Crescent Park Looff Carousel facts for kids
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Crescent Park Looff Carousel
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Riders on carousel, 2008
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 Location in Rhode Island
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bullock's Point Ave., East Providence, Rhode Island |
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| Built | 1895 |
| Architect | Charles I.D. Looff |
| MPS | East Providence MRA (AD) (2.6MB) |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000045 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 21, 1976 |
| Designated NHL | February 27, 1987 |
The Crescent Park Looff Carousel is a super old and special carousel in East Providence, Rhode Island. It's also known as the Crescent Park Carousel. This amazing ride is so important that it's been named a National Historic Landmark.
This carousel was built way back in 1895 by a famous carousel maker named Charles I. D. Looff. He made it at his factory in Brooklyn, New York. Then, it was brought to the Crescent Park Amusement Park in East Providence. The carousel is huge! It has a fifty-foot wide platform. On it, you'll find sixty-one horses, one camel, two single coaches, and two double chariots. Most of the horses, fifty-six of them, are "jumpers" that move up and down. This carousel is one of the best and most original carousels Looff ever made. It really shows off his amazing work!
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History of the Carousel
Charles I. D. Looff was born in Denmark in 1852. He moved to the United States in 1870. He built the very first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. From his factory in Brooklyn, Looff created many carousels. They went to places all along the East Coast. Some even went to big events like the Texas State Fair and the Oklahoma State Fair.
In 1905, Looff moved his factory to Crescent Park. He used this very carousel as a special display. Customers could see it and pick out the horses they wanted for their own rides. Most of the animal figures on this carousel were carved between 1905 and 1910. That's when Looff moved his factory again, this time to Long Beach, California. Looff built almost fifty carousels between 1875 and 1918. This one is one of only about ten or twelve that are still working today!
When Crescent Park closed in 1977, many people wanted to save the carousel. The City of East Providence worked hard to keep it from being sold. Local groups fought a long legal battle to save it. Because of their efforts, the carousel was saved! It has been fixed up and still runs every summer.
The carousel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Later, in 1987, it was named a National Historic Landmark. The state of Rhode Island even called the carousel "the State Jewel of American Folk Art." That means it's a super important piece of art for the state!
The Carousel Building
The carousel is inside a special building. It's one of Looff's classic "hippodrome" buildings. It has a unique "onion dome" roof on top. Sunlight shines through colorful windows high up in the walls. These windows are called clerestory windows. The light bounces off shiny mirrors, making a magical kaleidoscope effect inside.
Around the carousel, there are rows of wooden benches and a rope fence. You buy tickets from a small booth right inside the entrance. Across from it, there's a little gift and snack stand. Next to the stand, you can see a small display of old items from the carousel's past. Vents at the top of the roof help air move around naturally. A full-sized, hand-carved American bald eagle sits on top of the carousel's center pole. It's a really cool detail!
Carousel Rides
Rides on the carousel start and end with the sound of a brass fog bell. The length of the ride is measured using a small hourglass. This hourglass is attached to the drum cabinet of the band organ.
This carousel is one of the only ones in America where you can still play the "ring game"! As the carousel spins, you can try to grab a brass ring. If you catch one, you get a free ride! After you catch the rings, you throw them into the mouth of a clown face painted on a big canvas.
When the carousel was first built, it was powered by steam from the park's steam plant. But now, it runs on an electric motor.
The Band Organ
The music for the carousel comes from a special instrument called an Andreas Ruth und Sohn Style 38 band organ. This organ was brought all the way from Waldkirch, Germany. It plays music using a Wurlitzer 165 music roll system. This system replaced an older German "book music" system.
There used to be cassette tapes of the carousel's music sold, but they are now very rare! Sometimes, the organ's music was too loud for the people working at the carousel and the visitors. So, some of the organ's pipes were turned off to make the music quieter. In 1995, some carved instruments from the front of the band organ were stolen.
Images for kids
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Crescent Park Looff Carousel and midway around 1905
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The Looff family at Crescent Park, around 1905-1910
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Crescent Park carousel in 2007
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