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81-512: The Wonder Wheel is a 150-foot-tall (46 m) eccentric Ferris wheel at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park at Coney Island in the New York City borough of Brooklyn . The wheel is located on a plot bounded by West 12th Street to the west, Bowery Street to the north, Luna Park to the east, and the Riegelmann Boardwalk to the south. As with other eccentric Ferris wheels, some of

162-470: A Newsday reporter contrasted the two experiences of the Wonder Wheel's stationary and moving cars: the stationary-car experience was described as being "so pleasant a baby can ride it without alarm", but the swinging-car experience was "more like a catch-your-breath thrill". The New York Times called the Wonder Wheel "the jewel of the showy, boomtown Coney Island that rose along the newly widened beach in

243-834: A Borough Commissioner and one or more Deputy Borough Commissioners that report directly to the First Deputy Commissioner. The executive offices, and numerous operational and inspection units such as the Department's Emergency Response Team are located at 280 Broadway in Manhattan providing centralized access to all five boroughs. As of 2024, the Department has a staff of 1,500, including Plan Examiners that review building plans and permit applications, and 426 building inspectors who visit existing buildings and new construction to ensure they are safe and comply with all applicable laws and regulations. The enforcement division also includes

324-543: A Buildings Bureau and a Bureau of Inspection. A citywide Department of Buildings though did not exist until 1936. The Department has been restructured numerous times during its existence, and the present Department of Buildings dates from 1972, when the Housing and Development Administration was split into the Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development . Former Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr

405-652: A Roman traveller who sent letters from Constantinople , Persia, and India, attended a Ramadan festival in Constantinople. He describes the fireworks, floats, and great swings, then comments on riding the Great Wheel: I was delighted to find myself swept upwards and downwards at such speed. But the wheel turned round so rapidly that a Greek who was sitting near me couldn't bear it any longer, and shouted out "soni! soni!" (enough! enough!) Similar wheels also appeared in England in

486-491: A cantilever arm. The cantilever arm was supported in the middle by a tall vertical support, and the cantilever arm itself rotated around its middle pivot point. The design was similar to the earlier Aeriocycle, but the double wheel patented by Courtney allowed the cantilever arm to make a complete rotation, while the Aeriocycle was limited to a seesaw motion. Courtney continued to file additional patents on improved designs through

567-643: A firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders. The wheel rotated on a 71- ton , 45.5-foot (13.9 m) axle comprising what was at that time the world's largest hollow forging, manufactured in Pittsburgh by the Bethlehem Iron Company and weighing 89,320 pounds (40,510 kg), together with two 16-foot-diameter (4.9 m) cast-iron spiders weighing 53,031 pounds (24,054 kg). There were 36 cars, each fitted with 40 revolving chairs and able to accommodate up to 60 people, giving

648-525: A large number of these projects have stalled or failed. Incomplete, delayed, stalled, cancelled, failed, or abandoned proposals: Nippon Moon, described as a "giant observation wheel" by its designers, was reported in September 2013 to be "currently in development". At that time, its height was "currently undisclosed", but "almost twice the scale of the wheel in London". Its location, an unspecified Japanese city,

729-450: A new solar-powered lighting system in 2012, replacing a lighting system that had been broken for three decades. Even during the aftermath of 2012's Hurricane Sandy , when Deno's Amusement Park was flooded, the Wonder Wheel was only slightly damaged and reopened the next year. The Vourderis family had planned to celebrate the Wonder Wheel's centenary with a three-day celebration in May 2020, but this

810-455: A peak of approximately 80 feet (24 m). The height and popularity of the Sky Wheel was eclipsed by larger single wheels in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it has since largely disappeared from common use. As of 2018 , there are four known Sky Wheels that remain in operation. In March 1966, Thomas Glen Robinson and Ralph G. Robinson received a patent for a Planetary Amusement Ride, which

891-428: A southern approach to the wheel. The wheel itself is 150 feet (46 m) tall and weighs 200 short tons (180 long tons), and it is powered by a 40 horsepower (30 kW) motor. It has 24 fully enclosed passenger cars with a total combined capacity of 144. The cars each have an official capacity of six people, but they formerly could carry between eight and ten people. Each rotation of the wheel takes ten minutes, giving

