On Friday, July 7, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz opened a new chapter in the colorful history of a Brooklyn icon by flipping the switch to illuminate the Parachute Jump on the legendary Coney Island boardwalk. After standing sentinel over “America’s Favorite Playground” for more than sixties years, Coney Island’s “beacon of the boardwalk” twinkled to life when 17 lamps and 150 lighting fixtures featuring 450 LEDs all turned on for the first time.

The 277-foot-tall tower’s sparkling lights, designed by artist Leni Schwendinger, shone for all to see for the first time, from Staten Island, New Jersey and beyond. Borough President Markowitz had the bright idea to transform it into a symbol of the revitalization of Coney Island as a year-round round-the-clock live-work community that attracts families and visitors from across America. Through a partnership with the Borough President’s Office, the Mayor’s office, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the City Council, the city’s Economic Development Corporation, artist Leni Schwendinger, and engineering firm STV, the project took two years from inception to completion.

During the summer months the tower will be lit in one of six lighting schemes that reflect the seasons, holidays, and even the lunar cycles. The Parachute Jump will be illuminated from dusk until midnight May through October, and dusk until 11 p.m. other times.