Riverview Park (Chicago)
Former amusement park in Chicago, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Riverview Park was an amusement park in Chicago, Illinois which operated from 1904 to 1967. It was located on 74 acres (30 hectares) of land[2] in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago's North Center community area.[3]
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Main entrance to Riverview Park | |
 Interactive map of Riverview Park | |
| Location | 3300 North Western Avenue, Chicago, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°56′33″N 87°41′28″W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | July 2, 1904 |
| Closed | October 3, 1967 |
| Slogan |
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| [1] | |
History
Riverview Park was established in 1904 by William Schmidt, on the grounds of his private skeet shooting range.[4] The Schmidt family owned and operated the park for its entire lifetime.
Bill Haywood, leader of Industrial Workers of the World, once spoke at the park to a crowd of almost 80,000 people.[5]
Enduring racially motivated myths described the park's "seedy" atmosphere in the 1950s and 1960s as it became more integrated between races.[6] Contemporaneous articles in black publications such as The Chicago Defender described black patrons being subject to latent and overt racism. The most overt was a longstanding dunk tank attraction officially named "African Dip" and later shortened to "Dip", but often referred to by patrons as "Dunk the Nigger". In the 1950s, the NAACP and Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko successfully lobbied to shut it down.[6]
According to Victoria Wolcott, author of the 2012 book Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters:
“You see this thing a lot, when African Americans begin going in large numbers [to amusement parks], the parks are increasingly associated with danger and criminality...”[6]
Riverview Park closed in 1967. A Chicago Tribune article from late 1967 blamed violence for the park's closure, though Wolcott said there was little evidence to support this.[6] White flight contributed to Riverview Park's financial decline. The Schmidt family sold the park's land to developers at a cost of over $6.8 million ($65,659,000 in 2025).[6]
The grounds eventually became home to the Riverview Plaza shopping center, the Chicago Police Area 3 Detective Division,[7] DePaul College Prep,[8] dental equipment manufacturer Hu-Friedy Manufacturing, and Richard Clark Park of the Chicago Park District.
Many items from Riverview Park, as well as paintings of the park, were displayed at the Riverview Tavern from 2005 to 2018.[9] The park's carousel, the only ride from the park to be relocated elsewhere, continues to operate at Six Flags Over Georgia today.[10]
Rides and attractions
| Name | Year opened | Year closed | Manufacturer and type | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Coaster | 1908 | 1910 | Aerial Tramway Construction Company, Steel suspended roller coaster | Formerly known as Pottsdam Railway | |
| Aladdin's Castle | Unknown | 1967 | Funhouse | ||
| Big Dipper | 1920 | 1967 | Harry C. Baker and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster |  |
Formerly known as Zephyr and Comet |
| Blue Streak | 1911 | 1923 | Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden side friction roller coaster | May have also been known as Speedoplane | |
| Bobs | 1924 | 1967 | Frank Prior and Frederick Church, Wooden roller coaster | .jpg) |
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| Boomerang | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Bump 'Em | Unknown | Unknown | Bumper cars | ||
| Calypso | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Cannon Ball | 1919 | 1925 | Fred W. Pearce, Benjamin E. Winslow, and John A. Miller; Wooden roller coaster | ||
| Carousel | 1908 | 1967 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Carousel |  |
Featured 70 horses and was one of only three five-abreast carousels known to exist. In 1967, it was purchased by and moved to Six Flags Over Georgia, where it was renamed Riverview Carousel. |
| Derby Racer | 1910 | 1931 | Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden dual-tracked side friction roller coaster | ||