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972-463: A time, and each car can carry 8 people. Bussink R60 wheels have operated in Australia ( Brisbane ), Canada ( Niagara Falls ), France ( Paris ), Malaysia ( Kuala Lumpur & Malacca ), México ( Puebla ), UK ( Belfast , Birmingham , Manchester , Sheffield ), US ( Atlanta , Myrtle Beach ), and elsewhere. Other notable transportable wheels include the 60-metre (197 ft) Steiger Ferris Wheel , which

1053-515: A total capacity of 2,160. The wheel carried some 38,000 passengers daily and took 20 minutes to complete two revolutions, the first involving six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter and the second a nine-minute non-stop rotation, for which the ticket holder paid 50 cents. The Exposition ended in October 1893, and the wheel closed in April 1894 and was dismantled and stored until the following year. It

1134-505: A wheel equipped with externally mounted motorised capsules. In the centreless (sometimes called hubless or spokeless) wheel design, there is no central hub and the rim of the wheel stays fixed in place. Instead, each car travels around the circumference of the rim. The first centreless wheel built was the Big O at Tokyo Dome City in Japan. Its 60-metre (197 ft) height has since been surpassed by

1215-591: Is a surviving example of 19th-century Ferris wheels. Erected in 1897 in the Wurstelprater section of Prater public park in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna , Austria , to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I 's Golden Jubilee , it has a height of 64.75 metres (212 ft) and originally had 30 passenger cars. A demolition permit for the Riesenrad was issued in 1916, but due to a lack of funds with which to carry out

1296-495: Is no height restriction for the Wonder Wheel. In 2015, a Newsday article estimated that 200,000 people ride the Wonder Wheel every year. As of 2018, over 35 million rides had been taken on the wheel since it first opened. There are separate queues for the stationary and moving cars. A ride on the Wonder Wheel costs 10 credits; the cost of each credit varies depending on how many are purchased, but generally cost $ 1 if purchased individually. Each ride consists of two rotations around

1377-526: Is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions , and over the years has featured in numerous films (including Madame Solange d`Atalide (1914), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Third Man (1949), The Living Daylights (1987), Before Sunrise (1995) and novels. Chronology of world's tallest wheels Timeline 116°45'04"E Following the huge success of the 135-metre (443 ft) London Eye since it opened in 2000, giant Ferris wheels have been proposed for many other cities; however,

1458-551: Is the department of the New York City government that enforces the city's building codes and zoning regulations , issues building permits , licenses, registers and disciplines certain construction trades, responds to structural emergencies and inspects over 1,000,000 new and existing buildings. Its regulations are compiled in title 1 of the New York City Rules . Building and construction regulations have existed in New York City since its early days as New Amsterdam in

1539-572: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch stated in 2000 that when "the cars begin to swing like a pendulum [...] you swear the entire structure is collapsing." The same year, a writer for the Central New Jersey Home News praised the views from the Wonder Wheel, saying that "a trip would not be complete without a spin on the Cyclone , a trip to the top of Deno's Wonder Wheel or a corn dog at Nathan's ." In 2015,

1620-568: The Ottoman Balkans . Among means " lesse dangerous and troublesome " was one: like a Craine wheele att Customhowse Key and turned in that Manner, whereon Children sitt on little seats hunge round about in severall parts thereof, And though it turne right upp and downe, and that the Children are sometymes on the upper part of the wheele, and sometymes on the lower, yett they alwaies sitt upright. Five years earlier, in 1615, Pietro Della Valle ,

1701-634: The "Dip-the-Dip", promising to combine in his new invention "the thrill of a scenic railway, the fun of a Ferris wheel, and the excitement of the Chute-the-Chutes". To help with the Wonder Wheel's upkeep, the Garms family lived under the Wonder Wheel during the summers. With the success of the Wonder Wheel, the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company hoped to build more "wonder wheels" on the East Coast of

