The Carousel
Original oil paintings of museum quality adorn the top crown of the carousel. The carousel is approximately 30 ft (9 m) in diameter, smaller than the time's standard 2-abreast — 42 ft (13 m) in diameter, with 28 animals, two-abreast, and 2 chariots, providing seating for 36 people. All 28 animals on the carousel, including a lion, a tiger, 2 deer, 2 antelope, 2 giraffes, and 20 horses, are meticulously hand-carved of bass and poplar wood and have been recently restored to their original beauty.
Meridian's Dentzel Carousel arrived in the city in 1909 and has since occupied the same location in Highland Park. Its house, also a National Historic Landmark, is the only remaining original carousel building built from a Dentzel blueprint.
The carousel building was closed from 1983 to 1984 for major restoration, performed by Ralph E. Young Contractor, Inc. The carousel animals were removed and placed in various local institutions while funds were raised.
From 1984 to 1995, the animals, chariots, and canvas oil paintings of the carousel were meticulously restored to their original beauty. Colors and designs were documented with careful color matching, tracing of designs, working drawings, and photographs showing where colors and designs originally occurred. The restoration was done by Rosa Ragan of Raleigh, N.C., one of the foremost restoration specialists in the U.S.
Read more about this topic: Highland Park Dentzel Carousel And Shelter Building