Wonderland Pier's landmark Ferris wheel remains idle now while tucked behind a closed gate.
Towering 140 feet above the Boardwalk, the Ferris wheel at Wonderland Pier dominated the Ocean City skyline when it was brightly lit up and served as a signature ride at the amusement park.
Now, it stands dark and bleak – a casualty of Wonderland’s closing last October following years of financial struggles.
A community group, though, hopes to revive the Ferris wheel for the remainder of the summer tourism season by attaching 30 rotating laser lights that would create “a striking, dynamic visual effect.” The lighting plan would not bring the Ferris wheel back into operation as a working amusement ride.
Bill Merritt, a leader of the group Ocean City 2050, unveiled the lighting proposal Thursday night at a City Council meeting in hopes of winning the governing body’s support. However, the Council members did not comment when Merritt finished his remarks.
“The Ferris wheel has long stood as a visual landmark – an iconic symbol of Ocean City’s family-friendly charm and Boardwalk vitality. Today, it sits dark and silent. We believe we can change that in a way that is safe, simple and cost-free,” Merritt explained of Ocean City 2050’s proposal to light up the dormant amusement ride.
The biggest hurdle for Ocean City 2050 will be to win approval for the lighting plan from hotel developer Eustace Mita. In 2021, Mita bought the Wonderland site and now wants to build a 252-room luxury resort hotel, called "ICONA in Wonderland" on the property at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk.
Mita purchased Wonderland Pier for a reported $10 million after the former owner, Mayor Jay Gillian, defaulted on an $8 million mortgage and was facing a sheriff’s sale. Mita gave Gillian the opportunity to continue as Wonderland’s operator, but the mayor closed the park last October following years of financial difficulties.
An architectural rendering depicts the proposed "ICONA in Wonderland" resort hotel on the Ocean City Boardwalk.Ocean City 2050 has criticized Mita’s $150 million hotel project as a “Big Mistake” and instead has proposed a competing plan called “Wonderland Commons.” It would feature a smaller, more compact amusement park, a digital entertainment center, public attractions such as a band shell for live music, and a low-rise boutique hotel.
In the meantime, Mita has opened a new arcade and pizzeria at the Wonderland site for the summer while he works on longer-range plans to develop the resort hotel. Mita has plans to incorporate the Ferris wheel and Wonderland’s historic carousel into the hotel project.
For now, the Ferris wheel is closed to the public and remains unlighted. Merritt said Ocean City 2050 has sent Mita a note requesting permission to install the laser lights. Mita could not be reached for comment Friday.
Ocean City 2050 would purchase and deliver the lights to Mita, saving him from the cost of buying them, Merritt said. Mita’s team could choose where to mount the lights on the Ferris wheel and take charge of their installation, he added.
“With all 30 lasers in place, we believe the display will be visible from the Ninth Street Bridge, allowing the Ferris wheel to once again serve as a beacon for arriving families – celebrating the family-friendly spirit of this special town,” Merritt told City Council.
The laser lights would be low power, commercially available units, similar to those used in holiday displays, he noted.
“While they draw minimal electricity, they create a striking, dynamic visual effect,” Merritt said. “When used together in this number, they cast safe, rotating beams of light upward onto the (Ferris wheel) structure, simulating motion and energy.”
The Ferris wheel had served as Wonderland Pier's signature ride when the amusement park was still open.The lights would not be directed off-site or shine in the public right-of-way. Illuminating the Ferris wheel in this way would not violate the city’s light-pollution ordinances, Merritt pointed out.
“This small effort could make a big difference – restoring a beloved symbol of Ocean City and bringing joy to countless families who look to the Ferris wheel as part of their Boardwalk experience,” he said.
After thanking City Council for listening to him, Merritt concluded his remarks by saying, “Let’s bring back the light.”
