Riding Central Park Carousel in New York City (2011)

The current carousel at Central Park originally was located in Coney Island and replaces an earlier carousel, once powered by a mule, which dated to 1871 (the mule was replaced by an electric motor in 1912). The carousel features 57 wooden horses and two chariots on a 50-foot diameter turntable. The Central Park horses are large (three-quarters life size) and fierce looking, and the carousel is fast. The chariots are big as well, holding up to ten people. The most popular horses at the Central Park carousel are Big Red, a "lead horse" decorated in ornate armor, and Bubbles, another lead horse. Only four of the 57 horses are stationary, a carousel rarity.

The replacement carousel had a history of its own before coming to Central Park; it was commissioned in 1908 and built by Artistic Caroussel Manufacturing Co. of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The larger-than-life Coney Island-style horses were carved by Sol Stein (1882-1937) and Harry Goldstein (ca. 1882-1945).

The Central Park Carousel was originally located at Coney Island at Surf Avenue and West 5th Street for four years before it was acquired by the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit System. It eventually ended up in storage. The Coney Island carousel was moved to Central Park in 1951 after a fire on November 8, 1950 destroyed the original carousel. New animals to decorate the carousel were created by the artisans in Parks's shops. The organ was replaced as well after the old one was destroyed in the fire; it features 86 keys, 2 drums, a tambourine and cymbals, and plays 20 paper roll records.

The Michael Friedsam Foundation sponsored the carousel's yellow and red brick patterned hexagonal shed along with the structure that houses the Prospect Park Carousel, which opened in 1952. Friedsam was the head of B. Altman & Co., the department store, and a philanthropic and civic leader in New York City until his death in 1931. The carousel and building received structural repairs in 1996, thanks to the Makkos Organization, which assumed responsibility for the carousel in 1995, and restoration of individual horses has progressed thanks to grants from the Central Park Conservancy. Restoring the horses is difficult and time consuming, requiring conservators to strip up to 30 layers of paint and varnish to get to the original surface. Eight horses are being restored at a time, and this will continue until all 57 are refurbished.

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• carousel
• flying
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• nyc
• merry-go-round
• central
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