The Forest Park Carousel is a historic carousel at Forest Park in the borough of Queens, New York City, United States. The carousel, one of two known surviving carousels built by Daniel Carl Muller, was built circa 1903 and contains 52 figures and its original band organ. () Originally located in Dracut, Massachusetts, the carousel was relocated to Forest Park in 1972, replacing an earlier carousel on the site. The ride, operated by NY Carousel since 2012, is part of a seasonal amusement center called Forest Park Carousel Amusement Village. The Forest Park Carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and has been a New York City designated landmark since 2013.
The carousel is on Forest Park Drive, just west of Woodhaven Boulevard, and is housed in a one-story pavilion designed by Victor Christ-Janer. Its figures include 36 moving horses, 13 stationary horses, three menagerie figures, and two chariots. The horses, animals, and chariots are placed in three rows on a two-level rotating platform. Each of the horses has a different hand-carved design, and the horses also have realistic features such as glass eyes and genuine horse hair. Although Muller designed most of the horses, one horse is credited to William Dentzel, while two others are attributed to Charles Carmel. Two other horses were made of fiberglass and may date from the 1980s. The platform rotates around a wooden cabinet with a band organ designed by the Andreas Ruth and Sohn Band Organ Company. The organ is surrounded by 18 panels with murals, which were installed in the early 2000s and were designed by Jonathan Lev.
The current Forest Park Carousel is older than the structure that it replaced, which was built and burned down under suspicious circumstances in December 1966. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) attempted to procure a replacement carousel for several years, and it gave Restaurant Associates a concession to operate the ride. Restaurant Associates bought Lakeview Park's carousel and reopened it in November 1973; the ride continued to operate until the mid-1980s. Carousel Parks Inc., led by Marvin Sylvor, leased the ride in 1988 and reopened it the next year following an extensive restoration. Sylvor operated the ride until 1993, and NYC Parks reassigned the concession to Carlos Colon the next year. After the carousel closed in 2008, various community groups began advocating for the ride to be designated as a New York City landmark. NY Carousel reopened the ride in 2012 following an extensive restoration, and it renovated the carousel again in 2014.
Description The carousel is near the center of Forest Park, a 500-acre park within the New York City borough of Queens. The carousel is on Forest Park Drive, just west of Woodhaven Boulevard, which separates the park's western and eastern sections. It is part of the Forest Park Carousel Amusement Village, a seasonal attraction with various games and a cafe. The ride is just north of Strack Pond and is surrounded by a visitor center, picnic grove, and the Forest Park Greenhouse; the surrounding area also contains a golf course, a clubhouse, and the Seuffert Bandshell. The current carousel was originally installed in Dracut, Massachusetts, United States, north of Lowell; it was relocated to Forest Park in 1972.
Carousel The carousel was one of approximately a dozen manufactured by German immigrant Daniel Carl Muller. It is Muller's only carousel in New York City and, along with the Midway Carousel at Cedar Point in Ohio, is one of two known remaining carousels made by the D.C. Muller and Brother Company. The New York Times wrote in 1976 that the carousel "reflects the more genteel Philadelphia style of Daniel Carl Mueller and the Dentzel family". Early reports cite either Michael or Gustav Dentzel as having built the carousel; Muller was associated with the Dentzel family until 1899 and from 1917 to 1928. The carousel has a diameter of .
Horses and animals When the carousel was reinstalled in the 1970s, it was cited as having 36 moving horses, 13 stationary horses, three menagerie figures (a panther, lion, and stag), and two chariots. By the 21st century, the current carousel included a wooden lion, deer, and tiger, although the horses and two chariots remained in place. The horses, animals, and chariots are placed in three rows on a two-level rotating platform. The stationary horses are in the outermost row and are the largest, while the middle and innermost rows have progressively smaller moving horses. They generally contain military motifs such as bedrolls and saddles. Each of the horses has a different hand-carved design in oil paint; some of the horses have tucked heads. The horses also have a large number of realistic features: for instance, the tails consist of genuine horse hair, and the horses have glass eyes.
Although Muller designed most of the horses, one horse is cited as having been designed by William Dentzel, while two others are attributed to Charles Carmel. Over the years, several of the horses have been replaced. Of Carmel's two horses, one has five feathers on its chest strap, while the other has a fringed shawl on its chest. William Dentzel's horse contains an object at the back of its saddle, which resembles a horse. Two other horses were made of fiberglass and may have been manufactured by the Fabricon Design Group, which renovated the ride in the late 1980s.
