Forest Park Carousel is a historic carousel located in Forest Park in the Woodhaven section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was built in 1903 and moved to its present site in 1972 from Dracut, Massachusetts, after the previous carousel was destroyed by fire in 1966. The carousel contains 52 figures, including 36 jumpers, 13 standers, three menagerie figures, and two chariots. It also has its original band organ. It is one of two known surviving carousels built by the Muller brothers. The carousel is housed in a one-story, octagonal, open wood frame pavilion designed in 1988 and therefore non-historic.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Closing and reopening
Forest Park Carousel in Action - Description.
The carousel closed when New York One LLC, its operator, allowed the contract to expire in 2009. Efforts and petitions were made to re-open the carousel after its closing, and obtain city landmark status. The New York City Parks Department sought a new vendor, and also submitted an application for an Environmental Protection Fund grant to help restore the horses. It reopened on May 26, 2012 under the management of NY Carousel.
The operation of the carousel was awarded to NY Carousel under a long-term contract. The company embarked on a plan to bring back the carousel to its former glory, which began with removal of the "prison gates" around the building's perimeter, new paint, and re-opening of the concession stand. The response from the community was overwhelming. The historic carousel has had a lot of riders since it re-opened. In addition, the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association named NY Carousel their "Business of the Year" for 2012. NY Carousel has said that they plan on bringing additional rides and attractions to the Forest Park Carousel over the long-term.
Landmark
On June 25, 2013 the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission announced that the Forest Park Carousel received landmark designation.
In popular culture
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Netflix shows, the Forest Park Carousel is the location of a violent gang shootout in which Frank Castle's family was killed. In season 2 of Daredevil, Frank is cornered and captured by members of the Kitchen Irish outside the Carousel. Matt Murdock later stops by the Carousel to interrogate one of the surviving Kitchen Irish to give up Frank's location. In the season 1 finale of The Punisher, Billy Russo challenges Frank to a showdown on the carousel while it is rotating.
See also
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens County, New York
External links
- NYC Parks Department link to the carousel
- Fan Site of the Carousel
- Save The Forest Park Carousel Save the Forest Park Carousel -Facebook
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120528095127/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120525/woodhaven/century-old-forest-park-carousel-reopens-for-queens-riders
- Forest Park Carousel.com
- The Homepage of the Company that Runs the Carousel, NY Carousel
References
