It’s the end of an era at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The iconic Ferris Wheel that has welcomed visitors to the beach-side amusement park since 1959 has seen its final spin.
The seats have already been removed, as it goes into retirement.
Park officials say it’s going to take several weeks to remove the entire structure. As of now there are no plans to sell it to another park. But the park is now looking at replacement options.
“Ferris wheels are definitely changing; they’re getting bigger and a little more elaborate,” said Boardwalk spokesperson Kris Reyes. “So if we bring back the Ferris Wheel, it won’t be quite like this, it will be a little more modern version of it.”
“I loved riding on it, and it was one of my favorite parts of coming to the boardwalk, It’s just really sad that it’s coming down,” one person stated.
They announced their closure via Facebook.
The Ferris Wheel can be seen in many films and TV shows that used the boardwalk as a filming location, like 1987’s The Lost Boys.” And, back in 2011 high-wire artist Nik Wallenda walked across the Ferris wheel.