Griffith Park Carousel – Walt Disney’s first dream of Disneyland’s park “Crown Jewel” is getting a new lease for the 2026 Centennial in time. The City of Los Angeles’ Recreation and Parks Commission signed a one-million dollar deal to buy historic entertainment rides late last month.
Favorite from Disney, he snapped up Similar historical wooden cycling To serve as King Arthur Carrousel at his Anaheim theme park, Griffith Park made its final spin in 2022.
Its former operator Julio Gosdinski, Sudden death at the height of the pandemic has put entertainment in trouble, just as restrictions have begun to ease. It reopened in the spring of 2021, but closed again a year later and needed repairs without a clear owner to make it.
Gosdinski’s stake in historic entertainment is still kidnapped in the Los Angeles County Court, with Gosdinski’s mother and sister fighting for control with another owner, records show.
After the Parks Commission agreement, the hand-carved Bathwood and the stable of the star fruit horse will be spinning under the city auspices as part of a wider restoration of the parks section, which is scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
The carousel is one of the oldest wooden carousels in California and a handful of designs by the famous Spillman Engineering Corp. and its predecessors who are still operating in the state.
Others operate at Rainbow Pier in Long Beach, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Balboa Park in San Diego, and Tilden Park in Berkeley, where the original carousel of Griffith Park remains the fastest wooden spinner in the state.
On August 24, 1951, visitors rode the Griffith Park Carousel, Walt Disney and his daughter’s favorite haunt.
(USC/Corbis via Getty Images)
The current carousel was built in 1926 and moved to Griffith Park in 1937 in the depths of the Great Depression. Like everyone else, the carousel includes horses carved by the famous artist Charles Looff, creator of Santa Monica Pier.
“Walt Disney often frequented the carousel on Saturdays, watching his daughters wander around and daydream for a day, creating his own theme park,” the city agreement said.
Documents show that, however, this entertainment requires major repairs to reopen.
Today, the carousel cannot even be moved manually.
Still, Los Angeles can make the carousel song. According to evaluation commissioned by the city, it is one of the only four carousels that its type still exists and still retains almost all of the original features.
According to the department’s proposal, sellers are quoted higher, but want the carousel to remain spinning in their long-term home.
A reopening date has not been announced.
