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LUNA PARK'S TRANSITION
Charleston's Luna Park caught fire just like many other Luna Parks did. The company was in financial trouble and had extended itself much too far. Did the fires have anything to do with this? No idea. All we know is that few if any Luna Parks were rebuilt. Charleston's fire started in the pool house, and quickly spread to the skating rink and the dance pavilion. It also set the roller coaster on fire, which was almost impossible for the fire dept to put out. The houses surrounding Luna Park were also in serious danger of going up in flames, as some were actually smoking from the heat. Ironically, the fire was started by a blowtorch that a workman had use to do a repair on the pool house. It's been my personal experience that the use of torches and welders have started a huge number of fires in the country. During the fire, there were repeated explosions, caused by ammunition used in the shooting gallery. This caused people to hide for blocks around. The park was to open in a matter of days for the summer, but of course it never did. Damage was thought to be $100,000 while insurance was around $70.000.
In 1924 it was decided to bulldoze the park and build new homes....
As you can see, other than a couple of street name changes, the property is today exactly like this map.
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