Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2018.

Ocean View Roller Coaster

Artist/Maker Eugene D. Woolridge (American, 1954 - 2006)

CultureAmerican

Date1979

MediumChromogenic print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 × 30 1/8 in. (61 × 76.5 cm)

InscribedSigned on the mat: Eugene Woolridge

Credit LineGift of the family of Joel B. Cooper, in memory of Mary and Dudley Cooper

Object number2002.26.15

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is a chromogenic print depicting the attempted destruction of a roller coaster at the Ocean View Amusement Park in 1979. Across the street in an empty parking lot, a photographer takes pictures. In the lower left corner, firemen and other people watch the explosion.

Label TextEugene D. Woolridge American, 1954–2006 Ocean View Roller Coaster, 1979 Chromogenic print (photograph) Many people from the Tidewater region will recall the event depicted here: the destruction of The Rocket, the iconic wooden roller coaster at Ocean View Amusement Park. When the beachside attraction was being closed for good, a group of moviemakers asked to blow up the ride and film it for a made-for-TV thriller about an out-of-control seaside resort. This photograph captures the climactic moment, but there’s more to the story that goes unseen. Locals note that the rollercoaster seemed rickety, adding to the thrill of a ride, but when the demo team tried to blow it up, the coaster wouldn’t budge. After two failed attempts, they used bulldozers to pull it down while setting off pyrotechnics. At once a factual document, a theatrical fiction, and a shared memory, this photograph encapsulates many of the themes of this exhibition. Gift of the family of Joel B. Cooper, in memory of Mary and Dudley Cooper 2002.26.15 ProvenanceJoel B. Cooper, Norfolk, Va., 1979-2002; Gift in memory of Mary and Dudley Cooper from the family of Joel B. Cooper to Chrysler Museum of Art, 2002. Exhibition History"By Popular Demand: Your Selections, Your Gallery," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, May 10 - August 31, 2014. "Photographs Take Time: Pictures from the Chrysler Collection," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, April 6 - August 26, 2018.