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1782-422: The "Wonder Wheel" sign on the wheel's hub. Upon Deno's death in the mid-1990s, control of the wheel and the amusement park passed to Dennis Vourderis. In the 2000s, Deno's grandchildren also became involved in the operation of the wheel. Despite the redevelopment of Coney Island and the erection of the nearby Luna Park in 2010, the wheel and associated amusement park continued to operate. The Wonder Wheel received

1863-1052: The 145-metre (475.7 ft) high Bailang River Bridge Ferris Wheel on the upper deck of the Bailang River Bridge in Shandong Province , China, which opened in 2017. The first centreless wheel in North America opened in January 2019 at the indoor Méga Parc in Quebec City , Canada. The 23.5 m (77 ft) wheel at Méga Parc was designed and manufactured by Larson International. Transportable Ferris wheels are designed to be operated at multiple locations, as opposed to fixed wheels which are usually intended for permanent installation. Small transportable designs may be permanently mounted on trailers , and can be moved intact. Larger transportable wheels are designed to be repeatedly dismantled and rebuilt, some using water ballast instead of

1944-523: The 17th century, and subsequently elsewhere around the world, including India, Romania, and Siberia. A Frenchman, Antonio Manguino, introduced the idea to America in 1848, when he constructed a wooden pleasure wheel to attract visitors to his start-up fair in Walton Spring, Georgia . In 1892, William Somers installed three fifty-foot wooden wheels at Asbury Park, New Jersey ; Atlantic City, New Jersey ; and Coney Island , New York. The following year he

2025-730: The 17th century. A "Superintendent of Buildings" position was created within the Fire Department in 1860, in response to the Elm Street Fire on the Lower East Side of Manhattan , which killed 20 people. The first Buildings Department was created in Manhattan in 1892. In 1901 the New York State Legislature passed the Tenement Housing Act of 1901, which established a city Tenement Housing Department, including

2106-563: The 1950s to make them more portable, and at about the same time, the Velare brothers patented the "Space Wheel", a side-by-side double with four total Ferris wheels. The design was later sold to the Allan Herschell Company in 1959 and marketed as the "Sky Wheel"; the first sale as the Sky Wheel was to 20th Century Rides in October 1960. The Sky Wheel seated up to 32 riders in 16 two-person cars, with 8 cars per wheel, and riders reached

2187-501: The 1950s, and it recorded its ten-millionth lifetime passenger in 1952. One account from 1953 described the ride as carrying thousands of passengers, with clients coming from the South and along the East Coast. At the time, although Herman Garms still owned the ride, Fred was the manager, and there were multiple longtime employees on payroll. The New York City Department of Buildings inspected

2268-826: The Ferris or other types for the purpose of observation or amusement". Design variation includes single (cantilevered) or twin sided support for the wheel and whether the cars or capsules are oriented upright by gravity or by electric motors. The most prevalent design is the use of twin sided support and gravity-oriented capsules. "Pleasure wheels", whose passengers rode in chairs suspended from large wooden rings turned by strong men, may have originated in 17th-century Bulgaria. The Travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia, 1608–1667 describes and illustrates " severall Sorts of Swinginge used in their Publique rejoyceings att their Feast of Biram " on 17 May 1620 at Philippopolis (now Plovdiv ) in

2349-512: The LPC formally designated the ride as a landmark that year. By the early 1990s, the Wonder Wheel had offered free advertising space to the McDonald's fast-food chain, which had two franchises near the wheel. Fearing that the distinctive McDonald's logo would overshadow the Wonder Wheel itself, the LPC voted against allowing a McDonald's logo on the wheel, despite allowing Vourderis to put "Deno's" above

2430-487: The Roaring Twenties". Although the Wonder Wheel was not replicated through the late 20th century, it subsequently inspired at least two replicas. Pixar Pal-A-Round , a 150-foot-tall (46 m) eccentric Ferris wheel at Disney California Adventure , opened in 2001 and was initially known as Sun Wheel and Mickey's Fun Wheel. There was also a replica at Yokohama Dreamland in Japan. Due to its prominence on Coney Island,

