The Capital Wheel Media Kit 116 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745 301-842-8650 NationalHarbor.com TheCapitalWheel.com
The Vision The Capital Wheel at National Harbor is poised to take its place as a worldclass destination and iconic addition to the skyline of the nation s capital. This sophisticated yet family-friendly adventure for visitors of all ages is the first of its kind in the northeastern region of the United States. The May 2014 debut of The Capital Wheel to National Harbor s waterfront adds to the growing roster of large-scale observation wheels around the globe. Nice Ride! The Capital Wheel s 42 climate-controlled gondolas, each accommodating up to eight passengers, feature glass exteriors to maximize the panoramic views of the National Mall, Washington Monument, Alexandria s Masonic Temple and beyond. National Harbor One (the VIP Gondola) accommodates up to four passengers and features glass floors, a retracting monitor/dvd player and leather bucket seats. Good Eats Creative seasonal concessions from Wolfgang Puck Catering are available for purchase by visitors, and Wolfgang Puck Catering can be hired for private events as well. National Harbor One, the entire Wheel and even the pier on which it sits can all be rented for functions from intimate parties to weddings and for business, corporate and organizational events. Economic Impact With their potential for economic development from both tourism and job creation observation wheels are a growing trend nationally and worldwide. In fact, according to Parenting.com, large-scale wheels had already topped the list of travel trends by 2013. Other U.S. cities with such attractions include Atlanta, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Niagara Falls, Pigeon Forge and Seattle. Globally, wheels are found in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth (Australia), Cape Town and Johannesburg (South Africa), Leeds and London (England), Malacca Island (Malaysia) and the Republic of Singapore.
Our Partners Icon Attractions, LLC Icon Attractions is the management company for the day-to-day operations of The Capital Wheel. Icon Attraction s management team brings an average of more than 25 years of extensive experience in the entertainment industry, from small local attractions to some of the largest water parks and theme parks to The Capital Wheel and The Carousel at National Harbor. Wolfgang Puck The kitchens of renowned, award-winning chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck provide creative seasonal concessions for The Capital Wheel, as well as catering for private events. Formed in May 1998, Wolfgang Puck Catering provides restaurant and special event catering and food service management for cultural, corporate and entertainment venues across the country. Cianbro This construction services company whose engineers built The Capital Wheel is the project s general contractor and construction manager. With great fanfare, Cianbro delivered the Wheel s base components to the National Harbor job site in late February 2014 after braving winter wind and waves on the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. It took two days for a tugboat to push a barge-load of steel components fabricated at Cianbro s Baltimore facility to the site. Cianbro s team members are skilled and experienced in the complete spectrum of construction trades, and the firm does civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, fabrication and coating in 12 markets throughout the United States. Chance Rides Manufacturing This family-owned company located in Wichita, Kansas, has built amusement rides and attractions for more than 50 years. Its products include several sizes of observation wheels with climate-controlled, glass-walled gondolas providing unobstructed views, many also featuring energy-efficient LED lighting, two-way, wireless communication and SOS systems. Since 2005, the company has built about one observation wheel a year. CWA Construction This Swiss company built the gondolas that Cianbro installed for The Capital Wheel. The company prides itself on guaranteed customer satisfaction at the highest level and strives to build customer loyalty through its customer-first orientation, practical solutions, Swiss quality, integrated design, innovative power and outstanding after-sales service.
