New Orleanians had the chance to soar to new heights — 80 feet, to be exact — 85 years ago this week when the legendary Zephyr roller coaster debuted at the Pontchartrain Beach amusement park. Newspaper ads called the wooden roller coaster the “most daring sensational ride in America.”
According to Bryan Batt and Katy Danos’ book “Pontchartrain Beach: A Family Affair,” the roller coaster was designed in Dayton, Ohio by the National Amusement Device Company. Batt’s grandfather, Harry Batt Sr., founder and owner of Pontchartrain Beach, paid a whopping $100,000 for the attraction. He was pictured in the April 15, 1939, Times-Picayune presenting Mrs. A.L. Claverie with a $25 prize for naming the roller coaster the Zephyr. Its Art Deco loading station was designed to resemble the lead car of the Burlington Zephyr train, which ran between Chicago and Denver.
“At its highest point, the new Zephyr exceeds 80 feet and at its turn it is expected to attain a speed of more than 80 miles per hour,” reported the April 23, 1939, Sunday Item-Tribune. In the same article, Harry Batt Sr. said the ride had been thoroughly tested. “Although it’s one of the most thrilling experiences of its kind, engineers and other experts have examined it minutely and pronounced it safe,” he said.
The Zephyr opened to the public on April 23, 1939. Miss New Orleans 1938, Irene Schoenberger, was on hand to christen the coaster with a bottle of champagne.
The Zephyr remained a popular attraction for decades, until Pontchartrain Beach’s closure in 1983.
The building at 210 Baronne Street began life as the headquarters of Canal Bank and Trust in 1927.
