Playland (San Francisco)
Playland in 1918
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| Location | Ocean Beach San Francisco, California |
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| Coordinates | 37°46′24″N 122°30′43″W / 37.77333°N 122.51194°WCoordinates: 37°46′24″N 122°30′43″W / 37.77333°N 122.51194°W |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Closed | 1972 |
| Previous names | Mooneysville-by-the-Sea, Chutes At The Beach, Playland at the Beach, Whitney's Playland |
| Area | 10 acres (40,000 m2) |
Playland (also known as Playland at the Beach and Whitney's Playland beginning in 1928) was a 10-acre (40,000 m2) seaside amusement park located next to Ocean Beach, in the Richmond District at the western edge of San Francisco, California along Great Highway where Cabrillo and Balboa streets are now. It began as a collection of amusement rides and concessions in the late 19th century and was known as Chutes At The Beach as early as 1913. It closed Labor Day weekend in 1972.
The area that was Playland began as a 19th-century squatter's settlement, "Mooneysville-by-the-Sea". By 1884, a steam railroad was in place to bring people to the first amusement ride at the City’s ocean side — a "Gravity Railroad" roller coaster, and to the Ocean Beach Pavilion for concerts and dancing. By 1890, trolley lines reached Ocean Beach — the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, the Park & Ocean Railroad, and the Sutro Railroad — that encouraged commercial amusement development as a trolley park. The Cliff House, which opened in 1863, and Sutro Baths, which opened in 1896, drew thousands of visitors.
The various rides and attractions that began to spring up along the beach were separately owned by various concessionaires. For example, John Friedle owned a and baseball-throwing concession. All of the rides at Chutes at the Beach were purchased new or built there, including the Shoot-the-Chutes, which inspired the first official name for the amusement area — Chutes at the Beach.
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