{"id":7680,"date":"2020-02-29T23:11:46","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T06:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/?page_id=7680"},"modified":"2026-02-20T17:34:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:34:54","slug":"sky-scraper","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/attractions\/sky-scraper\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky Scraper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Opened: 20 Apr 1991
Location: North Midway
Manufactured By: Nauta Bussink – The Netherlands
Ride Model: Giant Wheel R50
Motors: 4 25kW rim drive
Footprint: 56 x 77 ft
Structural Weight: 400,000 lbs
Max Speed: 16 fps (~10 mph)
Max Height: 147 ft
Wheel Diameter: 134 ft
Number Of Gondolas: 36
Ride Capacity: 216 (6 per gondola)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lagoon’s fifteen-story-tall giant wheel, called Sky Scraper, opened in 1991. But it seems the ride may have had an earlier life at another park in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This particular park, south of Orlando in Haines City, was created by the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 1970s. The original plan was to build a new winter quarters for the circus along with a theme park named Circus World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only the park was built and it constantly struggled to do well as it changed hands several times through the years. Mattel, the toy manufacturer, owned it for a while. They sold it to a developer who later sold it to book publisher, Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich (who had also just acquired nearby SeaWorld Orlando and Cypress Gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Big Wheel stands in the center of this aerial photo of Boardwalk & Baseball. Photo: Winter Haven News Chief<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

HBJ turned Circus World into Boardwalk & Baseball in early 1987. A brand new baseball stadium was added for the Kansas City Royals to use during spring training and a local minor league team to use during the regular season. A giant Ferris wheel had been operating at the park since around 1985, but in 1987 it was replaced by a new one, about the same size, known as the Big Wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Big Wheel in Florida, October 1989. Footage: travelshorts<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite the improvements, the park never really became a success. HBJ sold all of their parks to Busch Entertainment and Boardwalk & Baseball closed for good in January 1990. By July, when an auction was held to get rid of rides and equipment, the Big Wheel had already been sold “for an undisclosed amount”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few months later, back in Utah, the Farmington Planning Commission gave Lagoon its approval to add a large observation wheel in October. The structure was just under the 150-foot height variance in place at the time. Soon after that, the giant wheel arrived at the park on thirteen semi-trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it has yet to be confirmed, it’s very likely that Lagoon’s wheel came from Boardwalk & Baseball considering the time frame and exact likeness of the ride.\u00b9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sky Scraper nearing completion in December 1990. Photo courtesy of Deseret News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Sky Scraper opened in spring 1991, it became the tallest ride at Lagoon since Colossus: The Fire Dragon was added in 1983.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wheel is rim-driven by four motors and engineered to withstand “hurricane-force” winds. Riders have the option of spinning their gondola 360-degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It came with a programmable light show function that utilized 180,000 bulbs and greatly increased Lagoon’s visual presence at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1990s postcard showing Sky Scraper and Flying Carpet at night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In many ways, Sky Scraper was superior to the much smaller, classic Ferris Wheel. It had been operating since 1953, but closed permanently after the 1990 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Original Sky Scraper entrance, 2014. Photo: B. Miskin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Originally, guests entered through a large, steel archway. The queue was divided into three lanes and a group was loaded from each lane consecutively. A typical ride includes three trips around, stopping intermittently as other groups load and unload. Depending on how full the wheel is loaded, a ride can last up to twenty minutes. After unloading, riders used to exit to the opposite side of the entrance and followed a path through trees and shrubbery, ending near the Flying Carpet exit. When Samurai opened in 2000, the end of Sky Scraper’s exit was slightly altered (shown in the slides below).<\/p>\n\n\n