Forest Park Carousel Re-Opens - First Time In 4 years

The beloved carousel in Forest Park is finally open after being closed for four years. Pricing & Ticket Info: $1 per ticket - 3 tickets per ride. It is open from 11am-Sunset. (Photo courtesy Woodhaven Residents Block Association)

Queens

The Forest Park Carousel, a turn-of-the-century treasure shuttered since 2008, is ready for a whole new generation of riders.

The historic amusement opens its doors to the public on Saturday and the new operators are hoping crowds will come to savor old memories and make some new ones.

“It’s a classic and it’s an awesome ride,” said Ami Abramson, of NY Carousel, which was selected to operate both the Forest Park and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park carousels.

A group of local school kids got a sneak preview on Thursday during a kick-off event at Forest Park.

The carousel, crafted by master carver Daniel Carl Muller, was first brought to Forest Park in the 1970s to replace one that burned down in 1966.

In 1989, it underwent a meticulous restoration but has languished while under the care of previous concessionaires, who griped it generated little revenue.

In the few weeks since the Parks Department gave NY Carousel the nod to operate the site, the improvements are noticeable.

The wood floors has been buffed and a new coat of paint has brightened up the carousel’s interior. Light bulbs were replaced and a new safety gate gives visitors a closer and better view of the galloping animals.

Abramson said the company may add kiddie rides and games.

“We want to figure out what the demand is and what the kids want,” he said. “It has to be done right and done with care.”

Local civic leaders and lawmakers pressured the Parks Department to find a new operator. But Parks officials said they held out until they could find one who would give the carousel the attention it deserves.

“I have a lot of memories here,” said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski, who grew up in nearby Glendale. “Everyone who wanted this re-opened now needs to come out and support it and not just for one day.”

Abramson said the carousel will expand from weekend to weekday hours when school ends in June. He is also planning free kids entertainment on the grounds, including music and puppet shows.

“It’s so good to have our jewel of Forest Park back,” said long-time carousel booster Maria Thomson of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp.

Ed Wendell of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association, who started an aggressive campaign to re-open the carousel, said he is convinced the new operators will take good care of the carousel.

“Today, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief,” he said.

Photo: Attiyya Anthony

Read More:

Forest Park Carousel opens for a new generation of riders

Historic carousel will open for the first time in four years

New York Daily News - May 24, 2012 - By Lisa L. Colangelo

As the carousel turns: A history of the Forest Park Carousel

Queens Qourier - May 25th, 2012 - By Billy Rennison

Central Queens: Forest Park Carousel reopens

Queens Chronicle - May 25, 2012 - By Attiyya Anthony

Parks says carousel will open by Memorial Day

Times Ledger - May 17, 2012 - By Steve Mosco

Forest Park Carousel A Step Closer To Reopening

A beloved century-old carousel in Woodhaven's Forest Park has been shuttered since 2008. On Friday the City issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) potential concessionaires to renovate, operate and maintain the historic ride. (Image: NY1 screen grab)

Queens

Fans of the Forest Park Carousel are one step closer to realizing their dreams. On Friday the Parks Department released an RFP for potential concessionaires to reopen the beloved carousel which has been closed for four years. The City is seeking a fifteen-year term to renovate, operate and maintain the historic ride. The carousel contains 49 horses, a lion, a tiger, a deer, and two chariots arranged in three concentric circles according to the proposal. The carousel also contains a non-operational original carousel band organ. Community activists have been trying to pressure the city to reopen it for years.

The Forest Park Carousel holds some of the last surviving creations of master wood-carver Daniel Carl Muller. The Forest Park location is approximately 8,000 square feet and will consist of the carousel, snack bar, ticket booth, and a seating area. Alcoholic beverages will also be allowed to be served.

The City is also encouraging bidders to operate additional rides in an open area east of the carousel. Parks envisions an amusement venue that would include small rides that cater to ages twelve (12) years old and younger. Proposals are due on Friday, May 13 at 3:00 PM

In 2008 the concessionaire paid $ 20,000 to the City from gross receipts of $72,000. In the last agreement, the fee paid to Parks was the higher of the minimum annual fee or percentage of gross , receipts. However, this time around the City is asking proposers to submit a flat fee offer only and not on a percentage of gross receipts.

