Western Reserve Historical Society wants to restore Euclid Beach carousel

Now this is how you do preservation. The need to think about the cost of operation in the long term is not something you can just ignore.

Cool. After all these years, it's nice to know it will finally have a new home.

Agreed Jeff, too often the groups have gotten caught up in the restoration process, and when it's done usually the first words uttered are "Okay, now what do we do?" There are horror stories out there of banks forclosing on concesseion equipment of one operation, and in another case the band organ, when the groups responsible couldn't make the loan payments.

The only thing left to make this machine complete is the organ, which is in a private collection now.

It will be nice to see some Cleveland history saved!! There are some very good people working on this for a long time!!! Congrats everyone.

I'm glad to see something happening with that carousel. That being said, I have to wonder if WRHS is really the right place for it, given they have had some serious financial issues in the past, and generally, it's not a "kid friendly" place. I wonder if the Cleveland zoo might end up being a better venue, as many, many zoos have carousels (Cleveland does not).

I think the zoo would have been a brilliant location, particularly as they continue to improve it with the new elephant area, and eventually the area in the back.

Accessibility is always an issue as well. WRHS has not only had financial issues, but a site where you either pay for parking or walk a ways to get to the carousel isn't really kid friendly either.

And of course endowments have to be found etc -- you cannot support a carousel on the $1 - $2 a ride you can charge.

And the Zoo doesn't want it -- they've been asked.

Remember the size of this thing! It's a full sized 4 row vintage PTC -- way too big for most places.

The zoo has plenty of room. It's disappointing that they wouldn't want it. I mean, they have that awful cheesy space ship simulator ride there. It's an eyesore and looks stupid in the zoo. Perhaps they should take a lesson from their neighbors in Columbus.

The Children's Zoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana also has a very nice carousel they've had for years, and they managed to fit it in to their very limited area (the zoo is pretty much surrounded and even bisected by local roads). If the carousel in question can fit inside a building not designed for it, I'd think a zoo could find space.