Why did the amusement park close in 1968?
The amusement park closed in 1968, a victim of changing tastes and lowered profits in the amusement park business. The amusement park had been built in an era before most Americans had access to radios, televisions, automobiles, air conditioning, and a host of other recreational options. The electric streetcar company originally built Glen Echo amusement park to create a destination for trolley riders, but trolleys no longer existed. Most of America’s “trolley parks” had already closed well before the 1960s. With racial tensions high at Glen Echo Park in the 1960s and other—more profitable—real estate development options available, the last owners chose to close the amusement park in 1968 and seek zoning clearance to build an apartment complex on the site.
