Gillian's Wonderland Pier was a historic amusement park in Ocean City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1929 by Roy Gillian, son of David Gillian who first came to Ocean City in 1914.[2] It was located near the beginning of the commercial boardwalk on 6th street. Gillian's was generally considered to be an institution of Ocean City, with grand openings and pre-season sales for the location historically having drawn crowds multiple blocks long,[3] and employed many local youths during the summer,[4] and in more recent years, many Eastern European workers.[5]
History
Roy Gillian started his career in the orchestra at C. Elwood Carpenter's Dance Club (aka The Casino), located over the Moorlyn Theater on the old Boardwalk. In 1917 he transferred to the Hippodrome pier, where he played with Robin Robinson's Orchestra. The Hippodrome had a movie theatre, vaudeville, dancing and amusements for children.
In October 1927, a fire destroyed the Hippodrome,[6] after which the burned boardwalk was replaced in 1928. In 1930, David Gillian opened a Fun Deck at Plymouth Place and the Boardwalk. The two main attractions were a Ferris wheel and a carousel. The Fun Deck was transformed into a water park (today known as OC Waterpark) after 1987.
In honor of his 100th birthday in 1990, David Gillian donated a horse from the Carousel to the Ocean City Historical Museum.[7] David Gillian died in March 1993 at the age of 102.
In 1957, David Gillian retired and his sons, Bob and Roy took over from 1957 to 1977. In 1965, Roy left the family business and started Wonderland Pier at 6th Street and the Boardwalk (where Stainton's Playland had burned down 10 years prior), with 10 rides and a parking lot.
Roy became mayor of Ocean City in 1985, and retired from politics in 1989.[8] In 1994, Roy became the president of IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions). His son, Jay Gillian, became mayor of Ocean City in 2010.
The Gillian family decided to expand their business beyond Ocean City by opening Gillian's Funland of Sea Isle City, located on JFK Boulevard. In January 2021 Gillian's was under foreclosure but the Gillian family announced they would still be open for the 2021 season.[9] On March 30 they announced they were teaming up with Icona Hotel owners to enhance the park.[10]
Gillian's Wonderland Pier is famous for its 144-foot (44 m) Giant Wheel, one of the largest Ferris wheels on the east coast.[11]
On August 9, 2024, owner Jay Gillian announced that Gillian's Wonderland Pier would close its doors after the 2024 season.[12]
On October 13, 2024, Gillian's Wonderland Pier closed for the final time. [13] The closure would spark opposition and a petition was created to save the pier from its demise.[14]
On November 13, 2024, 1 month after the park's closure, property owner Eustace Mita revealed his plans to convert the property into an Icona resort, dubbed Icona in Wonderland. The proposed resort consists of 252 rooms, retail space along the boardwalk, and keeping the Carousel and Giant Wheel attractions from the closed pier. Mita plans to start construction in early 2025 and be ready to open it by 2027.[15]
Former Attractions
Name
Manufacturer
Addition
Removal
Other Information
Reference
Alien Abduction
Wisdom Rides
Bear Affair
Sellner Manufacturing
Before 2000
The ride replaced a portable 4-car version that was commonly found at fairs in 2000, with a 6-car version and rotating floor. 42 inches
The carousel was originally constructed in 1926, registered as carousel #75. It has a decorative facade similar to the Wurlitzer style #157 Military Band Organ by Kromer, but it does not provide the music on the carousel.[30] It was formerly located at Rolling Green Park in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania until 1972.[31]
The ride originally was nicknamed, the "Red Raider" in honor of the town's high school mascot, it originally had 4 cars, and it only circled around the indoor area. However, in 1986, new cars, a Frontier theme, and an expanded layout were added to the ride. The cars now loosely resemble Thomas the Tank Engine.
Commonly referred to as "The Man & Dog Show," this animatronic stage show can be found between the loading and unloading platforms of the Frontier Express Monorail. With a payment of $1, the characters perform one country song at a time, a total of eight songs in all. The cast consists of Rocky (a panda), Bubba Bonga (a lion), Henry "Hank" Howls (a dalmatian), Henrietta Hatpin (a female chicken), and Antonio Vermicelli (a male human born in Nebraska who poses as an Italian). These animatronics are retrofits of the common "Cyberamics" characters from Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. The current soundtrack and equipment used for Rocky and the Railroad Ramblers have been provided by Sally Corporation in Jacksonville, Florida.
