A large crane prepares for demolition work at Rocky Point. In the background is the former House of Horrors building. The City of Warwick is accepting bids from companies hoping to redevelop the site.

The Providence Journal / Kathy Borchers Kathy Borchers

WARWICK — It was the end of another Rhode Island era.

Under bright skies, wrecking crews yesterday began demolishing the former Rocky Point, as onlookers shared stories about good times they had at the once-glittering amusement park.

There was the harbor view from atop the Ferris wheel, and the smell of chowder cooking in the Shore Dinner Hall and the nauseous feeling that followed almost any ride on the Cyclone.

Watching years of dreams crumble so quickly was hard, Mayor Scott Avedisian commented over the roar of equipment.

But the buildings razed yesterday in the park’s midway section were far from dazzling. Gone were the rides and the children and the taste of fried food. A decade of vacancy had left the structures rotting, their facades marred by graffiti and decay.

The massive tangle of wood still standing gave way with a splintering crack, spilling away in exhausted heaps at the slightest bite from the giant construction claw.

“I was a child that came here and I have my own memories. I think we all do,” said Mark S. Hayward, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the park’s court-appointed receiver. “We’re trying to be respectful of those memories. But this is not the Rocky Point that people remember.”

When the park closed more than a decade ago, after years of losses under its former owner, Moneta Capital, some expected demolition to begin immediately. Instead the property sat vacant, inviting vandals and repeated fires.

Following a devastating blaze last fall, the city began pushing in earnest for demolition, saying the site was prone to vandals and no longer safe for rescue crews. That point was reinforced two days ago, when a trespasser was arrested for trying to sneak into a building on the property, the Warwick police said.

Demolition yesterday started with the “Roto Jets,” a former space ship ride, and moved on to the gift shop. The House of Horrors, also slated to come down, was postponed as the SBA waits for asbestos removal permits from the state’s Health Department.

The work is expected to take about three weeks, with the majority of the asbestos-laden debris set to be shipped to Superfund remediation sites outside the state. When the wrecking is done, just two buildings will be left standing: the Windjammer and the dinner hall.

Near the bellowing excavators, city and federal officials brokered last-minute deals for what was to become of the paraphernalia that remained. Already the rides have been shipped to working amusement parks around the world — the Cyclone to Canada’s Prince Edward Island and the Flume to Philippines. Likewise, the park’s old signs have been on display in Trinity Rep’s production of The Fantasticks and will become part of the theater’s permanent set collections.

Hayward bequeathed the remaining House of Horrors cars to City Hall, while the mayor plucked the red ring toss loops from the ground, to send to the city’s historical society.

The SBA is still working on what’s next for the old property. A deal to redevelop the site as condominiums fell through this winter when a development consortium backed out. In recent weeks, the SBA has solicited a new round of bids and says it has nine offers currently in hand, though it will continue to accept applications from interested companies. The last round of bidding reached $25 million. Hayward described the latest offers as “in that range,” but would not give specific numbers. The director was scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C., last night to discuss the bids with SBA officials and said the park’s future looks bright.

But that was last night. Yesterday morning was a time to look back.

“Most people from Rhode Island and certainly most people who live in Warwick spent their childhoods here. So while it’s a good decision from a public safety and a redevelopment standpoint, it’s still difficult to see them pull it all apart today,” the mayor admitted. “It’s hard to watch parts of people’s childhoods taken down.”

cneedham@projo.com