2511-459: The United States by the mid-1920s. Fred Garms worked on the ride as a ticket operator during the summer in the 1920s, when he was a child. By the time Fred had graduated high school in the early 1930s, he worked on the ride year-round, maintaining it. After the ride's construction cost had been paid off, Herman Garms bought out most of the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company's stockholders, then reduced

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2592-619: The United States. The tallest Ferris wheel, the 250-metre (820 ft) Ain Dubai in the United Arab Emirates , opened in October 2021 but is no longer in operation. The current record holder since 2014 of a Ferris wheel in operation is the 167.6-metre (550 ft) High Roller in Las Vegas, Nevada , which opened to the public in March 2014. The term Ferris wheel comes from the maker of one of

2673-419: The Wonder Wheel and made it the central attraction of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park , which Denos had acquired in 1980. They spent $ 250,000 to restore the wheel. Vourderis planned to begin allowing couples to host weddings on the ride, and he also rented it out for film shoots. He had paid off the ride's cost by 1985, and a 65th-anniversary celebration for the ride was hosted the same year. Vourderis acquired

2754-560: The Wonder Wheel and the amusement park. Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is the last family-operated amusement park in Coney Island, Though several developers have made offers for the amusement park and wheel, the Vourderis family has refused to sell. The Wonder Wheel is located at 3059 West 12th Street, just north of the Riegelmann Boardwalk . Its entrance plaza is composed of a steel structure with plywood-and- corrugated metal . The hub of

2835-417: The Wonder Wheel continued to operate each summer through the 20th century. In 1983, Herman Garms's son Fred sold the ride to the Vourderis family, who restored the attraction and continue to run the wheel as of 2023. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Wonder Wheel as an official New York City landmark in 1989, and minor modifications were subsequently made to the attraction. At

2916-530: The Wonder Wheel has been depicted in numerous movies, such as The Warriors , and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins ; and television shows including Mr. Robot and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . At least one film is named after the attraction: Wonder Wheel (2017), set on Coney Island in the 1950s. The attraction is the subject of a song by Dan Zanes , "Wonder Wheel", as well as The Klezmatics ' 2006 album Wonder Wheel , which contains lyrics by onetime Coney Island resident Woody Guthrie . In addition,

2997-428: The Wonder Wheel has been the setting for many engagements and weddings throughout its history. In August 2020, historian Charles Denson published a book about the Wonder Wheel, titled Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel Park . For other quiescent (incomplete, delayed, stalled, cancelled, failed, or abandoned) proposals, see: Ferris wheel#Quiescent proposals Ferris wheel#Eccentric wheels The original Ferris Wheel

3078-419: The Wonder Wheel's cars, where the operator provided food and water for them. Off-duty security officers were also hired to prevent confrontations with the mafia . By the 1970s, the Wonder Wheel had carried more than 20 million lifetime riders. To keep up with expenses, the Wonder Wheel raised ticket prices significantly, from $ 0.50 in 1976 to $ 1.25 by 1981. Fred Garms was looking to sell the wheel by 1983, as he

3159-399: The Wonder Wheel's passenger cabins are not fixed directly to the rim of the wheel, but instead slide along winding sets of rails between the hub and the rim. Built in 1920 as one of several Ferris wheels on Coney Island, the Wonder Wheel was designed by Charles Hermann and operated by Herman J. Garms Sr. and his son Fred for six decades. Despite the subsequent economic decline of Coney Island,

3240-569: The Wonder Wheel. The Wonder Wheel has had a strong safety record. The former owner-operator of the ride, Fred Garms, told the New York Daily News in 1981 that "I put my money into maintenance. [...] My father used to say, 'The dollar you don't put in today will cost you $ 2 tomorrow.'" News outlets reported in 2000 that the Wonder Wheel had not experienced any significant incidents in its history, operating every summer season since its opening; this remained true even after Hurricane Sandy flooded

3321-502: The agency Commissioner. The First Deputy Commissioner, with jurisdiction over all Borough Office operations, is second in command to the Commissioner and is responsible for running the agency in their absence. There are five City Borough Offices of the Department handling permitting and enforcement for each part of the City, in addition to central enforcement staff. Each office is overseen by

