When PCT No. 19 arrived at Euclid Beach in 1910, it was larger and grander than any of the other carousels that had operated there thus far. The Humphrey’s spared no expense on their new carousel and the building that housed it was no exception. The ninety-foot diameter building, crowned with a copper cupola, was adorned with ornate shields and paintings of familiar Cleveland scenes on the lower part of the roof. The look of the original building is far different than the modern glass walled sixty-foot diameter pavilion that currently houses the Carousel at the Cleveland History Center. There is also a vast difference in the cost of the two structures. The initial cost to erect the Carousel building in 1920 of $9,713.94 was far eclipsed by the $1,500,000.00 price tag for its new home.
The overall appearance of the Carousel has changed significantly over the years. The first major change was made by the Humphrey family in the 1930’s to reflect the Art Deco design style which was popular at that time. The Carousel took on a more modern sleek look. Much of the ornate decorative wood carving on the upper rounding boards was removed as well as the cherubs, swags, and mirrors which originally adorned each panel. They were replaced with a crisp clear linear design element back lit by illuminated shields at each of the rounding board segment joints. Today, the rounding boards pay homage to both the pre and post 1930 look of the Carousel with not only the restored shields but also the mirrors, cherubs, and flower swags adorning each of the rounding boards.
The upper scenery panels were also transformed during this period. Much of the decorative wood carving was removed and an orange and blue design element characteristic of the rich colors and bold geometric shapes of the Art Deco design style was added to each panel. Today, these panels retain much of their streamlined look, but the familiar painted design element has been replaced with paintings of very recognizable Cleveland scenes much like those that adorned the original building.
When the Carousel was first installed, there was no safety fence to prevent riders from stepping on to the Carousel. The black metal safety fence that surrounds the carousel platform in the Pavilion today is exactly forty-two inches high, which not coincidently is the exact height which patrons must be to ride along. It keeps the onlookers at a safe distance and allows the operator to quickly check the riders height. The operators booth was also constructed to look like a ticket booth at Euclid Beach Park.
The entire Carousel took on a white color palette during this same time period, even the horses were repainted completely white with only their saddles and decorative trappings painted in rich colors. Today the horses have been restored to the color palette we believe they had when they arrived at Euclid Beach in 1910. The “Flag Horse” and the “Garland Horse” are the only two horses which look the same no matter what time period in which they were photographed.
From the time of its installation in 1910 to its removal in 1969, the Carousel’s center surround housed the 87-keyless North Tonawanda band organ and each panel was decorated with wood carvings and a beveled oval mirror. The band organ is no longer located in the center surround. It is housed in an alcove in the Pavilion specifically designed for it. Little is known about the lower portion of each panel below the mirrors but it is believed to have just a painted surface with no specific decoration. Today, each panel is decorated not only with a mirror and wood carvings but also a painted scene depicting one of the rides or attractions at the Park.
For those of you that rode the Carousel at Euclid Beach, do you remember looking up at the twirling cranks while you were riding one of the horses? If you looked straight up beyond the cranks, you would not look up at the underside of the building’s roof but rather a “sky scene” of birds, butterflies, and clouds that was painted onto a vaulted ceiling mounted between the upper beams that gave the illusion of being outside rather than a building. Riders today have an unobstructed view of the Pavilion’s ceiling and upper windows.
During the restoration of the chariots something very interesting was discovered about them. When the Carousel was delivered in 1910, the Goddess on each of the chariots was bare breasted. The gowns covering them were added by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company at the behest of the Humphrey family to make the appearance of the Carousel more “family friendly”. The chariots gave been restored to their au natural state without the grounds and a chariot was also built to accommodate those with special needs or in wheel chairs so anyone visiting the Pavilion has an opportunity to ride. The second original antique chariot replaced on the Carousel by the newly built all access chariots is often used by visitors for family and group photos.
