Early History

Coney Island was the largest amusement area in the United States from about 1880 to World War II, attracting several million visitors per year. At its height, it contained three amusement parks (Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park) and many independent amusements. The Cyclone site was occupied by the Giant Racer from 1911 to 1926. The success of 1925's Thunderbolt coaster and 1926's Tornado led Irving and Jack Rosenthal to buy land at the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street for a coaster of their own. With a $100,000 investment, they hired leading coaster designer Vernon Keenan to design a new ride. Harry C. Baker supervised the construction, which was done by area companies including the National Bridge Company (which supplied the steel) and Cross, Austin, & Ireland (which supplied the lumber). Its final cost was reportedly $146,000 to $175,000. When the Cyclone opened on June 26, 1927, a ride cost 25 cents (equivalent to $3.61 in 2018); the present-day ticket price is $10. In 1935, the Rosenthals took over the management of New Jersey's Palisades Park. The Cyclone was placed under the supervision of Christopher Feucht, a Coney Island entrepreneur who had built a ride called Drop the Dip in 1907 and performed minor retracking work on the coaster.The ride's first drop was reduced by 5 feet (1.5 m) in 1939, and it continued to be extremely popular.A midget would originally zap disembarking riders with an electric paddle, a practice which ended during the 1950s.

Decline

By the 1960s, attendance at Coney Island had declined. Increased crime, insufficient parking, poor weather, and the post-World War II automotive boom were all cited as contributing factors in the decline.Coney Island's last remaining large theme park, Steeplechase Park, was closed in 1964 and subsequently demolished. ] The Cyclone was sold to the (NYC Parks) in 1965. A new building housing the New York Aquarium had been constructed west of the Cyclone in 1954. New York City decided that an extension to the New York Aquarium would be a better use of the Cyclone property in 1967, and the city began procedures to claim the property by eminent domain. Its owners, East Coaster Corporation, unsuccessfully fought the city; they did minimal long-term maintenance, enough to keep the ride operating safely. The city bought the Cyclone for $1.2 million in 1969. The Cyclone was then operated under contract by East Coaster Corporation while the city worked with the New York Aquarium on plans to redevelop the site. There was a lack of long-term maintenance by the city, and the coaster soon received 101 safety violations. In 1972, when plans to expand the aquarium were announced, a "Save the Cyclone" campaign began to oppose the proposed demolition of Coney Island's last wooden roller coaster. This created a conflict between the aquarium (which supported the Cyclone's demolition) and the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce, which opposed it. The owners of the AstroWorld theme park in Houston were considering buying the Coney Island Cyclone and moving it to Houston. This was eventually rejected as being too expensive, however, and AstroWorld's owners instead built the Texas Cyclone (a replica of the Coney Island Cyclone). By 1974, city officials doubted their decision to purchase the Cyclone and considered leasing the coaster to a private operator. The proposed demolition of the Cyclone was seen as potentially disastrous to Coney Island's economy. The city changed its plans to dismantle the coaster and, in April 1975, invited sealed bids to lease operation of the ride. The owners of the Astroland amusement park won the lease, with a bid of $57,000 per year. After Astroland spent $60,000 to refurbish the Cyclone, the coaster reopened on July 3, 1975.

Current Use

The ride covers 75 feet (23 m) at 834 Surf Avenue and 500 feet (150 m) on West 10th Street, which is owned by NYC Parks. The former concession stands (built into the coaster's structure) were home to the Coney Island History Project, which was moved to a space near the Wonder Wheel. A souvenir stand selling Cyclone-based shirts, hats, and on-ride photos remains. Each ride in Luna Park charges a number of credits for admission, with each credit typically costing $1. As of July 2019, each ride on the Cyclone costs 10 credits ($10); free (or reduced-price) re-rides have been eliminated. Ride admission is also included in Luna Park's fixed-date and any-date passes. "Bonus credits" accumulated by the purchase of ride credits cannot be used for the coaster. The Cyclone is considered an "irreplaceable" structure, since timber-supported coasters can no longer be built under modern New York City building codes.