Laughing Gallery
| Type | Funhouse |
|---|---|
| Park Section | Midway Center |
| Built | 1903 |
| Opened | 1903 |
| Closed | 1906 |
| Manufacturer | J. M. Naughton |
| Number of Stories | 1 |
A Laughing Gallery attraction was added in 1903 at Olentangy Park,[1] just south of the Mystic Castle.[2][3][4] It was a funhouse[5] and most likely built by J. M. Naughton, who had a Columbus-based amusement construction company.[6] It was at the park until 1906 when the second Dancing Pavilion was built on the site.[7]
Description
A similar attraction at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh was described as having "'funhouse' style mirrors" and that "'you would get all the laughs coming to you when you entered the Laughing Gallery.'" The one at Olentangy Park and Kennywood Park appear to be some of the earliest versions of this attraction and came directly from the Paris Exposition. The mirrors were made of glass and later models replaced them with polished composite metal to lower cost and allow for mobility.[6] The one in Kennywood was installed by Fred Ingersoll's Amusement Construction Company and featured 4-ft. (1.22 m) by 7-ft. (2.13 m) distortion mirrors that were hand-made in Germany.[8]
Gallery
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The Midway at Olentangy Park (c. 1904-1906) showing the original Ye Old Mill, Mystic Castle, and Laughing Gallery.
References
- ↑ "Olentangy Park: Closing Day." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 20 September 1903. Pg. 33.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Sunday Columbus Dispatch. 2 May 1903. Pg. 8-9.
- ↑ "Parks: Pleasure Resorts and Summer Gardens." Billboard. Vol. 15. Issue 21. 23 May 1903. Pg. 11.
- ↑ Clay Record. United States: Clay Record Publishing Company, 1903. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Clay_Record/c6pPAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
- ↑ Barret, Richard E. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian. Vol. 1. April 1984. Pg. 11.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Advertisement, The Billboard, Vol. 17. Issue 19. May 13, 1915. Page 20. Accessed through the Internet Archive.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Democrat-Sentinel (Logan, OH). 14 June 1906. Pg. 2. Clip 1 | Clip 2
- ↑ Davis, Rick. "The Dark Side of Kennywood." Dark Attraction & Funhouse Enthusiasts. Originally published 2011. Accessed 30 July 2022. https://www.dafe.org/articles/darkrides/darkSideOfKennywood.html