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3402-421: The area, the Wonder Wheel continued to operate. Furthermore, it had not had any significant incidents in its history, making it a relatively well-off ride when other Coney Island attractions were closing. To discourage crime, the wheel and surrounding attractions were protected by two German Shepherds at night: one at the wheel's base and the other on an adjacent roof; during the day, the dogs rode around in one of

3483-640: The case was dismissed. The original Ferris wheel, sometimes referred to as the Chicago Wheel, was designed and constructed by Ferris Jr. and opened in 1893; however, an earlier wheel was created for the New York State fair in 1854, created by two Erie Canal workers. With a height of 80.4 metres (264 ft), it was the tallest attraction at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois , where it opened to

3564-477: The control of the operator was during the New York City blackout on July 13, 1977. The owners hand cranked the wheel around to evacuate the passengers. A Science and Invention article said the Wonder Wheel provided a "real thrill like you have probably never had before—at least not at this great height." A Billboard article from 1924 stated that the wheel's "mechanical construction attracts attention from engineers and mechanics, and its novel arrangement does

3645-475: The destruction, it survived. Following the demolition of the 96-metre (315 ft) Grande Roue de Paris in 1920, the Riesenrad became the world's tallest extant Ferris wheel. In 1944 it burnt down, but was rebuilt the following year with 15 passenger cars, and remained the world's tallest extant wheel until its 97th year, when the 85-metre (279 ft) Technocosmos was constructed for Expo '85 , at Tsukuba, Ibaraki , Japan . Still in operation today, it

3726-467: The first examples constructed for Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. in 1893. Modern versions have been called observation wheels . In 1892, when the incorporation papers for the Ferris Wheel Company (constructors of the original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel) were filed, the purpose of the company was stated as: [construction and operation of] "wheels of

3807-573: The land for $ 150,000 in 1987, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) first considered designating the ride as a city landmark in July of that year. Although Vourderis initially supported the designation when it was proposed, Newsday said he became "angry at the city" after learning that the designation would force him to ask the city for permission to repair the ride. Following public hearings in May 1989,

3888-875: The lineup at Magic Mountain when the park opened in 1971, and was removed in 1980 when Six Flags took over ownership of both parks. Swiss broker Intamin marketed a similar series of double wheels manufactured by Waagner-Biro , comprising a vertical column supporting a straight cantilever arm, with each end of the cantilever arm ending in a spoked Ferris wheel. The first Intamin produced was Giant Wheel at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania , which operated from 1973 to 2004. Other double wheels made by Waagner-Biro/Intamin include Zodiac ( Kings Island , Mason, Ohio ; 1975–86; moved to Wonderland Sydney and operated 1989–2004), Scorpion ( Parque de la Ciudad , Buenos Aires , Argentina; 1982–2003), and Double Wheel ( Kuwait Entertainment City , Kuwait City , Kuwait; 1984–91). A triple variant

3969-409: The only maintenance instructions given to the Vourderis family were the words "Good Luck" scribbled on a cardboard cigarette box. The ride cost Vourderis $ 250,000. He stated that part of the wheel's allure had come from when he had proposed to his future wife Lula atop the wheel 36 years prior to the purchase: he had promised to give the wheel to his wife as a future gift. The Vourderis family restored

4050-516: The other two-thirds rolled on tracks within the wheel itself. The Wonder Wheel was designed by Charles Hermann as an improvement on G.W.G. Ferris's giant wheel , and it was built for Herman J. Garms Sr. between 1918 and 1920 by the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company. Coney Island landowner William J. Ward provided the land for the Wonder Wheel's construction. Garms, who had no formal financial experience, sold stock to family, other Coney Island business holders, and steelworkers. Hermann sold all his shares in

4131-557: The permanent foundations of their fixed counterparts. Fixed wheels are also sometimes dismantled and relocated. Larger examples include the original Ferris Wheel , which operated at two sites in Chicago, Illinois , and a third in St. Louis, Missouri ; Technocosmos /Technostar, which moved to Expoland , Osaka , after Expo '85 , Tsukuba, Ibaraki , for which it was built, ended; and Cosmo Clock 21 , which added 5 metres (16 ft) onto its original 107.5-metre (353 ft) height when erected for

