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{{#seo:|description=The Grand Carousel, was one of a few merry-go-rounds at Olentangy Park. Built in 1914, this Coney Island carousel had 54 horses and two chariots.}}
{{#seo:|description=The Grand Carousel, was one of a few merry-go-rounds at Olentangy Park. Built in 1914, this Coney Island carousel had 54 horses and two chariots.}}
{{#seo:|keywords=Grand Carousel, Carousel, Carrousel, Caroussel, Carousell, Merry-Go-Round, Olentangy Park, amusement park, Columbus, Clintonville, amusement park history}}
{{#seo:|keywords=Grand Carousel, Carousel, Carrousel, Caroussel, Carousell, Merry-Go-Round, Olentangy Park, Olentangy Amusement Park, Olentangy Park Columbus, Columbus amusement park, amusement park, Clintonville, defunct amusement park}}

Revision as of 00:35, 14 August 2024

Carousel
Other Name(s) Grand Carousel
Caroussel
Carrousel
Merry-Go-Round
Type Rotating Ride
Park Section Center
Built 1914
Opened 1914
Closed 1937 (park closure)
Manufacturer Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC)
William F. Mangels
Marcus C. Illions & Sons (Horse carvings)
Architect Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC)
Materials Wood
Vehicle Type Horses and Chariots
Number of Vehicles 54 horses, 2 chariots
Riders per Vehicle 1

The Grand Carousel, was one of a few "merry-go-rounds" at Olentangy Park. Built in 1914, the horses and decorations were carved by Marcus C. Illions and Sons, in collaboration with William F. Mangels and the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC).[1] It was moved to another part of the park in 1922.[2][3] When the park closed, it was moved to the Haenlein Brothers' new Zoo Amusement Park across from the Columbus Zoo.[4][5][6] This park was bought by the Gooding Amusement Company in 1956 after Leo Haenlein's death.[7] It became Wyandot Lake in the 1980s. After the ride was restored in 2000, it was installed and is currently operating at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.[8]

Description

The Coney Island carousel had 54 horses and two chariots. The carved wooden horses are in sets of three that move up and down and side to side. Mirrors topped its center pole, and elaborately carved shields were on the canopy. The shields were replaced by plastic by 1975, but it still played music from its organ.[6]

Notes

Ohio history plaques at the site and articles at the time of the carousel's restoration say the ride was built in 1914. However, Mangels worked with Illions to create Coney Island-style carousels early in the century, prior to M.C. Illions and Sons incorporating in 1909, putting the ride's creation much earlier. Donald L. Mains, Zoo Park president in 1975, believed the carousel was built sometime around 1900.[6] The National Carousel Association census also lists the carousel as being built in 1914, but the dates listed for Olentangy Park are inaccurate by nine years.[9]

Other carousels at the park had fanciful creatures, with a notable exception in 1930 when a new carousel called "Merry-Go-Round De Luxe" opened with most, if not all, horses.[10] It had the same number of horses, and the idea of using all horses was a "new" idea at the time.[11]

See Also

References

  1. Fried, Frederick. A Pictorial History of the Carousel.
  2. "Park Opens Today." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. 16 April 1922. Pg. 68.
  3. "New Restaurant Open." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 4 June 1922. Pg. 72.
  4. Barret, Richard E. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian. Vol. 1. April 1984. Pg. 17.
  5. "Zoo Amusement Park Has Established Its Popularity." Columbus Dispatch. 2 June 1929. Pg. 14-A.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Stout, Ned. "Zoo Park Season Starts with Look to Past." Columbus Dispatch. 23 April 1975. Pg. C-1.
  7. "Gooding Buys Amusement Park at Zoo." Columbus Dispatch. 9 April 1956. Pg. 3A.
  8. Carousel News and Trader. June 2010. http://esq.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/06/54d453969ae59_-_Carousel_News_and_Trader_BW_Borrelli_JUNE_2010.pdf
  9. "Grand Carousel, Columbus Zoo, Powell, OH." National Carousel Association. Census Query. Last Updated: 2016. Accessed 1 June 2024. https://carousels.org/USACensus/census.pl.
  10. "Bottle, At Least, To Be Broken On Head Of Good Bucephalus, Lead Horse Of Olentangy Carrousel." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 17 April 1930. Pg. 20.
  11. "Psychology Enters Even Into Carrousel Game." Columbus Evening Dispatch. 23 April 1930. Pg. 16.