Ð Carousel Fact Sheet Ð

 

Opening                                             July 22, 2006

 

Closing                                              To complete construction of the exterior of the pavilion and the accompanying special event spaces, the carousel will close on September 30. Plans are to re-open it permanently by the summer of 2007.

 

Location                                            The northwest corner of the zooÕs North Meadow near the North Entrance off N. 59th St. & Phinney Ave. N.

 

Cost Per Ride                                   $1 with zoo admission

 

Zoo Admission                                  Adults (13-64) $10.50; Seniors (65+ and Disabled) $8.50; Children (3-12) $7.50; Toddler (0-2) Free. Parking: $4.00

 

Carousel Hours                                Open during regular zoo hours

                                                           

Zoo Hours                                          The zoo opens 9:30 a.m. daily. Closing times vary:

March 15 through April 30: 5:00 p.m.

May 1 through September 14: 6:00 p.m.

September 15 through October 14: 5:00 p.m.

October 15 through March 14: 4:00 p.m.

 

Carousel Size                                   Total building: 5,590 square feet

                        Carousel: 48 dramatically posed horses and two elaborate chariots

                                                            Pavilion: 80' in diameter

 

Woodland Park Zoo Size                 92 acres

 

Annual Zoo Visitors                         More than 1 million

                                                           

Project Manager                               Linda Sullivan, Woodland Park Zoo

 

Core Project Team                            Designers:        Carousel: Philadelphia Toboggan Company

                                                                                    Pavilion: Makers Architecture

                                               

Contractor:      Clements General Construction           

 

Carousel

Assembly:        International Leisure Consulting, Inc.

 

Refurbisher:      Bette Largent

 

Project Cost                                       Cost of carousel plus pavilion: $3.2 million

 

 

 

 

Major Donors                                    Tom and Linda Allen/The Alleniana Foundation; Brown Bear Car Wash, Inc.; The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation; The Nysether Family Foundation, Eldon and Shirley Nysether, Mark and Vickie Nysether, Bradley and Kathy Nysether. 

 

– Carousel Overview –

Woodland Park Zoo’s North Meadow will be the permanent habitat for 48 classic, hand-carved wooden carousel horses and the lovingly restored vintage 1918 carousel they call home. These magical and playful creatures are one-of-a-kind…and are sure to bring out the inner child in everyone. The carousel’s location was chosen to take advantage of the meadow’s character as an active space that currently accommodates large-scale community events, concerts, family and corporate gatherings and other activities. It is anticipated that the carousel will draw an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 riders per year.

In December 2000, Woodland Park Zoo was incredibly fortunate to receive this rare and magnificent carousel as a gift from Linda and Tom Allen of the Alleniana Foundation. Their goal in making this gift was to give generations of carousel riders the opportunity to experience a celebrated piece of American history, provide support for the zoo’s education and animal care programs through ticket sales, and offer the zoo’s families another way to have year-round fun while visiting the zoo.

The carousel was the 45th carousel constructed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company for the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918. Famous for its dedication to engineering masterworks and exquisitely carved horses ¾ most hand-carved by master craftsman John Zalar ¾ the Philadelphia Toboggan Company produced some of the most beautiful carousels ever constructed.

Hand-carved wooden carousels are among the rarest and most valuable of American artifacts - they could truly be called an endangered species. During the last half of the 20th century, these great works of art fell on hard times due to fires, flood and neglect. Of the more than 5,000 wooden carousels originally built, PTC #45 is one of fewer than 150 still operating today.

To better protect and preserve the carousel and its riders, and to provide additional space for community gatherings, social events and educational displays related to the history of the carousel, the Seattle architectural firm Makers Architecture has created a design inspired by classic carousel houses of the 1910s and 1920s for the carousel pavilion. The building, an 80’ in diameter octagon, will comfortably house the 48-horse carousel while providing the zoo with a year-round facility versatile enough to offer special event spaces for birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other celebrations.

As of July 2006, $516,000 is still needed to build the pavilion to house the carousel. To donate, individuals can send contributions to:

The Carousel Building Fund
Timeless Classic c/o Woodland Park Zoo
601 N. 59th St.Seattle, WA 98103

Individuals may also contribute through the Adopt-A-Horse program. To see a gallery of the horses available for adoption, visit www.zoo.org/carousel. For more information about contributing, please call 206.615.1030.

Tom and Linda Allen
– The Alleniana Foundation –

Tom and Linda Allen developed their love of carousels individually as children on Long Island in New York. As adults they expanded their love of carousel art in 1990 as preservationists first, then as collectors. Since then, they have broadened their knowledge on the subject of antique carved wooden carousels, and are considered authorities on the history and conservation of them. They are actively involved with the National Carousel Association (NCA) where Tom has served on the Board for many years. They travel every summer with other carousel preservationists, visiting carousels around the country.