Organ The platform rotates around a wooden cabinet with a band organ designed by the Andreas Ruth and Sohn Band Organ Company. The cabinet is divided into three sections and includes a scrolled molding at its top. The organ includes a set of nine pipes flanked by a drum and cymbals. Although these instruments were capable of playing pre-recorded music, they are no longer in use. The organ also contains a central power unit surrounded by 18 panels, each of which originally depicted the carousel's original location at Lakeview Park. The modern-day organ contains tall, narrow panels that are identical to each other. The lower sections of these panels have mirrors, as well as decorations surrounded by faces; there is a winged cherub with garlands atop each face. The panels originally contained projecting poles for the carousel's brass rings. The power unit is surrounded by modern-style wallboard.
The organ is surrounded by 18 panels with murals, which were installed in the early 2000s and were designed by Jonathan Lev. Each of the panels measure . The murals depict nine scenes from Queens' history, including Forest Park's administration building and golf course, automobiles driving on a parkway (likely the Jackie Robinson Parkway), the first Forest Park Carousel, and the nearby Forest Hills Gardens neighborhood. At the time of the current carousel's construction, many carousels contained similar murals. The panels themselves are rounding boards with ornamental medallions between them.
Pavilion
The carousel is installed within an octagonal, single-story wooden pavilion. Victor Christ-Janer originally designed a circular structure for the pavilion, but Fabricon Design Group modified the design in the 1980s. The pavilion contains vertical steel piers placed at regular intervals, as well as metal doors, which retract upward into the ceiling when the carousel is in operation. The piers support an overhanging eave, which is capped by a sloping roof, The eave contains wooden decoration such as carved faces, scrolls, and scallops. The roof has wooden rafters and tapers to a finial. The roof has vinyl tiles and a weather vane that date from 1998, as well as fiberglass castings installed in 1989. There is also a ticket booth that dates from 1989.
History Original carousel Not much is known of Forest Park's original carousel, which occupied the same site as the current carousel. The first carousel was likely built in 1916, although local website QNS.com was unable to verify the exact date of the carousel's opening. It was designed by William Dentzel, son of prolific carousel manufacturer Gustav Dentzel. Its horses were described as being "of German design and import" by way of Coney Island. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported in 1932 that the city had selected bids for concessionaires "to install and operate a carousel in Forest Park". That year, the New York City government awarded a five-year contract to Fred J. L. Hassinger, who already operated a carousel at the park. According to the Eagle, although the city government owned the carousel structure, the concessionaire was responsible for providing the machine that powered the carousel.
Destruction and replacement attempts The carousel was destroyed in a fire on December 10, 1966; investigators determined that the conflagration was "of suspicious origin". The Island Refreshment Corporation (IRC) operated the carousel at the time. Residents of the nearby Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens, Woodhaven, and Glendale neighborhoods indicated in February 1967 that they would ask the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) to provide money for several improvements to Forest Park, including a new carousel. That April, the Glendale Taxpayers Association asked the Queens borough president's office to fund the replacement of the Forest Park Carousel. IRC president Robert Stralle said the next month that the carousel would be replaced.
The city and IRC began planning a new carousel in mid-1967 after the city received a $50,000 insurance payout. By the end of the year, the city planned to rebuild the carousel and add several small attractions in the immediate area. Construction was expected to start in February 1968. Little progress occurred for two years until May 1970, when New York City parks commissioner August Heckscher said "we have made substantial progress toward the reconstruction of the carousel in Forest Park". NYC Parks opened a request for proposals (RFP), soliciting bids from concessionaires that wished to operate a proposed carousel and food-concession stand within the park. NYC Parks did not take any action on the bids for over a year, and community members complained that Heckscher had failed to respond to their queries. In late 1971, Heckscher and NYC Parks' concessions director Joseph Fallon said they were trying to procure a carousel from the defunct Palisades Amusement Park. Ultimately, Restaurant Associates was selected as the new concessionaire.
Current carousel The current Forest Park Carousel was originally part of the Lakeview Amusement Park, a trolley park in Dracut, Massachusetts, that was developed in the late 19th century. The carousel was built . The Barbuti family operated the carousel for 52 years, starting around 1920. The resort was largely destroyed by fire in 1950, although several of the park's individual operations continued to operate until 1971, including the carousel. Local residents referred to the attraction's horses as "Bobbie Horses".
Relocation and Restaurants Associates operation After the 1971 season, the Barbuti family decided to sell off the carousel. The Lowell Sun wrote at the time: "Selling the carousel marked the death of that park that was once Dracut's pride." The carousel was acquired by Victor Christ-Janer, an architect from Connecticut, who initially planned to sell the ride to an amusement park. He removed several of the horses; sources disagree over whether he gifted them to his employees or sold them to private collectors. In any case, Christ-Janer instead opted to sell it to Arthur Schleifer of Restaurant Associates, who paid $30,000 for the carousel. Prior to obtaining the Lakeview Park carousel, Schleifer had considered buying at least 24 carousels over the preceding two years.