The Parachute Jump in Coney Island-Brooklyn, NY
Since I named the publishing company for my book legacy project, ‘Parachute Jump Publishing’ I thought you might want to learn a little about the Parachute Jump in Coney Island. It’s dubbed ‘the Brooklyn Eiffel Tower’ and it’s a 262 foot structure.
The Parachute Jump was originally built for the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens and it was moved to Coney Island in 1941. It stopped operating as a ride in 1968. Riders used to be hoisted up by a cable system and dropped in a parachute for less than 20 seconds.
One couple got married on this ride. On August 25, 1940 was the wedding of Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward. The wedding party and band looked on from other parachutes. The couple wed, kissed and parachuted down as husband and wife!
The Parachute Jump has been seen in many feature films, starting with Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 1941 (set in the World’s Fair). It also was featured heavily in the Oscar-nominated Little Fugitive(1953). Much later it appeared in 2000’s Requiem for a Dream, 2002’s Two Weeks Notice and the 1998 Spike Lee movie He Got Game. It can also be seen on the back of Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual album.
Recently, the Parachute Jump got a 2 million dollar upgrade with 8000 LED lights and it’s reportedly so bright that it can be seen from outer space!
It is very beautiful when lit up in all its colors and now they even installed speakers so it plays music and people can dance. To me, the Parachute Jump represents the magic of Coney Island-both its history and its growth.