Their love for the City of Seattle, for the zoo, and of seeing happy children, combined with their commitment to restoring and preserving antique carousels, led them to their extraordinary gift of Philadelphia Toboggan Company #45 to Woodland Park Zoo. Together they developed the dream of bringing an outstanding historic example of the wooden carousel to Seattle and together they have made it a reality. The Allens have also built a magnificent personal collection of carousel animals that represents every conceivable facet of the art form, but are most passionate about protecting and sharing the beauty of the traditional carousel with a broader public.

In addition to saving the disappearing carousel, the Allens are dedicating their retirement to further enriching the city they love. Community-spirited and active in many arenas, their special interests include the Seattle Opera, Children’s Hospital, First United Methodist Church Urban Ministries, Woodland Park Zoo, and those organizations that support children, homeless families, the arts and education. To enable them to more effectively carry out their charitable work, they formed the Alleniana Foundation, a non-profit organization. The first major donation of the Alleniana Foundation is PTC #45 to Woodland Park Zoo.

In summer 2006, Woodland Park Zoo’s North Meadow will be the permanent habitat for 48 classic, hand-carved wooden carousel horses and the lovingly restored vintage 1918 carousel they call home. These magical and playful creatures are one-of-a-kind…and are sure to bring out the inner child in everyone. The carousel was the 45th carousel constructed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company for the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918. Famous for its dedication to engineering masterworks and exquisitely carved horses – most hand-carved by master craftsman John Zalar – the Philadelphia Toboggan Company produced some of the most beautiful carousels ever constructed.

– PTC #45 Historic Carousel –

PTC #45 was commissioned in 1918 by the Cincinnati Zoo, from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It operated for 56 years until the mid 1970s when it was purchased by the Marriott Corporation for installation in the Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara, California. It was located in the County Fair area of the park, where it was identified as the Ameri-Go-Round. The carousel was in operation at Great America until 1996 when the owners of the park initiated a “style change” and placed it in storage.

The Philadelphia Toboggan Company was formed in Philadelphia in 1903. Two businessmen, Henry B. Auchy and Chester Albright, saw an opportunity to “build finer and better carousels and coasters,” and founded the company by buying the inventory of carousel carver E. Joy Morris. Since neither man was himself a carver, they hired some of the best carving talent available during what later became known as the Golden Age of Carousels, and styles and features of the carved horses changed over the years as different head carvers ran the carving operations.

PTC #45 is considered one of the three best carousels carved by the “Michelangelo” of wood carvers, John Zalar – the others are PTC #44 and PTC #46. Zalar worked for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company from 1916 to 1923. He quickly rose to the prestigious senior position of Head Carver and was charged with carving the most important and most intricate part of the horse, the head. As a result of his elegant rendering of head proportions and features, and his creation of some of PTC’s most elaborate and expressive carousels, Zalar is now widely considered to have been the most talented and distinguished carver of the day. PTC #45 is one of just three carousels believed to have been completely hand-carved by Zalar, with the exception of the chariot sides, which have been attributed to Daniel Muller.

PTC #45 is a three-row carousel with 16 Outside Row Standers (ORS) and two rows of jumping horses including 14 Middle Row Jumpers (MRJ) and 14 Inner Row Jumpers (IRJ). Four small standers (IRS) are positioned behind the two Columbia (or Miss Liberty) chariots. The outside row large standers are offset so that the smaller middle row jumpers are easily visible while viewing the standers. This relatively unusual arrangement meant that the middle row jumpers were more ornately carved than middle row jumpers on other carousels. The much smaller inside row jumpers and standers are less ornately carved. The three different sizes helped to balance the look of the carousel while providing horses of all sizes to accommodate riders of all ages.

Following an exhaustive national search for a complete carousel, Tom and Linda Allen of Seattle, of the Alleniana Foundation, contacted Great America currently owned by Paramount Corporation, knowing that PTC #45 was in storage. Initially Paramount declined to sell the carousel, but once convinced that the machine would be maintained as a complete unit and once again put into service for the public, the Allens were able to purchase the carousel and bring it to Seattle in 1999. Their love for the City of Seattle, for the zoo, and of seeing happy children, combined with their commitment of restoring and preserving antique carousels, led the Allens to their extraordinary gift of PTC #45 to Woodland Park Zoo in December 2000.

PTC #45 is one of the best preserved carousels of its era in the country. Of the more than 5,000 unique carousels produced by all factories over time, PTC #45 is one of fewer than 150 hand-carved carousels still in operation. It is distinct in that it is still all-original. The fact that it has been maintained and operated in just two locations has contributed to its longevity.

