Frederick Church
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | October 3, 1878 |
| Died | 1936 |
Fredrick Church was a Canadian roller coaster designer and builder.
History
Fredrick Church was born on October 3, 1878 in Ontario, Canada and studied mechanical engineering at Tufts University. He began his career working for Webster Manufacturing and Engineering near Chicago, where he specialized in creating replacement parts for amusement park rides. He developed an interest in inventing new attractions.[1]
Fredrick Church patented a new type of roller coaster car with articulated couplings, which allowed for sharper turns. His first experiment with these cars was on the Bobs roller coaster, built alongside the Big Dipper on the Venice Amusement Pier. These innovations influenced roller coaster design worldwide.[2]
In 1928, Church's partnership with Frank Prior ended, and he relocated to the East Coast, setting up an office at Rye Playland and continuing to design coasters. Fredrick Church died in 1936.[3][4]
References
- ↑ "Frederick Church". manchesterhistory.net. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ↑ "A New Type Of Coupling". web.archive.org. 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ↑ "Prior & Church - Roller Coaster Designers". www.westland.net. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ↑ "Frederick Church". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2025-01-01.