Carousel (San Francisco, California)

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  maplee

  San Francisco Recreation & Park Historic Carousel in Golden Gate Park A carousel has been in Golden Gate Park near the site of the oldest (1887) children's playground since the playground opened in 1888. The third, current carousel, was originally carved and manufactured in 1912 in North Tonawanda, New York by the Herschell-Spillman Company formed by Armitage Herschell and the Spillmans. It was first powered by steam until PG&E offered to loan an electric motor to the merry-go-round (carousel) if the park would carry the remaining expenses. It was one of the main carrousel's at the 1939 World's Fair on Treasure island and used in several public parks on the West Coast. In addition to 62 menagerie animals, the original carousel hosted several decorative benches, a complete set of picture panels and an organ. The carousel ran continuously for 65 years until 1977, when its mechanism failed. By this time, although many times repainted, it was very dilapidated, as well as mechanically unsound. In collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department began the restoration of the carousel. A team of crafts people removed paint, rebuilt surfaces, carved missing parts, and painted the animals anew, employing a color palette that produced a amazing spectrum that distinguishes this carousel. By the time of its reopening in 1984, a German band organ (Gebruder-Bruder), last used at Indianapolis Speedway, was installed in the carousel to provide music as it would come from a calliope. A Royal Past The word carousel is derived from the Italian word garosello and the Spanish word carousel, both of which mean "little war". They describe the serious game that Arabian and Turkish horseman first played in the 12th century with real horses and lances. The game eventually spread to Europe in the 1680s, becoming an event of pageantry and horsemanship. Craftsman created wooden, suspended horses for young royalty to practice for these tournaments. From this, the modern carousel was developed and the "golden age" of the wooden carousel flourished from 1880 to the early 1930s.

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