Central Park Carousel

A carousel began operating in Central Park in the early 1870s. The current carousel is the fourth incarnation, following two carousels that were destroyed by fire.

Until 1924, the carousels were powered by a horse or mule beneath the platform that was trained to start or stop when the attendant on the floor above tapped their foot. Later carousels were steam or electrically driven.

The current carousel was built in 1908 by the Brooklyn firm of Stein and Goldstein. It was rescued from a disused trolley terminal in Coney Island where it had operated until the 1940s.