Cedar Point demolishes Space Spiral

At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 12, Cedar Point?????????s crews removed the Space Spiral to pave the way for the park?????????s new-for-2013 coaster, GateKeeper.

Contractors first worked with park maintenance staff to cut into the base of the ride, weakening it. Then a shaped charge was attached to precise points, and approximately 10 pounds of explosives triggered the 330-foot tower to fall. Workers calculated precisely where the tower would land and dug a large hole into the fall zone to cushion the impact of the cabin area.

The ride closed Aug. 14 in preparation for the demolition.

Cedar Point will pay tribute to the Space Spiral by including a portion of it in the Cedar Point Ride Graveyard during HalloWeekends this fall, where it will join past attractions that include the Rotor, Pirate Ride, Earthquake and Frontier Lift.

The Space Spiral had been in operation since 1965. It was built by Willy B?????????hler Space Towers of Berne, Switzerland with a double-decker cabin provided by Von Roll. At its opening in 1965 it was the fourth such tower to be built. The rotating ride lifted guests 285 feet above the midway, offering expansive views of the park and Lake Erie. At 330 feet in height it was the tallest structure in the park until the opening of Top Thrill Dragster in 2003. It was also one of the first rides guests would see when driving along the causeway into the park, and was part of the Cedar Point logo in the 1970s. The Space Spiral gave nearly 34 million rides in its lifetime.

Construction will begin this fall on GateKeeper, set to break world records when it debuts in May 2013. The park remains committed to offering new, innovative thrills as they plan for this and other future developments.

Source

That's probably one of the coolest videos of an amusement park I've ever seen.

[Turbo]

^second that

[Coasterkidmwm]

AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN

Timber! Seriously, I wonder how many of you really took time to ride Space Spiral.

I did get the chance to ride the Space Spiral many times, and when I was a kid I thought it was the coolest thing ever because you got to go even higher than the roller coasters. So I guess the sentimental side of me is a bit sad to see it go. But on the other hand, Gatekeeper looks really awesome, so at least I get to know that it's dying for a good cause.

I've never been to cp to ride it, but I love these towers, I've been on the kissing tower dozens of times, and the tower at sea world, so if I would've had the chance I definitly would've went on it

This is kinda an odd and off topic question but i wonder where they keep parts of roller coasters before assembling them in the park.

Any ideas guys?

They sit in the parking lot.

In the parking lot that seems kinda odd if ya ask me?

not really. paring lots are rather large and a great place for the storage for the large pieces of steel/ plus parking lots also include the service roads needed to transport the pieces into their proper place

I never got to ride it but R.I.P Space Spiral.

anyone else kinda flinch hoping space spiral wont hit another ride like wicked twister

No

[Mikey]

Holy dead thread Batman..