| Expo Whirl | 1910 | Unknown | |||
| Ferris Wheel | Unknown | Unknown | Ferris wheel | ||
| Fireball | 1923 | 1967 | Belmont Construction Company, Wooden roller coaster | Originally opened as Skyrocket in 1923. Renamed to Blue Streak in 1936. Majorly rebuilt and renovated into Fireball in 1959. | |
| Flying Cars | 1954 | 1966 | Car ride | ||
| Flying Scooter | Unknown | Unknown | Bisch-Rocco, Flying Scooters | ||
| Flying Turns | 1935 | 1967 | John Norman Bartlett and John A. Miller, Wooden bobsled roller coaster |  |
Originally operated at the 1933 and 1934 World's Fairs |
| Freak show | 1950s | Unknown | Live show | A show that featured Betty Lou Williams (a four-legged woman) and magician Marshall Brodien | |
| Gee Wiz | 1912 | 1963 | John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster | Formerly known as Greyhound | |
| Hades | Unknown | Unknown | Funhouse | ||
| Hell Gate | Unknown | Unknown | Funhouse | ||
| Hot Rods | 1955 | 1967 | Race track |  |
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| Jack Rabbit | 1914 | 1932 | Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster | ||
| Jetstream | 1964 | 1967 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and John C. Allen, Wooden roller coaster | ||
| Kiddie Bobs | 1926 | 1934 | Frank Prior and Frederick Church, Wooden children's roller coaster | ||
| Krazy Ribbon | 1923 | Somewhere between 1943 and 1952 | Wooden spinning (Virginia Reel) roller coaster | Formerly known as Virginia Reel from 1923 to 1932 | |
| Metrodome | 1911 | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Miniature steam engine train | Unknown | Unknown | Rideable miniature railway |  |
Coal-fired engine |
| Pair-O-Chutes | 1937 | 1967 | Free-fall parachute ride |  |
Formerly known as Eye-Full |
| Paratrooper | 1960 | Unknown | Paratrooper | ||
| Pikes Peak Scenic Railway | 1907 | 1911 | "Barry", LaMarcus Adna Thompson, John A. Miller; Wooden roller coaster | ||
| Pippin | 1921 | 1967 | Harry C. Baker and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster |  |
Formerly known as Flash and Silver Flash |
| Racetrack | 1907 | Unknown | Race track | ||
| Rotor | 1952 | 1967 | Orton & Spooner,[11] Rotor | ||
| Royal George Scenic Railway | 1908 | 1920 | "Barry" and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster | ||
| Shoot the Chutes | Unknown | 1967 | Shoot the chutes |  |
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| Space Ride | 1963 | 1967 | Sky ride | ||
| Strat-O-Stat | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Tickler | 1910 | Unknown | Tickler | ||
| Tilt-A-Whirl | Unknown | Unknown | Sellner Manufacturing, Tilt-A-Whirl | ||
| Top | 1917 | Unknown | Spiral Wheel Operating Corporation, Wooden Circular Gravity Railway roller coaster | ||
| Tunnel of Love | Unknown | 1967 | Old Mill |  |
Formerly known as Thousand Islands and Mill on the Floss. Renamed to Tunnel of Love in 1950. |
| Velvet Coaster | 1909 | 1919 | Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster | ||
| White Flyer | 1904 | 1920s | LaMarcus Adna Thompson, Wooden roller coaster | ||
| Wild Mouse | 1958 | 1967 | B. A. Schiff & Associates,[12] Steel wild mouse roller coaster | ||
| Witching Waves | 1910 | Unknown | Unknown |
In popular culture
- A line in The Beach Boys' song "Amusement Parks U.S.A." from their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) referenced the park by name and mentioned its Pair-O-Chutes ride.
- Bally Manufacturing and WNS Industries' headquarters and primary manufacturing facilities were just west of Riverview Park. Fireball, Bally Manufacturing's 1972 pinball machine, was named after Riverview Park's Fireball roller coaster. Their Aladdin's Castle amusement arcade division was named to honor the Aladdin's Castle funhouse. The Aladdin's Castle pinball machine was similarly inspired.
- The park appears in the 1977 novel The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice Cream God by John R. Powers.
- WMS Industries' 1985 pinball game Comet was named after another coaster at the park, and Screamo (1959) featured various rides from the park.[13] WMS Industries' 1990 amusement park-themed pinball machine FunHouse was also inspired by Riverview Park. The Riverview Carousel is depicted on the machine's backglass.[14]