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4212-461: The public on June 21, 1893. It was intended to rival the 324-metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower , the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition . Ferris was a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , bridge-builder. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh,

4293-529: The ride a total hourly capacity of 864. Sixteen of the cars slide inward on snaking tracks, falling outward as the wheel rotates. The remaining eight cars are fixed to the rim, giving a traditional Ferris wheel experience to passengers. Originally, the Wonder Wheel was located on two large concrete footers above a 15-foot (4.6 m) pool of water. The concrete footers are pyramids measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) wide, tapering in length from 60 feet (18 m) at their bottoms to 6 feet (1.8 m) at their tops. There

4374-411: The rim and independently rotated by electric motors, as opposed to wheels with cars suspended from the rim and kept upright by gravity, are uncommon. Typically they are called 'Observation wheels' but there is no standardised terminology. Only a few Ferris wheels with motorised capsules have been built. Official conceptual renderings of the proposed 190.5 m (625 ft) New York Wheel also show

4455-417: The same for the amusement seeker. The only criticism is that it is very slow in making its revolutions..." The Los Angeles Times , describing the ride's design in 1975, called it a "fabulous construction of metal struts, gears, cables and cages". Another critic wrote that the ride "turns slowly, almost sedately, its enclosed cars swaying" in contrast to the "pandemonium" of the surrounding area. A writer for

4536-471: The same time, the other wheels remained raised and continued to rotate in a near-vertical plane at considerable height. The lowered horizontal wheel was brought to a standstill for simultaneous loading and unloading of all its passenger cars. The Sky Whirl was also known as a triple Ferris wheel, Triple Giant Wheel, or Triple Tree Wheel; it was 33 metres (108 ft) in height. The Sky Whirl in Santa Clara

4617-746: The second time at Minato Mirai 21 , Yokohama , in 1999. The world's tallest transportable wheel today is the 78-metre (256 ft) Bussink Design R80XL . One of the most famous transportable wheels is the 60-metre (197 ft) Roue de Paris , originally installed on the Place de la Concorde in Paris for the 2000 millennium celebrations. Roue de Paris left France in 2002 and in 2003–04 operated in Birmingham and Manchester , England . In 2005 it visited first Geleen then Amsterdam , Netherlands , before returning to England to operate at Gateshead . In 2006 it

4698-403: The sixteen motion-capable cars are painted red-and-yellow or blue-and-yellow. At West 12th Street is a neon sign weighing 700 pounds (320 kg), overhangs the sidewalk by 7.5 feet (2.3 m), and is raised 10 feet (3.0 m) above the sidewalk; the sign contains letters spelling " wonder wheel " and arrows pointing to the actual wheel. Yet another Wonder Wheel sign with arrows is located on

4779-520: The size of the corporation to a small number of people. The Wonder Wheel was damaged in a 1933 fire that also burned down several attractions nearby. The wheel was also known as the "Eccentric Ferris Wheel" before being renamed the Wonder Wheel by 1940. During World War II, the lights on the Wonder Wheel were turned off due to a blackout order affecting Coney Island. The ride set an all-time daily ridership record on July 4, 1947, when it carried 14,506 passengers. The Wonder Wheel continued to operate through

4860-556: The spider on the other end of the cantilever would continue to rotate in a near-vertical plane. Robinson sold two of these rides – Astrowheel, which operated at the former Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston , Texas, and Galaxy , which operated at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California . Both were manufactured by Astron International Corporation. Astrowheel was part of the original lineup of rides when Astroworld opened in 1968; it

4941-422: The surrounding amusement park in 2012. The wheel was also designed with an emergency hand crank in case of power outages. The ride's first owner-operator, Herman Garms, overhauled and painted the ride each year, to protect it from the harsh weather associated with New York winters. The tradition of winter maintenance continued with the Wonder Wheel's subsequent owners. The only time the wheel stopped while not under

