by Paul R. Spitzzeri
Previous posts here have shared some history of the long-running amusement park that operated as Washington Gardens for the last quarter of the 19th century and then, as the 20th century dawned found new life for its first decade as Chutes Park before becoming Luna Park for several years in the Teens until its closure.
The original 35-acre property was bounded by Main Street on the east, Grand Avenue to the west, Washington Boulevard on the north and 21st Street to the south, but some of its was sold and subdivided, leaving about 14 acres for Chutes Park, when it debuted. The 25 August 1900 edition of the Los Angeles Times announced that “Los Angeles To Have New Pleasure Park” as a subheading for the main headline of “Shooting the Chutes,” this referring to a core attraction modeled after many such rides in America and Europe.
Observing that “the familiar site of Washington Gardens is about to be reborn,” the paper went into a lengthy prelude about that predecessor park, calling it “an insignificant and unfrequented resort in the days when Los Angeles was a sleep village” and recalling for readers that the grounds comprised a “neglected wilderness” for “anybody who lived here in the 80s,” when a great boom peaking during William H. Workman’s mayoral administration went bust.
The Times continued that time was when riders on the former Agricultural [Exposition] Park streetcar observed “standing inertly under some dejected looking fruit trees . . . a weather-beaten semi-roadhouse” where passengers could get a beer as horses were changed for the return trip north of Main to the Plaza and, perhaps, feed an orange to an ostrich at a predecessor of sorts to Cawston’s, the South Pasadena farm of no small fame.
The piece went on, “the birds, the beer, and perhaps a cage of monkeys . . . were all the attractions Washington Gardens of old had to offer,” but the revamping of the site meant “a thoroughly alive, up-to-date pleasure park with every alluring facility known to a modern, progressive city placed within easy reach of its residents and guests.” The paper remarked that,
In its renaissance, however, the place is to be provided with a “chutes to be shot,” a ground for field sports—baseball and football—a modern theater, a zoological building, a Japanese village and tea garden, bowling alleys, a shooting gallery, a children’s playground with pony and goat carts, a merry-go-round, and a well-equipped and appointed restaurant. Joys galore, and all in the same enclosure.
The commentary added that it was long wondered why the Angel City lacked such a venue “with variegated assortment of amusements that always go with that popular diversion to form a clean, wholesome, alluring out-of-door entertainment to the masses as well as the classes.” With an outdoor equivalent to a family-friendly vaudeville theater, the idea was to have “a counter-irritant to the saloon and other demoralizing influences that afford diversion to the body politic in its frivolous moments.”
It was in December 1899 that the Los Angeles County Improvement Company was organized to lease the property and build the park and it was reported that “water, lighting and power rights have since been secured, and contracts closed for the theater, baseball, zoological and all other concessions.” With the stadium, it was anticipated that a baseball league was to be formed, while football could also be accommodated for contests viewed by up to 10,000 spectators.
The theater was projected to seat 4,000 and run a “continuous performance” comprised of “variety sketches like those of eastern vaudeville houses,” while the Japanese village and garden were to be like those at a recent fair in San Francisco. For children, there was to be “a playground with swings, etc., with a roller coaster, merry-go-round, a miniature steam railroad, and pony and goat carts.”
Lastly, the Times concluded,
By no means the least factor of interest to the general public—the children of all ages and both sexes—is the “chutes” . . . “Shooting the Chutes” has jumped, in the last few years, into popularity and permanent favor. The Los Angeles equipment has been imported in sections direct from Boston, with a chief engineer of construction in charge. It is now in process of erection on the grounds. From a height of about 75 feet, the compactly-built [flat-bottomed] boats will glide down an incline 300 feet long and dash across the surface of the lake at the foot.
An incident in Boston, in which a freight car broke down from being packed too heavily with the chutes material, caused a delay, as well as concern about the sports venue being finished by October when announced, was addressed in the Los Angeles Express of 9 August, but the firm’s president, James Talmage, assured the paper that work would move as quickly as possible.
Two weeks later, the paper reported that surveys for the stadium were complete after a 100-foot strip was added as the original footprint was deemed inadequate and the grandstands and fences were to be built shortly. It was claimed that “the park, when finished, promises to be the best in California,” while rumor had it that “the Cincinnati league management,” apparently the National League Red Stockings (or Reds, the first professional baseball team when formed in 1869) contemplated having spring training at the new venue.
The 8 October issue of the Times observed that four team managers for a regional league met a few days prior, with clubs from San Diego and San Bernardino joining two Angel City squads and a deal struck to pay the the former two organizations a decent percentage of gate receipts for their travel. The stadium was approaching completion, but an opening day date was awaiting signings of players, including major leaguers, from the eastern states.
