Thunderbolt (1925 roller coaster)
Thunderbolt | |
---|---|
Coney Island | |
Location | Coney Island |
Coordinates | 40°34′26″N 73°58′57″W / 40.57389°N 73.98250°W |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | 1925 |
Closing date | 1982 |
General statistics | |
Type | Wood |
Designer | John A. Miller |
Height | 86 ft (26 m) |
Duration | 1:17 |
Thunderbolt at RCDB |
The Thunderbolt was a wooden roller coaster located at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by John Miller,[1] it operated from 1925 until 1982 and remained standing until it was demolished in 2000.[2][3]
In June 2013, it was announced that a new steel roller coaster would be constructed on Coney Island named the Thunderbolt.[4] The steel coaster opened in 2014 and uses a completely different design.[5]
In popular culture
It was featured briefly in Woody Allen's 1977 film Annie Hall as the boyhood home of Alvy Singer (Allen's character).[2] The house was a real residence, built in 1895 as the Kensington Hotel. The roller coaster was constructed with part of its track scaling the top of the building.[6][7]
The indie rock/slowcore band Red House Painters 1993 album, Red House Painters (Rollercoaster) features a sepia toned photograph of the Thunderbolt as its cover art. The last film to photograph the Thunderbolt was Requiem for a Dream.
In the 1998 movie He Got Game, Spike Lee features the coaster in its dilapidated state.
References
- ^ Rutherford, Scott (2000) The American Roller Coaster, MBI Publishing Company, Wisconsin. ISBN 0760306893.
- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Thunderbolt (Coney Island - George Moran)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ^ "End of the line". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. Associated Press. November 19, 2000. p. 10A.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Thunderbolt (Luna Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ^ Brown, Stephen R. (June 14, 2014). "Coney Island's new Thunderbolt roller coaster officially opens". NY Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
- ^ "The House under the Roller Coaster by Steve Zeitlin". www.nyfolklore.org. Archived from the original on April 26, 2002.
- ^ Donnelly, Tim (July 28, 2013). "Life Under the Thunderbolt". New York Post. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- Removed roller coasters
- Roller coasters introduced in 1925
- Roller coasters that closed in 1982
- Wooden roller coasters
- Coney Island
- Former roller coasters in New York (state)
- 1925 establishments in New York (state)
- 1982 disestablishments in New York (state)
- Demolished buildings and structures in Brooklyn
- Amusement ride stubs
- Brooklyn building and structure stubs