The Looff Carousel at Slater Park in Pawtucket, RI was carved by Charles
ID Looff of Brooklyn, NY in 1895. The carousel was placed in Lee Funland
Park in upstate New York until 1910. It was then moved to the newly-designed
Slater Park by businessman and carousel concessionaire John H. Walker and
purchased by the city three years later. Slater Park was designed by the
firm of Frederick Law Olmsted of Massachusetts and is comprised of 197
acres. The park was created from 1894-1907 on the land once occupied by the
Daggett Farm and is noted as one of the first newly-created public parks in
the country.
The carousel is only one of six carousels in the country that is still in
it's original building; a twelve -sided building in the Looff style with a
cupola and original stained glass windows made of Sandwich Glass. The
stationary carousel is made up of 44 horses, 3 dogs, 1 lion, 1 camel, 1
giraffe, and two chariots. A band organ built in 1909 by the North Tonawanda
Musical Instrument Works was purchased in 1996 and completes the carousel.
The carousel was named the National Historic Carousel of the Year 2018 by
the National Carousel Association.
Looff is best known for designing very elaborately carved horses in the
Coney-Island style. The horses mane is stylized and very ornate: rosettes
and tassles were carved on the saddles. Cut glass jewels with a distinctive
“starburst” pattern were imported from Czechoslovakia and small mirrors were
added.
The carousel once traveled at a dizzying speed of 14mph - the fastest
turntable ever built - and the carousel was slowed down to 12 mph and now is
still one of the fastest carousels in the country at 9mph.
The carousel was in disrepair and closed in 1969. In 1971, The city had
decided that the carousel horses were going to be sold at a sealed-bid
auction and the building was scheduled to be torn down. A public outcry
arose and under the leadership of the Pawtucket Junior Woman's Club and
local families, school children were sent out to the neighborhoods to
collect signatures to demand that their beloved carousel be saved for future
generations. Minutes before the carousel bids were to be opened, the
petition was presented to the mayor and the auction was stopped. After the
meeting, the sealed bids were opened and bids averaging $5 to $30 per horse
and a bid of $35 for two chariots were received!
The carousel underwent extensive repairs with funding from grants,
donations, city and state funding, and money funded by the RI Historic
Preservation Commission. It was re-opened with much fanfair in 1979. Another
major 15-year historic restoration project was initiated in 1989. In the
1990's, Bill Finklestein of R & F Design was hired to restore some of the
carousel horses.
In the 1990's, the picture frames, rounding boards, sweeps, platform and
the interior of the building was transformed to look as it did the day the
carousel was re-located to Slater Park. In the last year, the gears were
repaired, the hardwood floor was restored, and the organ was repaired.
A schedule to completely replace the roof, re-do the doors, replace the
handicapped access ramp, and re-paint the building is undergoing approval by
the City of Pawtucket, and the Planning Department. and repairs should be
completed within one year. Money for the extensive repairs is available from
grants, city funding, and state historic preservation bonds.
The carousel has a regular schedule of operation during the year. It is
open on weekends from May-June, seven days a week from June-September, and
weekends from September-October. We have celebrated Arts in the Park for the
last 20 years at Slater Park and the highlight of the weeks-long celebration
is a performance of the RI Philharmonic in September on a stage set up next
to the carousel followed by fireworks. The highly anticipated event attracts
approximately10,000 people each year. Pumpkins in the Park is also
celebrated in October at the carousel and on the first two weekends of
December we celebrate Winter Wonderland. The carousel is also available for
special events, wedding photos and and children's birthday parties.
A newly-formed Friends of the Looff Carousel at Slater Park was created
in April, 2018. We have applied for a 501(c)3 status with the state for
fund-raising purposes. Our mission is to do extensive fund raising for the
continued restoration and renovation of the carousel by researching new
grants, and selling carousel items in the gift shop including carousel
coasters, trivets, Christmas ornaments, mugs, photo cards and original
greeting cards.
The Friends of the Looff Carousel at Slater Park is made up entirely of
volunteers and we are always looking for new members to join. If you are
interested in volunteering please email Friends of the Looff Carousel at
dhrh120@cox.net.