The paper’s edition of the 22nd reported that a 9 December opening day was determined, with several exhibition contests to be held prior to then, starting in mid-November. The Times and the Express earlier reported that the plan was for a five-month season with contests held on weekend days and play began as anticipated. Meanwhile, local company teams, such as under the auspices of brewers Maier & Zobelein and the Farmers’ and Merchants’ and First National banks played games at the park, as well. The brewing company assumed control of the park from Talmage’s management in April 1901 with banker William F. Botsford a key organizing figure.
With respect to the amusement park section of Chutes, the grand opening was held on 22 February 1901, with the Express of two days prior noting that “a great deal of money has been expended in converting this spacious tract from an open field into an attractive pleasure ground” and that “nothing has been left undone and it should prove a success from the start. The paper commented that,
Beautiful arbors, flower beds, pony race tracks, a miniature railway with artistic station, billiard halls, bowling alleys, merry-go-rounds and other features for the whiling away of time are everywhere. And to cap all, the chutes, 350 feet in length, down which one may glide onto the bosom of a lake containing 500,000 gallons of water, rises. These are said to be the finest in the United States, and are known as the Boston chutes . . .
The 11 acres of ground have been laid out in paths and promenades. A deer park and menagerie will be a feature, as will a flower house. Electrical fountains will play from the center of the big lake and portions of the play grounds, which have been set aside for the children [are included?]
A small lake for children to sail boats; swings and teeter-totters; and “mumbly-peg” areas for boys to play in the sand and sharpen knives (that’s correct, knives!) were to be opened, as well as the pool tables and shooting range for adult boys and a restaurant and separate lunch counter, so that “in short, it is a chutes park on an improved and enlarged scale.”
Not quite three months after the grand opening, the Los Angeles Record of 10 May remarked that “yesterday afternoon and evening broke the record” for attendance at Chutes Park, as between noon and Midnight, fully 30,000 persons (a third more than the grand opening, indicating that about 23,000 attended that day) went through the turnstiles and “a long line waited their turn to enjoy the exhilerating [sic] trip down the rapids.” With four boats running each minute, it was said that 20,000 persons rode the attraction.
The paper added that at least half of the visitors were from outside the Angel City, with bowling and the vaudeville acts cited as popular. With the latter, this included costumed “Tyrolean” singers and “Little Elsie, the child artist” whose “coon [stereotyped African-American themed] songs and dances received salvos of applause.” It was noted that the crowds were peaceful and no incidents reported, and evening lighting added to the attractions of the park.
The Record‘s edition of 29 July observed that, the prior day,
Chutes Park was crowded with a jolly lot of pleasure seekers and those who enjoy outdoor sports were well entertained. Merry laughter, fluttering ribbons, chick [chic?] dresses added much to the appearance and gave vivacity to the occasion . . . The bowling alleys were crowded both day and night by the devotees of this popular sport . . . The evening’s program closed with a brilliant display of fireworks.
Vaudeville offerings included a novelty musician, high diving from trapeze wires, “Professor” Rabe and his trained animals, dancers George and Ethel Wilson, club swingers and jugglers and more. The account concluded that each Thursday was Ladies’ Day, while Sundays were devoted to youngsters.
A few days later, the Express reported that landscaping improvements were continual, including more flower beds, shrubs and trees and that the layout was particularly notable in conjunction with the lake and the chutes attraction. Moreover, “all of the buildings are well painted and in splendid proportion, while the water features, especially under the night lighting, “forms a thing of beauty and calls forth involuntary exclamations of admiration.” The paper also reviewed the lineup of performers and presenters, with a bit more detail than that provided by its rival, and it noted that “this evening there will be a special entertainment in the shape of a cake walk of all nations for prizes and a purse.”
On the last day of August, the paper talked more about visitors, observing that “the young and old, the rich and poor” enjoyed the diversions, while “the wealthy employer at night, with a society crowd” could be found hurling a ball at the ten pins, while, in the adjacent lane would be found employees of his store. Also mentioned frequently in the press was the Cabaret de la Mort, which used magic and illusion with themes of mortality and death. Vitascope picture displays of American and foreign scenes; shadowgraphs of 400 figures in “elaborate state settings;” and new singers and dancers were also mentioned.
By September, an extended run by Jennie Lind, who rode her bicycle down the chutes without a handlebar or chains in a thrilling display, Bohemian glass blowers, and the mimic and vocalist Edward T. Adams were drawing enthusiastic crowds and it is notable that ads began appearing in the papers, which typically placed them in the theater sections.
In its 22 September issue, the Times reported on a “Chinese Day,” though it did not discuss exactly what this entailed, while the paper noted that there were balloon ascents from which a daredevil did a parachute jump, a singer who used pictures to illustrate his tunes, an aquatic-themed show called “Uncle Si’s First Visit to the Seashore,” and the Chutes Orchestra performing its “sweet music.”
Elsewhere, the paper observed that the theater, to be 50′ wide and 110′ deep and seating 1,500 persons, with a stage and dressing rooms, was being designed by architect John P. Krempel. He was best known for his design of the Los Angeles Times building, which was destroyed in a domestic terror bombing in 1910, and the house, “The Bivouac,” of its owner, the powerful Harrison Gray Otis.
