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A carrousel 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 carrousel, 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 (carrousel) if the park would carry the remaining expenses. It was one of the main carrousels 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 carrousel hosted several decorative benches, a complete set of picture panels and an organ.
The carrousel 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 carrousel. 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 carrousel. By the time of its reopening in 1984, a German band organ (Gebruder-Bruder), last used at Indianapolis Speedway, was installed in the carrousel to provide music as it would come from a calliope.
A Royal Past
The word carrousel is derived from the Italian word garosello and the Spanish word carosella, 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 carrousel was developed and the "golden age" of the wooden carrousel flourished from 1880 to the early 1930s.
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