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5022-412: The three ends of the supporting arm. The supporting arm would in turn rotate around its central hub as a single unit about the top of the supporting column. The axis about which the supporting arm turned was offset from vertical (i.e., the plane of rotation was not horizontal), so that as the supporting arm rotated, each wheel was raised and lowered. When lowered, one wheel was horizontal at ground level. At

5103-445: The time of the Wonder Wheel's construction, Coney Island was one of the largest amusement areas in the United States. The first Ferris wheel in Coney Island was built for nearby Steeplechase Park in 1894 and was erroneously billed as "the world's largest". Several variations of the Ferris wheel were erected in the neighborhood in the 1900s and 1910s. The Wonder Wheel was unusual in that only one-third of its 24 cars were stationary, while

5184-431: The wheel each year, as each amusement ride in Coney Island could operate only with a license that expired every March, and the licenses could not be renewed without a building inspection. By the 1960s, Fred Garms had taken over operation of the Wonder Wheel. Coney Island started to decline during the mid-20th century, and by 1964, it had seen its lowest number of visitors in 25 years. Despite subsequent attempts to redevelop

5265-561: The wheel to raise money for construction and operation. Alfred (Fred) Garms, Herman Garms's son, recalled that his father employed anyone who was willing to help erect the ride, teaching them how to construct the wheel. After the local ironworkers' union heard about the project, they attempted to force the workers to join the union. The elder Garms named all of the workers as stockholders of the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company, preventing them from being forced to unionize. The wheel first opened on Memorial Day in 1920. Hermann originally called it

5346-441: The wheel, supported by two blue-painted legs shaped like the letter "A", contains an illuminated sign with orange letters spelling " wonder wheel " in all capital letters. There are sixteen spokes extending from the hub, each connected at their outer ends by a hexadecagonal frame and braced by green beams, each connected through rivets and gusset plates . The eight stationary cars on the hexadecagonal frame are painted white while

5427-422: Was "currently under wraps", and its funding had "yet to be entirely secured". Commissioned by Ferris Wheel Investment Co., Ltd., and designed by UNStudio in collaboration with Arup, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Experientia, it was expected to have 32 individually themed capsules and take 40 minutes to rotate once. The Shanghai Star, initially planned as a 200-metre (656 ft) tall wheel to be built by 2005,

5508-535: Was Buildings Commissioner prior to becoming Manhattan Borough President. The Department of Buildings is overseen by a Commissioner, appointed by the Mayor, and is responsible for ensuring the agency meets the development and safety objectives determined by each current administration. The appointed commissioner is James Oddo , since April 27, 2023. The Department includes both development and enforcement units, overseen by numerous Deputy Commissioners that report directly to

5589-451: Was a distinct double wheel design. In the Robinsons' patent, the cantilever arm was bent at a slightly obtuse angle, and the cars were carried on a spoked "spider" rotating structure at each end of the cantilever. With the obtuse-angle cantilever, one spider could be lowered to the ground in a horizontal plane so that all the cars on that spider could be unloaded and loaded simultaneously, while

5670-580: Was considered for Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure , and a 150-metre (492 ft) wheel proposed for location near Sparrow Hills . Another giant wheel planned for Prospekt Vernadskogo for 2002 was also never built. At some malls and amusement parks indoor Ferris wheels were realized. The largest of its kind has a diameter of 47.6 metres (156 ft) and is situated in the 95 metres (312 ft) high Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center in Ashgabat . Wheels with passenger cars mounted external to

5751-485: Was custom designed for the Marriott Corporation and debuted at both Marriott's Great America parks (now Six Flags Great America , Gurnee, Illinois , and California's Great America , Santa Clara ) in 1976 as Sky Whirl . Each ride had three main components: the three spiders/wheels with their passenger cars; the triple-spoked supporting arm; and the single central supporting column. Each wheel rotated about one of

5832-462: Was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago ; although much smaller wooden wheels of similar idea predate Ferris's wheel, dating perhaps to the 1500s. The generic term "Ferris wheel", now used in American English for all such structures, has become the most common type of amusement ride at state fairs in

