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These
photos hint at the scope of the main floor of the Playland
funhouse in 1938. Most available corners and contours
seem to have been appointed with visual and physical
stimuli, yet with its polished wood floors and latticed
roof trusses, this was a funhouse that sported the elegance
of a vintage ballroom. A 1928 map of the park labels
the building as a dance hall, which may have been its
originally intended use.
The
upper galleries appear to offer more avenues of exploraton
as well as serving as a safe haven from which to observe
the tumultuous activity below. Baker's grand slide and
its adjacent staircases form a colossal wave as the
structure gracefully swoops down from the vaulted ceiling
to its landing pad at ground level.
Standard fixtures of the day, such as the human roulette
wheel and the ubiquitous distorted mirrors are plainly
evident. The respectably-dressed patrons, largely adolescents
and adults, are seen venturing through what appears
to be an ornately festooned European village, traversing
bridges, pathways and mischievous obstacles.
The funhouse and Magic Carpet were situated next to
each other. Both were destroyed by fire in 1966.
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