Riverview Park (Chicago)

Riverview Park

Company type	Private
Industry	Amusement park
Founded	1904
Founder	William Schmidt
Defunct	1967
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois , United States
Area served	Chicago metropolitan area

Riverview Park was an amusement park located in Chicago, Illinois, which operated between 1904 and 1967. The park spanned an area bordered by Belmont Avenue on the south side, Western Avenue to the east, Lane Tech College Prep High School to the north, and the North Branch of the Chicago River on the west. It was positioned within Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood, part of the North Center community district.

Founding

Established in 1904 by William Schmidt, Riverview began on what was originally his private skeet shooting grounds. The Schmidt family retained ownership and oversight of the park throughout its entire history.

A significant historical moment includes "Big Bill" Haywood, leader of the Industrial Workers of the World, delivering a speech to an audience nearing 80,000 attendees at Riverview.

Rides and attractions

Among Riverview’s most famous features was The Bobs, a wooden roller coaster, accompanied by other well-known coasters such as The Comet, The Silver Flash, The Fireball, and the Jetstream. The park also offered classic amusements including Aladdin's Castle fun house, Shoot the Chutes, Hades, the Rotor, Tilt-a-Whirl, Wild Mouse, the Mill on the Floss (Tunnel of Love), and Flying Turns. In total, over 120 rides were available. The Beach Boys referenced Riverview in their 1965 song "Amusement Parks U.S.A." with the lyric: "The Pair-O-Chutes at Riverview Park'll shake us up all day."

Racism and closing

Riverview ceased operations in 1967 amidst evolving social dynamics and economic difficulties. Urban legends have portrayed the park as having a "seedy" reputation as racial integration increased. African American visitors encountered both subtle and explicit discrimination; for example, an attraction known as "African Dip," colloquially called "Dunk the Nigger" and run by an external concessionaire, was closed during the 1950s following pressure from the NAACP and media outlets.

Victoria Wolcott, author of Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters, observed that amusement parks became increasingly associated with perceived danger as African American attendance grew. Chuck Wlodarczyk, who wrote Riverview: Gone But Not Forgotten, noted that although rumors about violent incidents circulated around the park’s closure period, no concrete evidence supported these claims. A 1967 article in the Chicago Tribune cited violence as a contributing factor to closing; however, this explanation remains contested.

Ultimately, white flight played a role in Riverview’s financial downturn; the land’s value eventually exceeded that of its use as an amusement park. The Schmidt family sold the property to developers but disputed reported sale figures approximating $6.8 million in 1967 dollars.

Today, the former site accommodates Riverview Plaza shopping center, Chicago Police Area 3 Detective Division headquarters, DePaul College Prep High School, dental equipment maker Hu-Friedy Manufacturing, and Richard Clark Park. Remnants of Riverview’s foundations are still visible within Clark Park’s wooded sections where Chicago Area Mountain Bikers maintain dirt jump and pump track facilities. A sculpture named Riverview by Jerry Peart is installed in front of the police station.

Memorabilia

From 2005 until 2018, numerous Riverview artifacts and paintings were exhibited at Riverview Tavern located at West Roscoe and Damen Avenue. The sole ride preserved from the original park is the Riverview Carousel, which currently operates at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Bally and Williams Associations

In its later period, both Bally Manufacturing Corporation and Williams Electronics maintained their headquarters and production facilities close to Riverview. Bally's 1972 pinball machine Fireball took its name from the Fireball roller coaster at Riverview. The arcade division of Bally, originally called Aladdin's Castle, was renamed after the Aladdin's Castle funhouse; the pinball machine bearing the same name also drew inspiration from this attraction.

Williams Electronics released the pinball game Comet in 1985, named after a Riverview roller coaster, while their 1959 game Screamo showcased various rides from the park. The 1990 amusement park-themed pinball machine FunHouse was likewise influenced by Riverview, featuring the Riverview Carousel prominently on its backglass artwork.

Inventory of Attractions

Coal-fired miniature steam engine train Freak show 1950s Show Included Betty Lou Williams, famed as the world's only four-legged girl, and magician Marshall Brodien, who later performed as Wizzo the Wizard on "Bozo Show". Flying scooter Resembled a hang glider Boomerang Strat-O-Stat The Calypso Flying Cars 1954 1966 Hot Rods 1955 1967 Ferris Wheel Ferris wheel Paratrooper 1960 Space Ride 1963 1967 Sky ride; investment totaled $300,000. Bump 'Em Bumper Cars Greyhound Replaced by Jetstream. The Tickler 1910 Expo Whirl 1910 Witching Waves 1910 Metrodome 1911 Velvet Coaster 1907 1919 Pikes Peak Scenic Railway 1907 Racetrack 1907

Attraction	Year Opened	Year Closed	Manufacturer and Type	Image	Notes
The Bobs	1924	1967	Wooden Roller Coaster
Comet		1967	Roller Coaster
Silver Flash		1967	Roller Coaster
Fireball	1923/1959	1967	Roller Coaster		Initially named Blue Streak; redesigned in 1959 to include a steep drop into a tunnel.
Jetstream	1964	1967	Wooden Roller Coaster (Philadelphia Toboggan Company)		Succeeded Greyhound; less favored by patrons and dismantled before recouping costs.
Aladdin's Castle		1967	Funhouse		Mirrors were reportedly transferred to a dance club in Palatine.
Shoot the Chutes		1967	Water Ride		Traditional water flume attraction.
Hades			Funhouse
The Rotor	1952	1967	Orton, Sons & Spooner		Spinning ride where riders are held against the wall by centripetal force as the floor drops away.
Tilt-a-Whirl			Tilt-a-Whirl
Wild Mouse			Wild Mouse Coaster (B. A. Schiff & Associates)
Mill on the Floss		1967		Formerly known as Thousand Islands; renamed Tunnel of Love in 1950.
Flying Turns	1934	1967	Wooden Bobsled-style Ride	Relocated from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair; dismantled upon park closure.
Pair-O-Chutes	1937	1967	"Eye-Full" parachute ride featuring extended towers for free-fall sensation.	Lifted riders before releasing carts suspended by parachutes.
Carousel	1908	1967	Carousel	A 70-horse Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel, one of only three five-abreast models known to remain; transferred to Six Flags Over Georgia in 1967.

See also

• Flying Cars, a past attraction

Further reading

• Riverview Park Remembered, available on Facebook

External links

• Riverview Park website by Sharpshooters Productions Inc.
• Dolores Haugh Riverview Amusement Park Collection held at Newberry Library
• 1913 Sanborn map depicting Riverview Park