The 1924 Dentzel Carousel

The Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel was built in 1924 by the Dentzel Carousel Company of Philadelphia. The original carousel contained 52 hand carved, multi-colored animals (40 horses, four rabbits, four cats, two pigs, two goats) and two chariots. It originally operated at Woodside Park—a favorite Philadelphia amusement park located less than 10 blocks from Memorial Hall—until 1955. The Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel is on loan from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Restoration work on the carousel is on schedule and craftsmen are now in the process of starting the ceiling panels. Please Touch Museum’s Senior Exhibit Designer Lorna Kent painted the eight drum panels for the carousel over a period of three months. The panels show images of Woodside Park.

All of the pilasters that go between the drum panels have been primed, and are awaiting the drum panels’ arrival at the Ohio studio, so that a “marbleized faux-finish” can be painted on them. The carousel floor will be finished after the ceiling panels are fabricated. Work on the restoration of the carousel will continue throughout the winter.

Meanwhile, the 9,000 square-foot glass carousel house located on the East side of Memorial Hall has been topped off, and will soon be enclosed in glass.

To become a part of the legacy we are creating for future generations and to have your name engraved on a plaque on the Woodside Park Carousel, contact: