32 times • MAY 7, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com old timer Taking a ride on the Forest Park Carousel presented by the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society For over a century, a carousel in Forest Park has been part of growing up in Woodhaven, Glendale, Ridgewood and many of the nearby neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn. In many families, several generations have fond memories of riding on the carousel as children, and have passed along the tradition by taking their own children or grandchildren for their first ride. The Forest Park Carousel is still going strong and will be officially opening its 2015 season on Memorial Day weekend and will be open seven days a week thereafter (open on weekends until then). Throughout the summer, the carousel will be the scene of many birthday parties, and there are clown and magic shows scheduled every Saturday and Sunday. It is truly a fun ride, but it is also an important historical location and a beautiful artistic creation. When you take a ride on this carousel, you are riding on something that millions of children have ridden on over the past century. Artistically, the Forest Park Carousel is particularly notable as it was the handiwork of the legendary master carver Daniel Muller. Muller came to the United States from Germany as a child in the 1880s and as a young man he and his brother worked for Gustav Dentzel, a renowned carousel builder in his own right. Dentzel’s father built carousels back in Germany going back to the mid-18th century. Muller took advantage of the opportunity to learn all of these old-world skills from Dentzel and blended it with his own realistic style to carve out a name for himself and in 1903, D.C. Muller and Bro. Company was founded. Muller’s carvings were notable not only for being very beautiful and realistic; in some cases the carvings were militaristic, with horses sporting bugles, swords and canteens. Over 14 years, D.C. Muller and Bro. created over a dozen carousels but, sadly, today only two remain: one in Cedar Point, Ohio, and ours right here in Forest Park. “The Mullers are pretty unique in today’s world because they became too valuable and people took carousels apart just to collect them,” said Todd Goings, of Carousels and Carvings, out of Marion, Ohio. The Forest Park Carousel contains three rows of carvings; the outer row contains 13 standing horses, three menagerie animals and two chariots. The inner two rows each contain 18 jumping horses (for a total of 36). While the Forest Park Carousel is often referred to as a Muller carousel, you will also find a few carvings from Dentzel and Charles Carmel, another notable carousel artist of the same era, on the inner two rows. Even amongst the Mullers, some are more valuable than others. “The jumper horses are not as sought after as those on the outside row,” Goings said. “When you say Muller, that’s what everyone thinks of, those large ‘standers’ on the outside row, though he did jumpers, as well.” Over the past century, the Carousel at Forest Park has had its share of dramatic ups and downs. For many decades, the carousel was a destination for families — the children would enjoy the ride, reaching for the brass rings to win a free ride, while the parents could enjoy a cool beer. The organ music wafted throughout the park and people from all over would come to enjoy the ride. That all seemed to end in December 1966. Forest Park was a haven for drug addicts and vandals back then and the carousel was destroyed in a suspicious blaze, one of many that plagued the park in that era. The community was devastated and it appeared that the chances of rebuilding or replacing the carousel were slim. The city received $50,000 in fire insurance when the carousel burned down, but just rebuilding the outer building was estimated at $100,000. There were a few glimmers of hope over the next few years, but no real progress. Assemblyman Frederick D. Schmidt kept advocating for a replacement carousel and in early 1972, Parks Commissioner August Heckscher announced that “significant progress” had been made. A Muller carousel, built in 1903, was being operated at Lakeview Park in Dracut, Massachusetts. However, the amusement park had fallen on tough times and it was interested in selling their carousel. In the end, the NYC Parks Department purchased the carousel for $30,000 and brought it here to Forest Park. Over the next few decades, the carousel had even more ups and downs. After falling into disrepair in the mid-1980s, carousel expert Marvin Sylvor led a 1988 restoration and the ride remained healthy until 2009 when it was shuttered for a few years when the Parks Department was unable to find a suitable vendor to manage it. In stepped New York Carousel and under their stewardship, the historic ride has been rejuvenated. With its designation as a New York City Landmark two years ago, its future is bright and secure. Over the past winter the Forest Park Carousel underwent a major overhaul with many of the century old gears and bearings replaced, a repair job that took months and required that the carousel be taken completely apart, piece by piece. “We did this so it can run for another hundred years in this very spot,” said David Galst, managing director of New York Carousel. “We know that people are very protective of this carousel and we want it to last forever.” Galst will be visiting the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society (Emanuel United Church of Christ on 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard) at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, to show pictures and video of the repair job and explain what was done. The presentation is free and open to everyone, and light refreshments will be served. Until then, make sure you take some time to enjoy this historic landmark in our midst — and be sure to bring the kids! If you have questions for the Old Timer or would like to share your stories and photos, write to The Old Timer, c/o Ridgewood Times, 62-70 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood, NY 11385, or send an email to editorial@ ridgewoodtimes.com. All mailed photographs will be carefully returned to you. A view of the original Forest Park Carousel in 1940 The present Forest Park Carousel continues to delight children of all ages from around the community.
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