Maximum weight allowed is 240 lbs. No teenagers or adults are allowed on the ride.
36 inches
Chopper Train
SBF Visa Rides
No single teenagers or adults are allowed on the ride.
36 inches
Giant Wheel
1989
The Ferris wheel is one of the largest of its kind on the east coast, being 144 feet (44 m) tall.[11] The current wheel is a replacement of one that was slightly shorter and removed in 2001.[34]
An older model operated at the park from 2005 to 2010, but the model was relocated to Gillian's Funland in Sea Isle City from 2011 to 2013. The newer model was purchased in 2012. The Sea Isle City model now operates at Alabama Splash Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama as Centi-Speed.[36] A new paint scheme was added for the 2021 season.
Over the course of the park's history, there have been 3 deaths and 9 hospitalizations due to injuries resulting from park actions, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines towards the park.
City Jet
In 1992, Kathleen Stephens, a rider at Gillian's, sued the park for more than $100,000 in damages after riding the 'City Jet' coaster, which she alleged left her with an amputated ear, broken hand, and injured head due to a dislocated support cable that struck her while her cart was moving.[39]
Wild Wonder
On August 28, 1999, two people were killed and two injured when a car on the newly installed Wild Wonder roller-coaster lost traction with the rails on a steep ascent and plunged backwards by 30 feet.[40][41][42][43] The victims of the accident were a 39-year-old woman, Kimberly Bailey, and her 8-year-old daughter, Jessica.[44] Owner of the park Jay Gillian stated that in response to the accident, the coaster would be removed for the following park season.[45]
The Division of Codes and Standards fined the park $25,000 for safety violations.[46] The following year, the husband and father of the victims, John J. Bailey Jr. sued the park and sought $275 million in damages, and claimed that the Pier knew the coaster was defective prior to opening it, and further stated that his 5-year-old daughter was nearly killed in the accident as well, but failed to meet height requirements to get into the cart with her sister and mother.[47] A former employee of Zamperla, the manufacturer of the ride, later sued the company, claiming they fired him for pointing out safety concerns regarding the Wild Wonder.[48] A law was passed in the event of the Baileys' deaths that strengthened law enforcement power to investigate accidents and dish out larger fines for safety violations.[49]
Canyon Falls Log Flume
On July 22, 2007, 5 people (3 adults and 2 children) were injured on the flume after a loose bolt, believed to be the cause of a malfunction on the ride, caused two logs to collide with each other.[50][51]
Speedway
On August 25, 2013, a 4-year-old girl was on the platform of the ride as it was about to start, and was struck. She was then transported to the hospital shortly after. According to a spokeswoman from the NJ Department of Labor & Community Affairs, "the accident was caused by operator error, and the operator was later fired. There were no mechanical problems with the ride, and the operator responsible for the incident was fired."[52]
Ferris Wheel
On May 2, 2022, a 62-year-old subcontractor, Robert W. Sanger, fell off of a lift while working on the ferris wheel, dying upon impact.[53][54] An investigation subsequently took place by OSHA.[55] OSHA issued a fine of over $10,000 to the park, stating that Gillian's had not ensured that "each walking/working surface could support the intended load for that surface."[56]
Nonfatal incidents
In 1980, various waterslides were temporarily closed after the plastic chute on one of them broke and fell, although not injuring anyone.[57] The waterslides at the park had the materials of their shoots replaced with fiberglass, as the former material was declared by state inspectors as "prone to breaking".[58]
September 16, 1995, saw a power outage in Ocean City that left several people stuck on Gillian's Ferris wheel. The weight of the wheel overpowered itself and eventually allowed the riders to descend to the bottom without any rescue being needed.[59]
In June 2007, the park was closed for two hours after a 17-year-old girl had fired shots from a .22 caliber gun into a sand dune from one of the Pier's rides. After investigation, it had been discovered that she had found it on a seat, accidentally dropped by an off-duty policeman from Philadelphia.[60]
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