Jane's Carousel

Jane's Carousel. . , Jane's Carousel was created by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (P.T.C.) in 1922, the heyday of the American Carousel Designated as P.T.C. N^o 61, it was originally installed in Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio, then a prosperous steelmaking city., This carousel is exceptionally elaborate with an array of 48 horses in rows of three, as well as two chariots. The wood carvings, often attributed to John Zalar and Frank Caretta. The wood carvings, often attributed to John Zalar and Frank Caretta, are among the finest of their kind. Like the horses and chariots, the rounding boards, scenery panels, center pole and platform are all original. P.T.C. N^o 61 was the first Carousel to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places., In 1983, David Walentas, the designated developer of Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, commissioned a Master Plan for the park that called for an carousel to be installed. Jane and David Walentas purchased the Carousel at auction on October 21, 1984. Their bid for the entire Carousel prevented it from being sold off piecemeal., When purchased, the Carousel was in poor condition. Jane Walentas began its restoration at her studio here in Dumbo in 1984. Her initial tasks included making necessary carpentry repairs and hand-scraping away 62 years of "park paint" with an X-acto knife to reveal the original 1922 carvings, color palette, and designs. The discoveries were carefully recorded with photographs, color matches, and detailed drawings that guided the repainting of the Carousel. The horses were rendered in faithful detail. The highly decorative carved trappings were newly painted and re-leafed. Missing embellishments such as faceted jewels, small beveled mirrors on the bridles, and delicate pinstriping were restored., The Carousel's founding boards, scenery panels and structural pieces were also repainted, stenciled and re-leafed. Blackened varnish was removed from the original paintings to reveal their true colors. Dozens of old beveled mirrors were reglazed. Mechanical systems were updated with new gears, motor and electronic controller. Totally rewired, the Carousel now dazzles with 1,200 brilliant lights., Installed in an elegant pavilion designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Jean Nouve), Jane's Carousel is meant to delight visitors to Brooklyn Bridge Park for many generations to come., The Carousel and the Nouvel commissioned pavilion are a gift from the Walentas family to the people of the City of New York.