Daily News from New York, New York • 189

Thursday! July 16, 1987 -'DAILY NEWS 9 PP? i si 3C 1 TIMELESS ATTRACTIONS of Coney Island (above) include lovelies like Christine Sherman (below) and the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel and Parachute Jump. Landmarks Preservation Commission will consider making amusements official New York City Landmarks. i I koDGO DiliitolDnoiio'CssT (SDDS7 By BILL FARRELL "The Cyclone has long been considered a land-mark by the people of Brooklyn and people in the amusement park industry around the world," said Milton Berger, spokesman for Astroland Park, which operates the Cyclone. Opened in June of 1927, the Cyclone has been rated the best roller-coaster ride in the country. The 150-foot tall Wonder Wheel came to Coney Island in 1920.

It was built by Herman Garms and operated by him, and later his son, Fred, until 19S3, when the ride was taken over and refurbished by Denos Vourderis, a Greek immigrant, who was once a vendor on the Coney Island Boardwalk. The main attraction of the Wonder Wheel, aside from its tremendous size, are the 16 cars that swing while the ferris wheel turns. ers who once considered a ride on the Parachute Jump as the ultimate symbol of courage, it is a symbol that should remain. The Parks Department went so far as to have a $32,000 engineering study made on the structure in 1983. The study determined that it would cost nearly $300,000 to tear it down, $500,000 just to stabilize it, and $1 million to restore the structure as a ride.

At that time, Parks Commissioner Henry Stern said he couldn't see spending that kind of money "on a ride that doesn't work anyhow." Unlike the Parachute Jump, the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel are both still in operation. Cyclonet in fact is, marking its 60th anniversary this year; DsHy News Staff Wnter A trio of unofficial landmarks in Coney Island will be the subjects of a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing that could make the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel and Parachute Jump official New York City Landmarks. The hearings are scheduled for Sept 15 at 51 Chambers St, starting at 9:30 a.m. Visible from 30 miles away, the 271-foot tall parachute jump was once the centerpiece of a thriving Steeplechase Park and Coney Island. Rising costs, numerous incidents where people got stuck at the top and, later, total disuse have taken their toll on the structure.

Despite its state of disrepair, to many New York mi tit..