the Cyclone was dismantled and its material was used to construct The Comet . The Comet

180-512: The Dark , a documentary about efforts to revitalize the community in the waning years of Crystal Beach Park, was released in 1999. The Crystal Beach settlement started as a police village with a summer post office in 1898; a year-round post office opened in 1908. The village was incorporated in 1928, with a population of 298. In 1970, the village was absorbed by Fort Erie, Ontario under the regional government scheme. In 1926, John E. Rebstock opened

200-577: The park closed at the end of the 1989 season. Following the park's closure in 1989, the rides were sold at auction . The Comet was sold to Charles Wood and moved to The Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in Queensbury, New York The Ferris wheel from the park was sold to Centreville Amusement Park in Toronto and remains in operation. The Giant Coaster, the oldest roller coaster in North America at

220-482: The park for years running concessions , and was famous for his Gourmet Suckers . Rebstock would go on to open Bay Beach Park to the west of Crystal Beach Park in 1926. Hall constructed the Crystal Ballroom in the winter of 1924. The dance hall 's location required the addition of a concrete seawall and boardwalk along the park's border to Lake Erie . Many famous acts such as Count Basie , Frank Sinatra , Glenn Miller Orchestra , and Jelly Roll Morton played

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240-415: The park's ownership reverted to his estate. His grandson, Van Hall, purchased a controlling interest in the park. By 1983, the park was losing business to Canada's Wonderland , Darien Lake , Fantasy Island , and Marineland of Canada . The park avoided bankruptcy by going into receivership and was taken over by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce . Crystal Beach Park Limited, an ownership group, bought

260-403: The property out of receivership in 1984. Members of the ownership group included Edward Hall (son of George C. Hall), J. Allen Bernel, Joseph F. Biondolillo, and Rudy J. Bonifacio. Bernel died in 1985, and the remaining members bought out his interest in the park. They spent over $ 2 million during the next three seasons for renovations and improvements. Financial problems loomed again, however, and

280-432: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waterfront_Park&oldid=993384441 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

300-485: The site with modern amenities, and it was officially reopened in 2019. In the 1930s, Crystal Beach Park employees were allowed to build cottages on the Crystal Beach sand dune so that they could live near their jobs. The dune was called Crystal Beach Hill and eventually grew to 43 cottages. In 1983, residents of the land formed the Crystal Beach Hill Cottagers Organization , later renamed

320-485: The time, was bought for its cars and scrapped. The gated community Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club has occupied the park's land since 1992. The concrete pier that was built in 1921 and concrete seawall that was built in 1924 remain part of the complex. The housing development South Coast Village has occupied the park's former parking lot since 2016. Crystal Beach Candy Company still produces Hall's Original Suckers and Crystal Beach Sugar Waffles using

340-534: Was a Figure 8 model that operated from 1905 to 1915. Prior to the 1908 season John Rebstock, while maintaining ownership of the land, sold the physical assets of the Crystal Beach Park to the Lake Erie Excursion Company. The Americana held 3,000 passengers and operated between 1908 and 1929. The Canadiana also held 3,000 passengers and operated between 1910 and 1956. A concrete pier

360-498: Was built in 1924 to reinforce the property also remains part of the complex. The town of Fort Erie has operated a public beach called Crystal Beach Waterfront Park to the east of Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club since 2005. It features a boat launch and was next to the Palmwood restaurant which closed in 2021. The land where the parking lot of Crystal Beach Park stood directly east of Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club

380-603: Was constructed to service the Americana and Canadiana in 1921. The park's second roller coaster, Backety-Back Scenic Railway , operated from 1909 to 1926. The third was the Giant Coaster that began operation in 1916. In 1924 the divided ownership of the park and the land ends with their acquisition by the Buffalo and Crystal Beach Company, of which George C. Hall was president and would fully own by 1948. Hall had worked at

400-542: Was converted into the upscale community South Coast Village in 2016. Crystal Beach Park Crystal Beach Park was an amusement park in Crystal Beach, Ontario from 1888 to 1989. It was serviced by the Canadiana passenger ferry in Buffalo , making it a popular tourist destination for both Canadians and Americans. The park was known for its innovative roller coasters , most notably Backety-Back Scenic Railway ,

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