LA Parks Seizes Griffith Park Carousel to Block Private Sale

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks bought the Griffith Park merry-go-round this past July to keep it in public hands. Tracy James with the department said the sellers were considering a sale and officials worried a private collector would buy it and move it out of the park.

The carousel was built 100 years ago and carries 66 horses. It has not turned since the pandemic. James said it is an extremely rare carousel because the horses are arranged four abreast, a configuration with few survivors. The city estimates the work needed to return it to service at $5 million.

James is leading the restoration effort and said the money must come from public fundraising. "It's going to need a complete restoration and that restoration is going to be extremely costly, and we're going to need to raise public funds to be able to get this done," James said. "There's no way to do it without it."

The carousel drew Walt Disney, who according to James sat on a bench watching his daughters ride it on a Saturday and conceived of a place where adults could share good times with their children. James called it "a jewel box in the middle of the city."

Melissa Merriweather-Webb, a visitor to the park, said the attraction carries a Hollywood-era quality she wants to see preserved. She said she saw the doors open and the lights on and stopped to look.

The department has set a target of reopening the merry-go-round by the LA28 Olympics. Donations are accepted at FriendsofGriffithPark.org.