The oldest operating coaster at Cedar Point, Blue Streak, has earned the rare distinction of being named a Roller Coaster Landmark by the American Coaster Enthusiasts. 

ACE reserves the honor for coasters of historical significance and only 45 others have received the designation to date, including Cedar Point’s own Magnum XL-200.  

Blue Streak opened in 1964 and was built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, one of the oldest coaster manufacturers still in existence. The 78-foot-tall, 40 miles-per-hour coaster got its name from the local high school sports teams in Sandusky, Ohio, though it wasn’t painted blue until 1968. 

According to the plaque placed alongside the ride Monday, its significance comes from it being the only coaster designed by Frank Hoover, PTC’s longtime construction chief, as well as recognizing Cedar Point overall for its preservation and care for the coaster. 

“We are so happy to have this in our collection of roller coasters,” Cedar Point communications director Tony Clark said. “Our carpenters take great pride in this roller coaster and I can tell you that we have no intention of changing this into anything but an out-and-back, traditional, wooden roller coaster.”    

ACE historian Dave Hohner recalled that during his first visit to Cedar Point in 1970, Blue Streak was the park’s most popular ride, with two- to three-hour waits stretching out to the main midway.

The ride had once been separately honored with a different ACE distinction as a Coaster Classic, which honors wooden roller coasters that still adhere to older principles of operation and design. Blue Streak had this designation rescinded in 1995 when it replaced the ride’s original bench seats with divided seats and separate headrests and lapbars for each rider — all of which violate ACE’s Coaster Classic rules.