Form: Gates
Age: 20th century
Size: H. 90 x W. 96 x D. 1"
Weight: 30 pounds
Materials: Iron
Provenance: Rye, NY
Description: Bent and welded iron gates from the famed amusement park, Rye Playland. After hurricane Sandy there was substantial damage to the park and items such as these gates were replaced.
Condition: Missing three small parts, two at the base and one other, each about 3" x .25". Meta: Folk Art
History: Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York. Run by Westchester County, it is one of the only government owned-and-operated amusement parks in the United States.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Playland's waterfront area of Westchester County, New York along the Long Island Sound was the site of a growing collection of recreational developments, including hotels, resorts, and "amusement areas". Local residents concerned about what a County report described as "unsavory crowds" induced the Westchester County Park Association to purchase two existing theme parks, Rye Beach and Paradise Park, and planned a local-government-sponsored amusement park in their stead.Frank Darling, a veteran park manager with experience at Coney Island and the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, was hired to design and run the new park, called Playland. Construction commenced in September 1927 and was completed in six months. A design firm was commissioned to decorate the entire park in the Art Deco style.The park began operation on May 26, 1928. The original design included a boardwalk, ice-skating rinks, a swimming pool, and two beaches, as well as amusement park rides, some of which are still in use.
In August 2010, Westchester County, the owner and operator of Playland announced they would be sending out RFPs (requests for proposals) in order to solicit ideas for the possible redevelopment of Playland, in an effort save the county money. Playland has been costing the county of Westchester anywhere between $3 million and $5 million annually to operate for the last decade. The county is trying to determine the best use for the land, whether that means it should remain an amusement park or become a more passive park. Westchester County has affirmed its commitment to keeping the Playland site public park land and there will be "no condos" at Playland according to county executive Rob Astorino. In recent years the park's attendance has dipped due the recession, poor weather and the park now charging an admission fee. Any redevelopment of the park would require a majority vote from the county's board of legislators as well as state officials.[8] On February 2, 2011, PlaylandWatch submitted the first proposal in response to the Westchester County RFP.