Luna Park, Schenectady
| Company type | Amusement park |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Founder | Jacob Rupert (Grand View Hotel), Frederick Ingersoll (rebranded Luna Park) |
| Defunct | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Rexford , United States |
Area served | Rexford, New York and surrounding areas |
| Products | Amusement rides, entertainment attractions |
Luna Park was an amusement destination located in Rexford, New York, close to Schenectady, which operated from 1901 until 1933. Initially called Rexford Park, the venue was rebranded as Luna Park in 1906 after developer and businessman Frederick Ingersoll assumed control and introduced various rides. Over the years, the park underwent several name changes, including Dolle's Park following its purchase by Fred Dolle in 1912, as well as Colonnade Park, Palisades Park, before returning to the Rexford Park name in 1916. The amusement rides were ultimately removed in 1933.
The park was developed around the Grand View Hotel, which Jacob Rupert opened in 1901. It served as a trolley park offering numerous attractions such as roller coasters, picnic shelters, carousels, a fun house, a roller skating rink, a concert shell, a dance hall, and midway amusements including The Whip ride. At the entrance near the Van Vranken electric trolley station was a shoot-the-chutes ride. One of its distinctive features was an early aerial swing ride that predated contemporary Skycoaster-style attractions by several decades.
Visitors paid five cents for trolley transportation to the park; however, no entrance fee was required to access the park itself.
Although Ingersoll faced financial difficulties that resulted in bankruptcy proceedings twice between 1908 and 1911, Luna Park maintained its popularity until it was acquired by Dolle. It outlived most of Ingersoll’s other Luna Parks and continued operating through World War I. After the Grand View Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1925, the park remained open but gradually declined during the Great Depression, leading to the removal of rides in 1933.
Parts of the Saratoga trolley line pilings are still visible today in the Mohawk River.