What happens when you
fuse an iconic piece of American nostalgia with an innovative team of
creatives? Only the most recent addition
to Madison Art's long history of artistic accomplishments!
When we were first
approached by Shannon Noon of Ewing Cole to replicate the famous Coney Island
Parachute Jump Chair for Kitchen 21, operated by Legends Hospitality, we could
not wait to take on such a unique challenge. If there's one thing we're
passionate about, other than cutting edge art, it's breathing new life into
timeless designs.
The original
Parachute Jump ride was built for the 1939 New York World's Fair held in
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and later moved to its permanent home at
Steeplechase Amusement Park. There, it was in operation until 1964, forever
engraving itself in the memories of generations of thrilled riders.
More than 50 years after that last ride, and a few
blocks down the boardwalk sits another beloved Coney Island Landmark- the
Childs Building. Originally built as a
restaurant in 1923, this historic building sat vacant and decaying for many
years until iStar, a developer working with New York City, envisioned restoring
this stunning piece of architecture back to its former glory. Part of the
restoration effort for this landmark building included a renovation of its
interior space back into a restaurant. EwingCole was brought in to help
envision a new life for this restaurant.
One of the goals EwingCole had in the design of
this space was to give the clients a “WOW” moment; to create a magical
Instagram and Facebook opportunity inside the space for the patrons. They also
wanted to find a way to make the most of a series of magnificent existing
arched windows that line the street-side façade of the building, and to take
advantage of the one of a kind view perfectly framing the Parachute Jump.
When EwingCole
pitched the idea of recreating one of the original Parachute Jump seats to
iStar, they loved the idea. EwingCole in turn pitched the idea to us and we
were excited for the opportunity and challenge!
You may be wondering what our biggest challenge would be in
creating the Parachute Jump chair. As it
turned out, the chair no longer existed! The only documentation we had to go
off were black and white photos of enthusiastic riders on the Parachute Jump
chair. We decided to dive into multitudes of sketches and discussions about
design, engineering, sustainability, durability, and safety, all while
capturing the raw essence of the Parachute Jump. The materials and method
of creation had to fit within the time-period and several concepts were tested
before submitting final drawings and selections. What happened next was
visually inspiring.
As we created and assembled the
chair, we realized if only for a moment, we were weaving ourselves into
history. For decades, there was no physical form of a Parachute Jump Chair and
we were bringing it back to life! The best part is that this beauty was built
by Madison Studio artists, each specializing in either wood, metal or textiles.
These three artists joined forces to create this delightfully detailed piece.
It was a privilege and educational journey for us. We are beyond grateful
to Ewing Cole and Kitchen 21 for the opportunity to be a part of Coney Island’s
history!
Even NYC's finest are enjoying the chair!
For more information...