Although PTC #45 has been lovingly looked after, the effects of nearly a century of enthusiastic use are evident. To restore the carousel to its peak operating condition, Carousel Consultants in Spokane, Washington and Historic Carousels in Hood River, Oregon were enlisted to complete the evaluation, restoration, assembly and erection of the carousel.

Longtime carousel restoration artist, Bette Largent of Carousel Consultants, is considered a national authority on the restoration of antique carved wooden carousels, and teaches carousel painting all over the country. She has completed a structural evaluation of each of the PTC #45 horses and her company has accomplished all of the necessary repairs, tending to loose knees, tired feet and, in one case, a set of dentures. While most of the horses required only cosmetic work to restore them to beautiful condition, there were lots of little touch-ups, many minor repairs and a few more-than-minor repairs to be made along the way. Beyond preparing the carousel for eventual erection in Seattle, Largent has developed guidelines for the ongoing conservation of PTC #45 to ensure that its brilliant appearance is maintained well into the future.

The PTC #45 mechanism was moved to Historic Carousels’ facility in Hood River for evaluation and preparation for erection in Seattle. Historic Carousels is the operational arm of the International Museum of Carousel Art, located in Hood River. The museum is owned and operated by Duane and Carol Perron, who have amassed the single-largest collection of operating carousels in the nation. They evaluated all of the operational components of the machine, including the mechanical and electrical systems, the floor decking and the wooden panels, in order to bring the machine back to nearly new condition. They worked to save the original floor decking and cleaned, degreased and inspected every detail down to each nut and bolt and light socket. Their expert level of care will help keep PTC #45 operating for generations to come.

The installation of PTC #45 restores to the city a bit of lost heritage. Seattle was once the home of four great wooden carved carousels. A beautiful Dentzel menagerie machine operated until 1969 at Playland on Bitter Lake; a Mangles/Borelli mixed machine was at the Seattle Center Fun Forest until 1989; a Carmel/Manges mixed machine was located at Woodland Park Zoo until the late ‘70s; and a Looff machine – the only of the four still intact, now running in San Francisco – carried riders at Luna Park on Alki until 1913. One by one, each of these historic carousels was sold whole or dismantled and auctioned in sections, leaving Seattle as one of the only major cities in the country without an antique wooden carousel.

In summer 2006, Woodland Park Zoo’s North Meadow will become the permanent habitat for the 48 classic, hand-carved wooden carousel horses and the lovingly restored vintage 1918 carousel they call home. These magical and playful creatures are one-of-a-kind…and are sure to bring out the inner child in everyone. The carousel’s location was chosen to take advantage of the meadow’s character as an active space that currently accommodates large-scale community events, concerts, family and corporate gatherings and other activities. It is anticipated that the carousel will draw an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 riders per year.

The most recent census conducted by the National Carousel Association shows only 234 remaining carousels in all of North America. Woodland Park Zoo’s carousel will be just one of two PTC carousels located anywhere on the Pacific Coast, including Canada and Alaska.


– Special horses on PTC #45 –

The Flag Horse
Owing to the fact that many carousel horse carvers were newly arrived immigrants, many carousels included horses with patriotic themes. The carvers demonstrated their love for this country through wonderful renderings of flags, eagles, stars, bugles, military regalia and portraits of presidents.

The Flower Horse
Horses carved to feature flowers in deep relief were popular, sought after and appreciated for their beauty and dynamic presence. Since owners of carousels acquired horses they believed would increase ridership, the Flower Horse was always in demand. Only the most ornate carousels feature a Flower Horse.

The Pelt Saddle
Carousel animals with animal pelts such as saddles were often depicted with hunting gear. Pelt saddles often contained a secondary animal, such as a wolf, bear, or lion, adding to the excitement of riding a particular horse. Sometimes, pelts can be seen under saddles, in lieu of the more traditional blanket. PTC #45 features three pelts.

The Griffin Horse
The Griffin Middle Row Jumper is the most recognized horse on PTC #45. There are many known reproductions of this horse, including miniatures, and souvenir objects bearing its likeness, but the design of this Griffin Horse is considered to be one of a kind. Historic factory catalogues offer head and body styles and levels of ornate carving, and some offered horses with Griffin images, but no other horse is known to have carried this specific design.

Although the Griffin Horse is the most celebrated horse on PTC #45, it was not the lead horse. The Lead Horse is typically easy to recognize because it is the largest and most ornately carved horse on the carousel. On PTC #45, there is no horse that stands out like the Lead.

- Carousel Q and A -

What is PTC #45?

When will it open?

How did the zoo acquire the carousel?

Where will the carousel be located?

Will the carousel be inside a building?

What resources will the carousel generate for the zoo?

Will zoo neighbors, visitors and animals hear the carousel’s music?

Is there still money to be raised for the carousel?