May 27, 1911: The Dreamland Fire

May 27, 1911: The fire destroys the Dreamland amusement park at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City.

The park had opened on May 15, 1904, in competition with Steeplechase Park (1897) and Luna Park (1903).  it included a human zoo (basically, a freak show), several early roller coasters, a Shoot the Chutes ride, and a replica of the canals of Venice, Italy. Dreamland also hosted entertainment and dramatic spectacles based on morality themes. Several buildings, such as the Pompeiian, Electricity, and Submarine Boat buildings, were dedicated to exhibits.

Dreamland Tower, 1904-1911, before the fire

But at the start of the Summer of 1911, a worker kicked over a bucket of hot pitch, starting a fire that spread through the park's wooden buildings. Firefighters were unable to control the fire because of low water pressure, and nearly all of the structures were quickly destroyed. It had been only 2 months since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed 146 people in Lower Manhattan. This time, fortunately, no one was killed.

The northern portion of the site, on Surf Avenue, was quickly redeveloped with various concessions. The New York City government acquired the southern portion through condemnation in 1912, but disputes over compensation continued for 8 years. The site became a parking lot in 1921, and was redeveloped as a recreation center in 1935. The new version of the New York Aquarium, which had previously been at Castle Garden in The Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan since 1896, opened on June 6, 1957.

Luna Park burned down on August 13, 1944. Steeplechase Park hung on for another 20 years, closing on September 20, 1964. Steeplechase was driven out of business by a new park, Astroland, that opened on May 25, 1962. Astroland was badly damaged by a fire on July 12, 1975, but rebuilt. It closed for good on September 7, 2008. On May 29, 2010, a new Luna Park opened on the site of Astroland.

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May 27, 1911 was a Saturday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Highlanders split a doubleheader with the Philadelphia Athletics, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The A's win the opener, 8-1. Eddie Plank outpitches Ray Caldwell. Rube Oldring goes 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. For the Highlanders, Birdie Cree goes 4-for-5, and Harry Wolter goes 3-for-5, but it's in vain.

The Highlanders win the nightcap, 8-3. Russ Ford (no relation to Whitey) pitches a complete game, while Jack Coombs has to leave the game due to injury after the 1st inning. Roy Hartzell and Earle Gardner each go 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs, and John Knight goes 2-for-3 with a walk and 3 RBIs. The Highlanders, already frequently called the Yankees, make that name official in 1913.

* The New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0 at Hilltop Park in Manhattan, home of the Highlanders, where the Giants were playing while they rebuilt the Polo Grounds after a fire the previous month. Christy Mathewson allowed 8 hits, but kept a shutout.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Boston Rustlers, 9-8 at the South End Grounds in Boston. The Rustlers were named for their owner, William H. Russell. He died after the season, and the new owner was James Gaffney, a "Brave" (officer) in New York's Tammany Hall political organization. He renamed the team the Boston Braves.

* The Washington Senators beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-4 at American League Park (later Griffith Stadium) in Washington.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1-0 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Art Fromme allowed only 1 hit, a double by Honus Wagner.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Browns, 9-3 at Bennett Park in Detroit. Ty Cobb went 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs.

* The Cleveland Naps beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-5 in 10 innings at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Naps were named for their 2nd baseman and manager, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie. After he left in 1914, they were renamed the Cleveland Indians, and they became the Cleveland Guardians in 2022. Lajoie did not put himself into this game. He did put "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in, and he went 2-for-3 with a walk.

* And the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-6 in 11 innings at Robison Field in St. Louis.