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Park Hoppin With Paul Ruben
The Amazing Resurgence of Casino Pier
C
asino Pier, an amusement pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, was partially destroyed on October 29, 2012, when part of the pier collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean due to the storm surge generated by Hurricane Sandy. You
may recall photos of the Jet Star roller coaster forlornly sitting in the ocean, a symbol of that destruction. 18 of the 38 rides on the pier that year were lost because of the storm, including the Music Express, Centrifuge, Stillwalk Manor dark ride, and Log Flume. Despite this, park management successfully rebuilt the pier’s lower deck, and re-opened with limited rides in July 2013. It currently contains 25 rides, highlighted by two new major rides. They are Hydrus, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter 320 roller coaster, and a 131 feet (40 m) tall Ferris wheel from Technical Park. Hurricane Sandy hit the Pier 80 years into its existence. There had been storms
before, but never anything as catastrophic as Sandy. Linus Gilbert opened the Pier in 1932. Five years later he built a large building over his Carousel and called it the Seaside Heights Casino, hence the name Casino Pier. In 1948, John Fitzgerald and John Christopher bought the property, and Fitzgerald’s son-in-law Ken Wynne took over in 1960. In 1982, Ken Wynne partnered with Bob Bennett. Bennett sold Casino Pier and adjacent waterpark to the Storino family in 2002, and it was Vincent Storino, the family’s managing member, who was operating the Pier when Sandy hit. If it had been anyone other than the energetic Vincent Storino, I’m not sure Casino Pier would have survived. “From the time Sandy hit until July 2013 when we reopened the pier, that was
difficult,” he admitted. “It was a lot of work and constant planning for tomorrow. Once we passed the hurdle of recovery, my partners and I decided to complete the waterpark remodel, add a 36-hole adventure mini-golf, bring new exciting rides to the existing pier and boardwalk, and then undertook the pier expansion project we are just completing, so there has been a lot to do over the past five years.” But now, finally, Casino Pier is whole again. Replacing Jet Star is Hydrus. One ride on it, pictured here, revealed it to be one of the smoothest Euro-Fighters built. It’s built above the beach rather than out over the water so as to avoid another disaster. It is both thrilling riders and raising spirits in this portion of the Jersey shore, where everything is not yet back to normal. Storino has fortified the pier since rebuilding. Good engineering has resulted in locating the pilings in better patterns, placing batter piles by the waterline, and strengthening the footprint. He believes the pier will now be able to better withstand future storms. “We are never complete,” he maintains. “There is always something to be done. We will still be adding future rides to the new pier, but for now it marks the end of the Superstorm Sandy era and signals the new Casino Pier.”
MARCH 2018
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