The 3 October edition covered the theater’s groundbreaking, though the footprint expanded fifteen feet in width and length (manager Albert L. Eliet contemplated a much larger structure), with the cost of the Moorish edifice, modeled after one at a chutes park in San Francisco, pegged at $10,000. The stage, at forty feet width, thirty-four feet depth and fifty-five feet in heights, was large enough to accommodate grand opera performances.
The floor area had a six-foot rise in slope, while the balcony was around three sides and a half-dozen boxes flanked the stage. Dressing rooms, ladies’ parlors and an ample foyer were mentioned, while the Times discussed more of the edifice:
Two large towers will rise some distance above the highest point of the roof and these, together with the entire front, will be ornamented with curious designs in wood. The house will be elevated five or six feet above ground and a broad stairs will lead up to the main entrance. The color of the exterior will be a dark green, while delicate tints will be used in the interior.
In the meantime, a ship was constructed in the midst of the lake for performances of the immensely popular Gilbert and Sullivan light operas, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado, with local talent utilized for these performances, which were generally well reviewed in the local press and, it appears, well attended.
The Record recorded, in its 2 December issue, that the park was to be closed for a few weeks, it turned out to be four, to get the theater finished, but also for improvements to the midway; added concessions; more landscaping; zoo expansion; the lake drained and cleaned; additions of a monkey enclosure, sea lion tank and aviary; new buildings and more.
On 29 December, the facility reopened with the paper proclaiming the headline of “NEW CHUTES PARK PLEASURE RESORT TO BE PROUD OF” as the opening as said to be beyond expectations of the owners. The Record remarked that “the first thing that strikes the eye is the clean and pleasant appearance of the whole park,” with new gravel on walks, buildings repainted, more signage and the conclusion that “the place has undergone a complete transformation from the old-time slipshod and half dilapidated appearance of last season,” an interesting comment given that Chutes had only opened ten months prior.
The paper also mentioned a new bandshell and, as for the theater, it had 1,400 seats as finished and “was jammed full twice by a good natured, fun-loving crowd” which enjoyed the vaudeville acts. A balloon ascension got a bit out of hand as the craft headed towards Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights and a group of kids ran and retrieved and returned it, with their reward being free chutes rides. In all, accounted the paper, “nearly $35,000 has been spent in refurnishing and rebuilding, and the Chutes park now is what is should be—a clean, pleasant place full of good, clean amusements.”
The Times, in its account, reported between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors attended, a far cry from the nearly ten times that number in May and seven or so times more at the February opened, but the spending on new improvements was considered worth the investment “if Sunday’s patronage is any promise of future business.” The zoo was considered the most popular element, including the sea lions, and among the landscaping additions, the restaurant was enlarged and offered better service. An aerial stunt under the heading of “Lunette” and “Dawn,” involving a sleeping princess and a robber were also featured.
The theater was deemed the most notable element of the reopening and the bill included the park’s orchestra; an “Arabian” who was an “acrobatic contortionist;” a “tramp juggler;” scenes from dramatic and comedic operas; and a baritone singer accompanying Vitascope pictures. As for balloon ascent, the paper said it went fine and the craft as cut loose at 700 feet and it descended at San Pedro and 16th streets, not far to the east. The Times also lauded the evening lighting of the chutes, theater and lake, with the attendance half of the daytime crowd, but with the theater again full, and it concluded,
For the money, though, the Chutes Park can furnish an assortment of attractions never before got together in this city, and promoters deserve success for their faith in the public’s desire to be amused, that has influenced them to make such a large outlay of money.
1901 was the year of the third major boom in greater Los Angeles and the park’s opening and expansion reflects that condition, though, as noted in prior posts, the facility changed to Luna park by the end of the decade. That moniker was short-lived and, in December 1912, the property was sold to Edward Maier, of the well-known brewing family, with everything removed except the ballpark, which was expanded. So, the Chutes/Luna Park iteration of the site lasted just more than a decade.
As to the highlighted photo here, it shows the chutes attraction and much of the theater structure, as well as a portion of the “Midway.” The photographer, Frederick E. Munsey, has been discussed in a prior post on this blog and we have many other images from him to share in future ones. Chutes Park, in some ways, may be seen as a precursor to the Los Angeles Zoo, botanical gardens and arboreta and modern amusement parks like Disneyland.
It’s remarkable to learn that Chutes Park drew 30,000 attendees in a single day in 1901, when the population of Los Angeles was just over 100,000. Even with half of the visitors coming from outside the city as noted in the post, 15,000 attendees from Los Angeles alone was still an impressive figure. By comparison, today’s Disneyland averages 20,000 to 40,000 visitors per day, with a peak of around 50,000 on a single day – yet the population of Los Angeles has since grown 40 times to 4 million.