A historic Ferris wheel will be back to where it was originally built in Pennsylvania following a $2.2 million restoration effort.
An iconic piece of Jersey Shore history is now back where it belongs in Phoenixville, where it was originally made more than 100 years ago. NBC10’s Tim Furlong has more on the Phoenix Wheel and the massive effort to get it back home.
An iconic piece of Jersey Shore history is now back in the Pennsylvania town where it was originally born more than 100 years ago. The Phoenix Wheel — built 133 years ago by the long-closed Phoenix Steel Company — has returned to Chester County, where it was originally built. The structure will stand just yards from its original birthplace in the heart of Phoenixville.It is one of just four so-called Phoenix Wheels built in the 1890s and the only one still in existence. “Not only is it an incredible celebration of returning home after 133 years, but it’s a great celebration of America and American craftsmanship,” Phoenixville Mayor Peter Urscheler said. The 78-foot-tall Ferris wheel was once a fixture in Asbury Park, New Jersey, before it was removed in 1988 and sent to a theme park in Mississippi. After about a decade there, it went into storage before the Schuylkill River Heritage Center began their $2.2 million public private effort to bring it home and get it back together.“The biggest challenge is trying to figure out what went where, because we just started with a pile with no direction,” Gern Jaeger of Specialty Metals Welding and Fabrication said.With no instruction manual, crews relied on trial and error to piece the wheel back together. Many of the original carts were still intact, while smaller missing parts had to be newly fabricated. Even so, workers said the original craftsmanship held up remarkably well over time. “I had this thing together in my building three times because I didn’t want to come out here on the world stage and not have it fit,” Jaeger said. Beyond its Phoenixville and Jersey Shore history, the iconic Ferris wheel also has ties to rock and roll. It appeared in the background of photos featuring Asbury Park music legend Bruce Springsteen. The Ferris wheel meant so much to Springsteen, that he agreed to help the team raise money to pay to restore it. “We actually have him involved in this project. He is providing us a series of signed posters that we are going to be raffling off to offset the cost of this project,” said Mike Kajak of the Schuylkill River Heritage Center. Fundraising efforts also include the sale of commemorative bricks and even a special Phoenix Wheel beer. The grand opening for the wheel and the surrounding park is set for June 6, 2026. While it will initially stand as a piece of art, there is hope it could one day operate again as a ride.
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