Restored Idora carousel is popular NYC attraction

Staff report

NEW YORK

A piece of Youngstown history continues to entertain thousands in its Big Apple home.

“We started the year off with a much-needed mini-restoration of the horses after tremendous wear and tear from three years of operation and almost 1 million riders,” a Christmas email from Jane’s Carousel sent to supporters said.

The 1922 carousel that graced the former Idora Park on Youngstown’s South Side is now in New York City. Artist Jane Walentas bought the carousel at auction in 1984, restored it and opened it to the public in 2011.

In the recent mini-restoration, a team of artists sanded and repainted the horses’ 48 saddles, touching up the gold and silver leaf. The work lasted three months and was scheduled so the carousel could remain open as scheduled.

“The horses continue to be loved, ridden once again by more than 300,000 riders from all over the world and visited by thousands more who just stop by to take photos and say hello,” the email said.

The carousel earned several awards as well.

Trip Advisor recognized Jane’s Carousel as “NY State’s Top Family Attraction Worth Traveling For” and the carousel made the “Best Place in NYC for a First Date” list.

“We were thrilled also that Heinemann, the scholastic book group, published a wonderful story of Jane’s Carousel with lovely drawings and photos, for national use as an elementary school reader,” it says.

Jane’s Carousel also hosted several corporate events this year.

The former amusement park attraction is housed in a transparent boxlike structure designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. It survived 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, reopening just two weeks after the storm.