Vol. 4, No. 10, October 2007
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Pier Pressure
Steeplechase Pier faced competitive measures before opening
In the late 19th century, amusement piers were the most exciting entertainment option in Atlantic City. Incorporating concert space, exhibition rooms and dance floors, these were among the most popular spots in town for visitors. Later, however, piers made the change from entertainment venue to amusement park, with rides and other attractions. Steeplechase Pier, initially built as Auditorium Pier in 1899, was one of the first to make this switch, and though it is now gone, it still occupies an important place in Atlantic City history.
Before it opened, the pier was steeped in controversy. The owners of the city’s existing piers, the Heinz (formerly Iron Pier), Steel and Ocean Piers, weren’t eager to welcome new competition for the limited tourist dollar. So, they were less than happy when a group leased a piece of Boardwalk land near Pennsylvania Avenue and started building a fourth pier.
Much like some casino owners today, the pier operators tried to prevent the new pier from opening, rather than upgrade their own facilities in face of the competition. They circulated a petition; since the pier would only be 500 feet long and not the usual 1,000, they demanded that the city council take action.
Several hotel owners signed the petition, and even as construction continued, the city took action: it refused to allow the pier to connect to the Boardwalk, and passed an injunction preventing its opening. After its owners tacked on an additional 500 feet, the city permitted the pier to open.
Less than a block from Steel Pier, the newcomer had trouble establishing itself. In 1902, George C. Tilyou bought the pier. Tilyou hailed from Coney Island, where he was a noted impresario, opening the resort’s first theater and building one of the earliest Ferris wheels. His iconic Steeplechase Park included such rides as the Human Roulette Wheel, Human Pool Table and Barrel of Love.
Looking to turn business around, Tilyou brought in the top entertainment draw of the day—John Phillip Sousa, whose 85-piece band was known for its romping military marches. People flocked to see Sousa, but unfortunately, since the bandstand was outside, they could get just as good a show for free on the beach as the paying customers.
Rather than compete head-on with the other entertainment piers, Tilyou decided to stick with what he knew best. In 1902, he renovated the pier, keeping an auditorium but adding slides, rides and similar carnival attractions. He renamed the structure Steeplechase Pier, after his famous Coney Island resort.
Known as “the funny place,” the pier boasted, for a time, the world’s largest electric sign—a 27,000-light-bulb behemoth that advertised Chesterfield cigarettes. Its whimsical rides appealed to vacationers’ lighter sides, and the pier became remarkably successful. Even after Tilyou’s death in 1914, the pier’s managers continued in their winning ways.
Steeplechase suffered a devastating setback on Valentine’s Day 1932, when a fire, fanned by strong ocean winds, destroyed nearly all the pier. But the pier was rebuilt, opening partially by that summer and later restoring some of the pier’s former splendor.
For more than 40 years, the pier continued to draw visitors; Marie Tilyou, George’s daughter, remained president of its operating company into the 1970s. But with the city’s decline, the pier, along with the rest of the Boardwalk, fell on hard times.
The advent of casino gaming didn’t do much to help Steeplechase Pier. The pier passed into the hands of Joseph Bradway, who sold it to Resorts International in 1982. In 1984, structural weaknesses forced a closure of the pier, and four years later, a fire gutted most of what remained. Any hopes of a revival of the pier were dashed in 1996 when it was finally demolished.
Though Steeplechase Pier is long gone, photographs and memories remain. Never as celebrated as Steel Pier or ornate as Million Dollar, it was nevertheless one of the best-known spots in a town famous for fun.
