Crystal Maze
| Type | Funhouse |
|---|---|
| Park Section | Center |
| Built | 1899 |
| Opened | 1899 |
| Closed | 1903 |
| Length | 40 feet (12 meters) |
| Width | 27 feet (8 meters) |
| Number of Stories | 1 |
The Crystal Maze was a mirror funhouse that opened at Olentangy Park in 1899[1] and closed around 1903.
Description
The building was a standalone structure that was 27 by 40 feet. (8 x 12 meters). Sixty 4-by-7-foot1.3 by 2.3 meters plate glass mirrors made the building appear much larger than it was. It created several reflections of the visitors that move in all directions. There were false doors, causing other visitors to laugh when someone ran into a pane of glass.[2][3]
Locations
Before being installed at Olentangy Park, a version of the Crystal Maze was at Cleveland's Euclid Beach for three years and was part of a growing fad at the time.[2] According to the 1901 Sanborn Map, the building was an enclosed frame structure just north of the footbridge next to the Shooting Gallery and southeast of the theater.[4][5]
Possible Related Patents
- Mirror maze. (October 24, 1893) U.S. Patent No. 507,159 PDF[6]
- Mirror maze. (September 3, 1895) U.S. Patent No. 545,678 PDF[7]
See Also
References
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Started as Beer Garden in '90's." The Columbus Dispatch, August 30, 1931. Page 18-G.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Olentangy Park: The Crystal Maze." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, June 30, 1899. Page 11.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park: The Theater." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 1, 1899. Page 12.
- ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1, 1901. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_003/.
- ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1, 1901, Sheet 63. Map. https://sanborn-ohioweblibrary-org.oh0057.oplin.org/viewer/?id=13464
- ↑ Palm, G. Von Prittwitz. 1893. "Mirror maze." U.S. Patent No. 507,159. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF
- ↑ Castan, G. 1895. "Mirror maze." U.S. Patent No. 545,678. Accessed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PDF