Behind the Scenes at the Boardwalk: New Building Means Fun For Employees Too

Tucked away behind the Haunted Castle lies the nerve center of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a place most guests will never see.

It's where security monitors video screens around the park and where employees punch in, get trained and change into clothes in special locker rooms. It's also where there is an infirmary for guests who get hurt or sick and a help desk if they get lost.

In many amusement parks what they call "the back of the house" is often dirty stark and dingy, a huge contrast to the brightly colored fun zone that customers see, according to Kris Reyes, the  Boardwalk's community relations director.

This year the park's parent company, the Seaside Corporation, finished two years of work on the new employee's headquarters. They began moving in November from scattered offices around the park and will be running fully before the park reaches its high season over the summer.

You are looking at the headquarters when you see the outside of the Haunted Castle. The ride actually goes underground and its walls house the command center.

"Guest services at an amusement park is typically the place where guests come when something has gone wrong with their visit," says Reyes. "Maybe they've lost their wallet or cell phone, maybe they tripped and skimmed their knee. Usually amusement park guest services are stark and drab, so it's a big contrast. It sort of feels like you are no longer having fun."

With the help of Santa Cruz designer Timerie Gordon, of Nielsen Architects and Design Studio, they came up with ways to keep things bright and cheerful for guests in need and the employees who have to put on a happy face all day.