File Photo
The city’s Landmark Preservation Commission is expected to vote on whether to landmark the iconic Forest Park carousel next Tuesday, elating area preservationists and civic leaders who have long fought to preserve the 1903 merry-go-round.
The commission heard public testimony from four people last week, all of whom spoke in favor of the proposal for the Woodhaven carousel that holds some of the last surviving creations of master wood-carver Daniel Carl Muller – including 49 sculpted horses, a lion, a tiger, a deer and two chariots.
“The significance of the Muller horses, which were carved more than 100 years ago, is without question, and the carousel has been a centerpiece of Forest Park for 40 years,” Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) said in a statement about the structure that was originally operated in Massachusetts before being brought to Forest Park in 1972 to replace another merry-go-round that burned down in a fire in the mid-1960s.
Others who testified included representatives of the city Parks Department, the Historic Districts Council, and the Society for the Architecture of the City.
“This ride offers an opportunity to interact closely with a variety of wild animals, military and circus horses that jump or remain stationary or just relax comfortably in a chariot,” John Krawchuk, director of historic preservation for the city Parks Department said at the hearing.
By Anna Gustafson
