Media Advisories
Monday, October 04, 2004
No.
FANTASTICAL FOREST PARK CAROUSEL SPINS ONTO STATE AND NATIONAL REGISTERS OF HISTORIC PLACES
DATE: Tuesday, October 5th, 2004
TIME: 11:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Forest Park
Forest Park Drive off Woodhaven Boulevard
Queens
EVENT & PHOTO-OP: A menagerie of hand-carved, bedazzled horses, deer, a tiger and a lion will look on as their home—the Forest Park Carousel—joins the ranks of venerable sites listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Paul Labato, Chief Counsel for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, will present New York City Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Queens Parks Borough Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski with a certificate affirming the carousel’s place on the historic registers.
DETAILS:
The Forest Park Carousel was obtained by Parks & Recreation in 1973 from an amusement park in Dracut, Massachusetts. This carousel was created by Daniel Muller and is one of only 12 produced by the Philadelphia-based D.C. Muller & Brothers Co. Classically trained as a sculptor, Muller is well know for the intricate details of his work, including stitches in the saddles, animated glass eyes, and real horse hair in the tails.
The Forest Park Carousel was privately operated until 1984. The carousel stood abandoned from 1984 to 1987, at which point community members embarked on a fundraising campaign to rescue the carousel, ultimately restoring it at a cost of $450,000. The carousel features 55 carved animals, including 44 horses, one deer, one lion, and one tiger.
CONTACT: Megan Sheekey/ Dana Rubinstein (212) 360-1311