5913-683: Was erected at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok , Thailand , and by 2008 had made its way to Antwerp , Belgium . Roue de Paris is a Ronald Bussink series R60 design using 40,000 litres (8,800 imperial gallons; 11,000 US gallons) of water ballast to provide a stable base. The R60 weighs 365 tonnes (402 short tons), and can be erected in 72 hours and dismantled in 60 hours by a specialist team. Transport requires seven 20-foot container lorries, ten open trailer lorries, and one closed trailer lorry. Its 42-passenger cars can be loaded either 3 or 6 at

5994-584: Was filmed for a memorable rescue scene in Beverly Hills Cop III (renamed to "The Spider" for the film). The Santa Clara ride, renamed Triple Wheel in post-Marriott years, closed on September 1, 1997. The Gurnee ride closed in 2000. Two triple wheels were built for Asian clients: Tree Triple Wheel at Seibu-en ( Tokorozawa, Saitama , Japan; 1985–2004) and Hydra at Lotte World ( Seoul , South Korea; 1989–97). New York City Department of Buildings The New York City Department of Buildings ( DOB )

6075-494: Was getting older and unable to manage the wheel. Denos D. Vourderis had long been interested in buying the wheel from Garms. Vourderis was in a hospital recovering from a stabbing attack when Garms approached Deno's son Dennis on the possibility of purchasing the ride. On June 7, 1983, Vourderis bought the Wonder Wheel from Garms and his cousin Walter Kerner Sr., and it became "Deno's Wonder Wheel". The New York Times wrote that

6156-515: Was granted the first U.S. patent for a "Roundabout". George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. rode on Somers' wheel in Atlantic City prior to designing his wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition . In 1893 Somers filed a lawsuit against Ferris for patent infringement; however, Ferris and his lawyers successfully argued that the Ferris Wheel and its technology differed greatly from Somers' wheel, and

6237-577: Was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City , which shuttered all businesses deemed non-essential. The 2020 season was the first in which the Wonder Wheel did not operate at all; the Wonder Wheel ultimately reopened in April 2021. The centennial celebration was rescheduled for after the 2021 reopening. As of 2024, the Wonder Wheel is the oldest continuous operating ride at Coney Island, and Dennis Vourderis and his brother Steve continue to operate

6318-454: Was removed in 1981 to make way for the Warp 10 ride. Astrowheel had an eight-spoked spider at the end of each arm, and each tip had a separate car for eight cars in total on each end. In contrast, Galaxy had double the capacity with a four-spoked spider at the end of each arm; each tip bore an independent four-spoked sub-spider for sixteen cars in total on each end. Like Astrowheel, Galaxy was part of

6399-640: Was revised to 170 metres (558 ft), with a completion date set in 2007, but then cancelled in 2006 due to "political incorrectness". An earlier proposal for a 250-metre (820 ft) structure, the Shanghai Kiss, with capsules ascending and descending a pair of towers which met at their peaks instead of a wheel, was deemed too expensive at £100m. Rus-3000, a 170-metre (558 ft) wheel planned to open in 2004 in Moscow , has since been reported cancelled. Subsequently, an approximately 180-metre (591 ft) wheel

6480-574: Was the world's tallest transportable wheel when it began operating in 1980. It has 42 passenger cars, and weighs 450 tons. On October 11, 2010, it collapsed at the Kramermarkt in Oldenburg , Germany , during deconstruction. A double Ferris wheel designed to include a horizontal turntable was patented in 1939 by John F. Courtney, working for Velare & Courtney. In Courtney's design, there were two independent Ferris wheels, each rotating at either end of

6561-523: Was then rebuilt on Chicago's North Side, near the high-income enclave of Lincoln Park . William D. Boyce , then a local resident, filed a Circuit Court action against the owners of the wheel to have it removed, but without success. It operated there from October 1895 until 1903, when it was again dismantled, then transported by rail to St. Louis for the 1904 World's Fair and finally destroyed by controlled demolition using dynamite on May 11, 1906. The Wiener Riesenrad ( German for "Viennese Giant Wheel")

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