The Lighthouse Point Carousel is located in the East Shore section of

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

in Lighthouse Point Park. The

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

was built about 1905, and is one of a shrinking number of early 20th-century carousels left in the state, featuring the carvings of Charles Looff and

Charles Carmel Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

. The carousel and its 1916 building were together listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on December 15, 1983.

Description and history

The Lighthouse Point Carousel is located in New Haven's Lighthouse Point Park, near the southeastern top of the city on

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

. It is located in a rectangular building, about inland from the Five Mile Point Light which gives the park its name. The building is about in size, with a high-ceilinged square section housing the carousel, and a lower-roofed extension that houses concessions. The building has Renaissance Revival styling, with tall window bays articulated by pilasters, and round-arch window bays surrounding the carousel section. The roof above the carousel is topped by a

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

with

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows. and The carousel itself is a platform style device, about in diameter. It includes 70 figures and two chariots, some of the figures mounted on fixed metal columns, and some on columns that rise and fall with the carousel's motion. The figures appear to have originated from different sources, including figures carved in a diversity of styles. Some of them have been attributed to Charles Carmel of Brooklyn and others to Charles Looff. A figure of George Washington can be seen directing the carousel with a baton. The mechanism that drives the carousel is located at the center, with a decorative fiberglass surround. The carousel was constructed about 1905 by Timothy Murphy. Murphy is known to have "reworked" materials from other carousels, and is believed to have hired Carmel to make some alterations to the figures here. The present building was erected in 1916 by Thomas Shanley, the proprietor who developed Lighthouse Point Park as a

trolley park In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. Trolley parks were often cre ...

. The park was purchased by the city in 1925, which reduced the number of attractions, but continued to operate the carousel for many years. All of the other park buildings were demolished in 1957, but the carousel was retained, its figures placed in storage. It has since been restored to operation.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Renaissance Revival architecture in Connecticut Amusement rides introduced in 1916 Tourist attractions in New Haven, Connecticut Buildings and structures in New Haven, Connecticut Carousels in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New Haven, Connecticut Carousels on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References