"The Griffith Park carousel - a "crown jewel" of the park, where Walt Disney first dreamed up Disneyland - is getting a new lease on life just in time for its 2026 centennial. The city of Los Angeles' Recreation and Parks Commission inked a million-dollar deal to buy the historic amusement ride late last month. Beloved by Disney, who snapped up a similar historic wooden ride to serve as the King Arthur Carrousel at his Anaheim theme park,"
"Its previous operator, Julio Gosdinski, died suddenly near the height of the pandemic, leaving the amusement in limbo just as COVID restrictions were starting to ease. It reopened briefly in the spring of 2021 but shuttered again a year later, in need of repairs and without a clear owner to make them. Gosdinski's stake in the historic amusement remains tied up in Los Angeles County probate court, where Gosdinski's mother and sister are vying with another owner for control, records show."
"Following the parks commission agreement, the stable of hand-carved basswood and poplar horses will spin under city auspices, part of a broader restoration of the section of the park, which is slated to be completed ahead of the Olympic Games in 2028. The carousel is one of the oldest wooden merry-go-rounds in California, and one of just a handful designed by the famous Spillman Engineering Corp. and its predecessor that remain in operation in the state."
The city of Los Angeles' Recreation and Parks Commission purchased the Griffith Park carousel in a million-dollar deal to preserve and operate the ride. The wooden merry-go-round last ran in 2022 after its operator, Julio Gosdinski, died during the pandemic and ownership became entangled in probate. The carousel's hand-carved basswood and poplar horses will be restored under city auspices as part of a larger park restoration scheduled before the 2028 Olympic Games, with the carousel's centennial in 2026 in view. The ride was built in 1926, moved to Griffith Park in 1937, and is among California's oldest Spillman Engineering wooden carousels.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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