A site tour is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Forest Park. — Geoffrey Croft

The beloved carousel in Forest Park Queens has been closed for four years. The metal security gate is closed in the background. (Photo By Manny)

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Shuttered Carousel In Forest Park Temporarily "Opened"

A Walk In The Park - November 3, 2010

Parks Department Refuses To Reveal Amount Of Carousel Donation

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Community Fights to Reopen Forest Park Carousel

A Walk In The Park - July 24, 2010

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2011

No. 19

www.nyc.gov/parks

PARKS ISSUES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO RENOVATE, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN CAROUSELS AT FOREST AND FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA PARK

Parks & Recreation announces that a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) has been issued for the renovation, operation, and maintenance of the carousel and snack bar and the optional development, operation and maintenance of a family amusement venue at Forest Park, Queens, and the renovation, operation, and maintenance of the carousel and operation of three mobile food units and two souvenir carts at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. (see attached PDF)

“Taking the family on a carousel ride in a park is a treasured New York City experience,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “We hope to receive proposals from companies with strong backgrounds in developing, operating and maintaining carousels and amusement venues, so that the carousels at Forest Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park can continue to delight New Yorkers for many generations to come.”

The Forest Park Carousel holds some of the last surviving creations of master wood-carver Daniel Carl Muller. He crafted figures for twelve carousels in his lifetime; this carousel is one of only two that remain. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Carousel is one of the City’s four vintage carousels, it is an example of the "Illions" style. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Carousel is a combination of two earlier Coney Island carousels, the Feltman Carousel (ca. 1903) and the Stubbman Carousel (ca. 1908). The Flushing Meadows "hybrid" debuted at the 1964 World's Fair. Both carousels are much loved by the communities that surround them and are an important part of the childhoods of many people who have grown up in Queens.

All proposals for this RFP must be submitted no later than Friday, May 13, 2011 at 3:00 pm. Parks will hold two recommended proposer meetings on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, one at each location. At 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, we will be meeting at the Forest Park location, which is located at the Woodhaven Boulevard entrance to the park. At 1:00 PM on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, we will be meeting at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park location, which is located near the entrance to Flushing Meadow Corona Park at 111 Street and 55 Avenue. All interested parties are urged to attend.

Hard copies of the RFP can be obtained, at no cost from Friday, April 8, 2011 through Friday, May 13, 2011, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays, at the Revenue Division of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, which is located at 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 407, New York, NY 10065.

The RFP is also available for download from Friday, April 8, 2011 through Friday, May 13, 2011, on Parks’ website. To download the RFP, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/businessopportunities and, after logging in, click on the “download” link that appears adjacent to the RFP’s description.

For more information or to request to receive a copy of the RFP by mail, prospective proposers may contact the Evan George, Project Manager, at (212) 360-3495 or at evan.george@parks.nyc.gov.

Shuttered Carousel In Forest Park Temporarily "Opened"

The production company made a "substantial" donation to Forest Park, the Daily News reports, but where exactly did this money go?

The shuttered carousel in Forest Park gets ready for its close up. William Adee of Local 52 cleans a wooden horse as film crews get set to shoot 'The Sitter' at the closed treasure. Local activists have been trying to re-open the carousel for years. (Photo Farriella for the NY Daily News)

Queens

Fans of the Forest Park Carousel were thrilled to see a glimpse of the shuttered treasure during a flurry of activity at the site this week.

But they shouldn't get their hopes up, according to the Daily News.

The workers cleaning and fixing the 100-year-old carousel were part of a film crew shooting scenes for "The Sitter."

The movie, starring Jonah Hill of "Superbad" fame and Sam Rockwell, has been described as a loose remake of the 1987 comedy "Adventures in Babysitting."

"It's a major set piece for us," Peter Silbermann, the film's publicist, said of the carousel. "We're shooting in Forest Park for four or five days."

The city-owned carousel has sat dormant for two years while the Parks Department searches for an operator to run it as a concession. Elected officials originally said it would reopen this past summer. But negotiations with a possible vendor appear to have fallen through.

The Parks Department is still actively searching for a concessionaire and plans to issue new request for proposals in January, agency officials said.

Civic leaders have pressed the city to move quickly, worried that the hand-carved masterpiece is deteriorating.

Read More:

Shuttered Forest Park Carousel gets turn for better after landing film role in 'The Sitter'

New York Daily News - November 3, 21010 - By Lisa L. Colangelo

Community Fights to Reopen Forest Park Carousel

A Walk In The Park - July 24, 2010