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The Odyssey of the Historic Jantzen Beach Carousel
The following description was submitted by the event organizer.
The Jantzen Beach Amusement Park officially opened on May 26, 1928. It added a new attraction in July of that year—an impressive four-abreast carousel built by C. W. Parker. The Odyssey of the Historic Jantzen Beach Carousel examines the carousel’s journey from Parker’s Leavenworth factory to California’s sunny shores to the Jantzen Beach Amusement Park, “Portland’s Million-Dollar Playground” on Hayden Island in the Columbia River. When the amusement park was demolished in 1970 to make way for a shopping center, the carousel became the mall’s centerpiece, drawing delighted children and adults for the next 40 years.
Originally designed for the J. A. Ellis Amusement Company for installation on the pier in Venice, California, the Jantzen Beach Carousel measures more than 66 feet (20 m) in diameter and stands nearly three stories high. It features 72 beautifully hand-carved horses and is the last Parker Superior Park Model carousel known to exist.
This exhibition includes four of the carousel’s beautiful horses (two newly restored), historical photographs, objects, documentary footage, and a gallery of stunning silver gelatin prints by architect and heritage documentarian Harley Cowan.