Hours: Summer Hours: May 22 August 31 Everyday 10am 11pm Beginning September, hours are: Sunday Thursday 11 am until 10 pm Friday & Saturday 10 am until 11 pm New Years Eve open until 1 am Pricing: All tickets, plus tax: $15 for adults $11.25 per child ages 3 11 Free for children ages 2 and under Discount pricing is available for seniors and military with valid ID for $13.50 Tickets for the VIP gondola cost $50 each Prices, dates and availability are subject to change without notice. Methods of Payment: Debit/Credit Card Only. Master Card, Visa and Discover Facts & Figures The Capital Wheel soars 180 feet, 3-5/16 inches above the Potomac River on the National Harbor waterfront in Prince George s County, Maryland. Including its base, the Wheel rises more than 179 feet into the air (179 feet, 3-5/16 inches to be exact). And adding in the pier on which it stands, the Wheel reaches a height of 180 feet, 2 inches. The Wheel s diameter is 171 feet, 2-9/16 inches. Sweeping views are visible from the 42 glass-enclosed gondolas including National Harbor One (the VIP Gondola). The panorama includes the White House, U.S. Capitol, National Mall, Arlington Cemetery, Washington Monument, City of Alexandria and Prince George s County. The Wheel incorporates 1.6 million fully programmable LED lights with a spectrum of 16,387,064 colors. Each glass-enclosed gondola weighs 1,500 pounds, measures approximately 6 long by 5 wide by 5 high and holds up to eight passengers (up to 1,380 pounds). With a maximum of 332 passengers per ride, annual ridership is projected at 600,000 to 800,000. The gondolas have interior lights and two-way, individual communication with the operator, and their doors open facing the harbor, for another unobstructed view. Thanks to its climate-controlled gondolas, the Wheel is open year-round.
Engineering The Capital Wheel The Wheel was manufactured by Chance American Wheels in Wichita, Kansas; Brown Craig Turner of Baltimore, Maryland, was the architect; and Cianbro, also of Baltimore, was general contractor and construction manager. The spokes, also called sweeps, were manufactured to fold in half for transport. Once built, the Wheel s base components were put on a Cianbro barge and pushed by a Cianbro tugboat from Baltimore to National Harbor via the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Smith s Shipyard provided the 1,300 horsepower tug, named Rising Sun and measuring 60 feet long by 22 feet wide. Cianbro s two barges were made by Flexifloat, one (measuring 50 feet wide by 140 feet long by seven feet deep) for the materials and one (measuring 60 feet wide by 120 feet long by seven feet deep) for the crane that lifted the components from the barge to the pier. Cianbro s Manitowoc 4100 Series 2 crane has a maximum lifting capacity of 460,000 pounds. The materials barge carried 280,000 pounds of galvanized steel base for the Wheel, fabricated by Cianbro s Fabrication and Coating Team, and 120,000 pounds worth of Wheel tower legs and other miscellaneous components furnished by Chance Rides. The Wheel structure weighs approximately 320 tons, exclusive of the base, whose grid weighs an additional 140 tons. The Wheel s eight legs support a 95-foot axle, which took a full day to install. Four 50-horsepower variable drive motors rotate the Wheel. Each ride lasts approximately 12-15 minutes. Installation of the Swiss-made gondolas had to be done in a way that allowed the Wheel to remain balanced. This required loading the first four gondolas, one by one, and then rotating the Wheel 180 degrees. Subsequently, gondolas were loaded four at a time, followed by a 90 degree rotation, until the Wheel was fully assembled.
Iconic Venue The Wheel is available for private parties and special events, with catering by Wolfgang Puck Catering. For more information please contact Group Sales at 301.842.8650.
Media Contact Melissa Norris, Icon Attractions 301.857.0145 mnorris@iconattractions.com Staying Connected Angela Sweeney, Peterson Companies 443.691.2957 asweeney@petersoncos.com Advertising, media events, media sales, appearances, filming/photography requests Melissa Norris, Icon Attractions 301.857.0145 mnorris@iconattractions.com National Harbor sales, events, parties, & donations Ashley Hinmon, ahinmon@petersoncos.com The Capital Wheel and Carousel sales, events, parties, tickets & donations Melissa Norris, mnorris@iconattractions.com Wolfgang Puck Catering, sales, events, sponsorships, food & beverage, parties & donations Kathryn Lasek, kathi.lasek@wolfgangpuck.com The Capital Wheel Sponsorship Lisa DeBow, lisa.debow@cloudburstag.com