L. A. Thompson's Scenic Railway was the first concession on the Zone to be finished and the first to operate. Built in three months in the spring of 1914, it was running by June and earned nearly half its cost before the Exposition opened. Even here the fair's color scheme ruled: the elephants on its front were tinted to specifications from Jules Guerin.
Todd called it 'an attraction as staple as groceries.' It ran without a break through the whole season and took in over $51,000. The Marine Cafe stood across the street.
At a glance
- First Zone concession completed and operating (June 1914).
- Receipts over $51,000 for the season.
- The elephant front was colored to Jules Guerin's specification.
Afterward
Demolished with the Zone in 1916.
Sources
- Frank Morton Todd, The Story of the Exposition, vol. II (1921), ch. XXVIII, pp. 148-149
- Frank Morton Todd, The Story of the Exposition, vol. II (1921), ch. XXIX, p. 155
- Frank Morton Todd, The Story of the Exposition, vol. II (1921), ch. LXIV, p. 353
- Map of the Zone concessions, spring 1915 (reproduced in 'Let Me Get There', USC Scalar), Spring 1915 map of the Zone concessions