Riverview - 1938

Copyright 2005 David R. Phillps

Riverview Park was an amusement park in Chicago, Illinois which operated from 1904 to 1967. It was located on 74 acres (0.3 km²) in an area bound on the south and east by Belmont and Western Avenues respectively, on the north by Lane Tech High School, and on the west by the north branch of the Chicago River. It was in the North Center community area and neighborhood on Chicago's north side.

Riverview was most known for The Bobs roller coaster. Other popular coasters were The Comet, The Silver Flash, and the Jetstream. Aladdin's Castle was a classic fun house with a collapsing stairway, mazes and turning barrel. Shoot the Chutes, Hades, the Rotor, Tilt-a-Whirl, Wild Mouse and Tunnel of Love were just a few of the many classic rides. "The Pair-O-Chutes at Riverview Park'll shake us up all day" is a line from the Beach Boys' song "Amusement Parks U.S.A." from their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!).

The former grounds are now home to Riverview Plaza shopping center, the Belmont District Police Station, DeVry University, a manufacturing company and Richard Clark Park, part of the Chicago Park District. The south end of Clark Park has a wooded area where many of the Riverview Park foundations are still visible and is currently used as a bicycle dirt jump and pump track park maintained by the Chicago Area Mountain Bikers. A sculpture entitled Riverview by local artist Jerry Peart stands in front of the police station.

As with any memorabilia, items from the park are now quite valuable. Many items from the old park, as well as many paintings portraying Riverview in its glory days, are on display at its namesake, Riverview Tavern, on the corner of West Roscoe Street and Damen Avenue.

The Riverview Carousel continues to operate at Six Flags Over Georgia. It and the Rotor were the only rides to be saved. The Rotor was scrapped in 2000 after an accident at its newer home.

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