{"nrhp_refnum":"80002645","name":"Parachute Jump","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Coney Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Brooklyn","state":"NY","lat":40.57273083800004,"lon":-73.98464275399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 250-foot steel amusement tower at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, along the Riegelmann Boardwalk. Built for the 1939 New York World's Fair, it was dismantled and reassembled in Steeplechase Park in 1941.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as both an engineering achievement and a visually striking structure, and as the only known surviving example of its type. It also recalls Steeplechase Park, the largest and most popular of the Coney Island amusement areas. It is one of very few structures surviving from the 1939 World's Fair and has long served as a visual landmark.","narrative":"Rising 250 feet above the Coney Island boardwalk in Brooklyn, the Parachute Jump is a steel tower with twelve radiating arms, each serving as a drop point for a parachute seat. It was built for the 1939 New York World's Fair, then moved in 1941 to Steeplechase Park, founded by George C. Tilyou and run by his family. The tower flares at the base for stability, and counterbalanced cantilever trusses at the top are tied together by an inner ring and light peripheral trusswork. The nomination values it as an example of form following function, and as the only known structure of its type still standing. It was a popular attraction during World War II and later served as a landmark for aircraft and ships. Steeplechase Park closed in 1964 and its buildings and rides were demolished, but the tower remained. The structure is deteriorated and no longer operates, though it is regarded as largely intact.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Michael Marlo & Edwin W. Kleinert (Coney Island); text also gives architect Michael Mario and engineer Edwin W. Kleinert","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as deteriorated but intact and still standing; the ride is inoperative and Steeplechase Park closed in 1964. A state survey form lists present use as vacant.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:43.320607-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002645.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002645/4ca7802468-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002645/4ca7802468-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Rhododendrites","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parachute_Jump_on_Coney_Island.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhododendrites</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parachute_Jump_on_Coney_Island.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318473","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_Jump","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3651640"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/brooklyn/parachute-jump-80002645/"}