Jantzen Beach Carousel

C. W. Parker Four-Row Park Carousel
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The carousel in 2009
Location	1492 Jantzen Beach Center, Portland, Oregon
Built	c. 1904[3]
Built by	Parker, Charles Wallace
MPS	Oregon Historic Wooden Carousels TR
NRHP reference No.	87001381[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 26, 1987[3]
Removed from NRHP	January 4, 2008[2]

The Jantzen Beach Carousel, also known as the C. W. Parker Four-Row Park Carousel,[2] is a carousel formerly installed at Portland, Oregon's Jantzen Beach, in the United States.

History

The carousel was built circa 1904[3] by C. W. Parker in Abilene, Kansas, for use at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.[4] It was later moved to Venice Beach, California, where it began operating in 1921.[4] In 1928, the carousel was repossessed and its parts were relocated to Portland for the opening of Jantzen Beach Amusement Park.[5] Since then, the park became a shopping mall, Jantzen Beach Center. The carousel was removed during the mall's $50 million renovation in 2012,[6] and reportedly remains in storage on site.[7]

In 1987, the carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with four others.[3] However, it was delisted in 2008 because of plans for relocation to the Portland Children's Museum,[2][8] which never came to fruition. The carousel has been designated "endangered" by the Architectural Heritage Center.[8] In 2012, it was included in the Historic Preservation League of Oregon's list of Oregon's Most Endangered Places.[9]

2015 sale and restoration

In 2015, the mall's owner, a company called Edens, said the carousel was being "safely stored in a camera-monitored, climate-controlled" building at the shopping center. However, in early 2017, The Oregonian reported that the current owner and location of the carousel were unknown; Edens said the carousel was sold to Kimco Realty, while the latter company claimed its purchase of Jantzen Beach Center included the land and buildings, but not the carousel.[10]

On September 7, 2017, it was made public that the carousel had been donated in spring 2017 to Restore Oregon, a nonprofit organization; the donation had been kept private until the transfer was complete.[11] In 2023, The Astorian reported that Astoria was being considered as a permanent location. A final decision by Restore Oregon is expected by September 15.[12]

Future Relocation Efforts

On March 5, 2023, Restore Oregon sent a call for a permanent home for the carousel, stating that it was not the intention of the organization to house the carousel permanently.[13] Later that year in September, Restore Oregon announced that the carousel had found a new home at the Neon Sign Museum in The Dalles, Oregon, who will begin the construction of a new pavilion to house the carousel.[14]

See also

• List of carousels on the National Register of Historic Places
• List of Oregon's Most Endangered Places
• National Register of Historic Places listings in North Portland, Oregon

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 12/31/07 through 1/04/08". National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List. National Park Service. January 11, 2008. Archived from the original on May 26, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
3. Skinner, Jean (December 3, 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Oregon Historic Wooden Carousels" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
4. Marum, Anna (September 7, 2017). "The Jantzen Beach carousel: A timeline". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
5. Kaza, Paul (August 3, 2017). "Jantzen Beach carousel's whereabouts remain a mystery". The Columbian. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
6. Marum, Anna (June 24, 2015). "What ever happened to the Jantzen Beach carousel? Location remains a mystery". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
7. Marum, Anna (July 21, 2015). "Commissioner Nick Fish found the Jantzen Beach carousel". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
8. "Endangered: Historic Jantzen Beach Wooden Carousel". Architectural Heritage Center. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
9. "Jantzen Beach Carousel". Historic Preservation League of Oregon. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
10. Marum, Anna (July 11, 2017). "Jantzen Beach Center sold; carousel location remains a mystery". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
11. Marum, Anna (September 7, 2017). "Jantzen Beach carousel location revealed: Now it needs a real home". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
12. Plechl, David (June 14, 2023). "Astoria could get Jantzen Beach carousel". The Astorian. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
13. Oregon, Restore (March 5, 2023). "The Jantzen Beach Carousel Ready for Next Phase". Restore Oregon. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
14. "After years in storage, the historic Jantzen Beach Carousel has found an equally bright and colorful new home". kgw.com. September 12, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2024.

External links

• Jantzen Beach Carousel at Restore Oregon