This article was written by Russell Allon Hehr and appears in The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
Luna Park opened in 1905 and proved to be Euclid Beach's most memorable competitor. Copied from the Coney Island park of the same name, Luna Park was a fantasy of "Oriental" architecture and electric lights. The 35-acre grounds were bounded by Woodland Ave., Woodhill, Mt. Carmel, and E. 110th St. The park was served by several local streetcar lines. The site is hilly, and patrons climbed a steep flight of stairs or later rode an early escalator to reach the gate. Luna Park also charged admission. The grounds were divided by a sharp rise, with the rides situated in the eastern half. Favorite rides included a carousel, a ferris wheel, the Jack Rabbit and Pippin roller coasters, a Shoot-the-Chutes, a fun house, a roller rink, and a dance hall. Also, the park featured a concert garden, in which opera star Enrico Caruso once performed. The western half featured a picnic grove, swimming pool, motordome, and stadium for football and baseball. Luna Park enjoyed brief but fervent popularity. It lost patronage in the late 1920s. By the late 1930s, only the skating rink remained open, but it was destroyed by fire. In 1940, the Woodhill Homes housing project was constructed on the site.
Photo from the Ted Krause collection and published in Luna Park: Cleveland's Fairyland of Pleasure, by David W. Francis and Diane DeMali Francis. Copyright 1996, Amusement Park Books, Inc., Fairview Park, Ohio. Grateful acknowledgment is given to David W. Francis for permission to reproduce this photo here.