Featured image credit: Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round
It was only a few short years ago that the pastoral hills of Griffith Park were alive with celebratory music emanating from a verdant nook on Crystal Springs Drive. If you were to go there today, you might find a looming cylindrical structure with metal shutters shielding the mysterious interior from the elements. At the northwest, past the tennis courts and parking lots, stands the decaying ruins of the old LA Zoo. Across the drive are the dormant grounds of the annual Haunted Hayride. Other than that, this strange capsule is surrounded by pure nature. Behind those metal curtains stands one of LA’s most inspiring structures. And there’s the possibility that it could project its timeless songs once again. It’s the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round, and it’s been spinning longer than most of us have been on the earth. So, will it spin again?
A Historic Carousel in Modern Time
Behind the metallic curtain stands a circle of 68 hand-carved wooden horses, punctuated by two chariots. But the herd hasn’t always been together. Some of the equine sculptures were whittled as far back as 1895, predating the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round itself. The newest broncos on the block joined in 1976 following a fire at Lincoln Park.
A complex and aged mechanism at the center of the carousel is responsible for its leaping stallions, undulating through each cycle at an impressive 14 miles per hour. While that may not sound significant, it makes the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round one of the world’s fastest. Yet, it may be that complicated mechanism at the heart of the carousel that is currently keeping its steeds frozen.
Updating the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round Over the Years
Changing ownership instituted new additions to the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round in relatively recent years. In the late 1970s, parts of the carousel were repainted and varnished. The columns and iron fencing that border the attraction to this day first appeared in 1980. And over the years, volunteers broke out the brushes and tried their hands at restoration.
Perhaps the most significant “new” addition came in 1987. The owners at that time installed a custom-crafted Stinson 165 Military Band Organ. Boasting over 1,500 classic songs, the organ sent its precious melodies echoing off the hills of Griffith Park on weekend mornings and summer afternoons. But it’s been quiet for some time now.
How the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round Came to Griffith Park
The Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round’s story begins years before it became the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round. It was built in 1926 by the Spillman Engineering Company; a commission from the Spreckels family, noted for their burgeoning sugar empire. The merry-go-round was installed at San Diego’s Mission Beach Amusement Park. It spent a couple years whisking children around at the San Diego Expo before concluding its run in 1935.
In 1937, a representative of the original manufacturers, the Spillman Company, personally purchased the merry-go-round. Ross Davis then had his new purchase moved to its current location at 4730 Crystal Springs Drive.
The Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round that we know today wasn’t the first in the area. Originally, there was a carousel that went three horses deep. It was replaced by Davis’s purchase which went four horses deep and accommodated 80 riders. Davis managed the merry-go-round until his death in 1976. At that point, ownership passed to business partners Don Rand and Ed Openshaw.
The Carousel’s Magic Inspiration
But it was still during Davis’s ownership that the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round inspired possibly its most renowned dreamer. A resident of the surrounding Los Feliz neighborhood, Walt Disney enjoyed bringing his children to the merry-go-round. During those languid weekends, Disney would sit in repose on a park bench and watch his children spin over and over again.
When asked about where the idea for Disneyland came from, Disney responded with a famed quote in which the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round makes a cameo. “It came about when my daughters were very young, and Saturday was always daddy’s day with the two daughters,” he recalled. “I’d take them to the merry-go-round, and I took them different places, and I’d sit while they rode the merry-go-round and did all these things… sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts… I felt that there should be something built where the parents and the children could have fun together. So that’s how Disneyland started.”
Disney’s assessment of the carousel wasn’t exactly a sterling recommendation. But even in its critical nature, it shows that a rare magic emanated from the historic merry-go-round. And its shortcomings inspired arguably the Happiest Place on Earth.
Still, the legend treats the carousel’s impact on Disney as profound. One of the original horses as well as a Griffith Park bench were even purchased and moved to Disneyland to commemorate the point of inspiration.
The Era of Julio Gosdinski
One special employee of the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round even brings a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory trope to the carousel’s rich history. Julio Gosdinski came to work for the merry-go-round as a teenager a few short years after moving to LA from Peru at the age of 12. For decades, Gosdinski studied the merry-go-round, gleaning a deep understanding of its mechanisms and mannerisms. Over the years, the machinations of the merry-go-round had become temperamental. It was as if Gosdinski spoke its language.
Gosdinski’s selfless devotion to keeping the merry-go-round turning got the notice of the historic piece’s owner at the time, Warren Deasy. Upon Deasy’s passing in 2011, he bequeathed half of the attraction to Gosdinski. The other half went to Deasy’s ex-wife. As co-owner, Gosdinski of course remained as dedicated to the merry-go-round as ever. During off days, he’d lovingly touch up the horses’ paint or do what was necessary to keep the gears moving ever-forward.
The Unexpected Tragedy That Suspended the Merry-Go-Round
When a global pandemic descended on the world, Gosdinski followed protocol and shuttered the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round. His passion was not as easily shuttered. He’d regularly visit the site in those days, measuring lines for social distancing, installing plexiglass safeguards at the ticket booth, and maintaining the mechanisms.
Gosdinski’s younger sister, Annelieese Gosdinski-Espinoza, recounts that her brother had mentioned stomach issues around this time. Sadly, she had know way of knowing the possible significance of his complaints. On a fateful Friday morning in August, Gosdinski’s mother found that he had passed away in his sleep.
The ramifications of Gosdinski’s passing weren’t lost on the community. Many of them had grown up with the manager’s cheerful welcomes just as much as the merry-go-round itself. His spirit was synonymous with the structure. And both were steeped in feelings of nostalgia as painful as they were beautiful.
The Last Spin of the Carousel?
Gosdinski would no doubt want the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round to spin onward. After all, the rotation of the carousel was his life’s work. Unfortunately, no one knows the delicate and temperamental mechanisms the way Gosdinski did. And though the Merry-Go-Round has opened briefly since his passing, its future rotations are still shadowed in uncertainty.
Gerry Hans, who presides over the Friends of Griffith Park organization, assures merry-go-round enthusiasts that it will open again. Yet, very little information can be found online about the closure. And the only message in any official capacity is plastered on the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round’s Instagram page.
“We want to preserve this beautiful, invaluable machine for generations to come, and for now this means closing so needed repairs can be completed,” reads the caption. “With a machine this old, these special jobs take a lot of time, so stay tuned for more information.” It’s a little more discouraging to note that the post was made on June 27, 2022. And countless comments ranging from weeks ago to months ago enquiring about the status have been ignored.
The Uncertain Future
It’s easy to speculate in the dark. But the truth is that for all we know, the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round could open this weekend. Or this summer. And, yes, maybe never. We imagine nobody short of Julio Gosdinski himself would be able to say with certainty what’s going on behind the metal curtain today. And while there’s poetry in the wheel ceasing to spin with Gosdinski’s passing, we hope it has many more revolutions left to go. We’re sure he’d agree.
My grandchildren want to ride the Griffith Park Merry Go Round again. Any idea when it might reopen?
Thank you for providing fairly recent information about the merry-go–round. My husband and I, who are 81 and 80 years old respectively, loved riding it when we were children. It cost a nickel a ride and my father used to buy me a yard of tickets. We may even have been riding while Walt Disney was sitting a few benches away from our parents, planning Disneyland! I fear it will never open again, and it’s a terrible shame.
Thank you for the kind words, Dorothy! Amazing to hear from someone who has such depth of history with the merry-go-round! I too have many fond memories of visiting it shortly before its closing. It just added an extra sense of magic to Griffith Park to hear its music in the distance. Like you, I’m hoping something gets figured out soon, and I check back occasionally to see if there’s any news.