Fort George Amusement Park

Other attractions included John F. Schultheis's hotel and casino, created in 1899 and later burned down, as well as the Harlem River Speedway, now a state parkway.

[4]: 18 In 1905, Russian immigrants Joseph and Nicholas Schenck opened the Old Barrel, a beer hall in Fort George.

The Schencks felt that Fort George needed additional amusement rides, and to that extent, they formed a partnership with theater operator Marcus Loew.

The Schencks and Loew had added a vaudeville stage and multiple rides by 1906, under the collective name of Paradise Park.

The park, located within the Fort George amusement area, was popular despite being inaccessible except via a set of 56 steps.

Even so, complaints of harassment continued to rise, and the formerly genteel amusement park was no longer considered safe for the working class.

[4]: 27  Local residents, led by neighborhood activist Reginald Pelham Bolton, started asking for the closure of the park in 1910, citing these nuisances.

When Paradise Park's leases expired in 1914, many of the amusements were destroyed, though some concessionaires continued to hold their land for several more years.