Five carved and painted carousel animals returned to Glen Echo Park after undergoing repairs. The animals, part of the park’s 103-year-old Dentzel carousel, sustained water damage during a storm in July 2023. A power outage caused a sprinkler failure, flooding parts of the historic ride.
The National Park Service, which owns the carousel, funded the repairs. Carousels and Carvings of Marion, Ohio, completed the restoration. Todd W. Goings founded the company, a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow.
Glen Echo Park’s menagerie carousel features 52 animals: 40 horses, four rabbits, four ostriches, a giraffe, a deer, a lion, and a tiger. Installed in 1921 by the Dentzel Carousel Company of Germantown, Pennsylvania, it is one of only 135 functioning antique carousels in the U.S. and remains in its original location.
It also played a role in the Civil Rights Movement when Howard University students protested segregation by riding it in 1960.
Photos courtesy Glen Echo Park Partnership for Art and Culture
The storm that damaged the carousel also downed 15 large trees and caused $50,000 in losses. Other park structures, including the Spanish Ballroom, Bumper Car Pavilion, and the almost-century-old Wurlitzer band organ, also suffered damage. Staff and contractors worked to clear debris and restore the park for visitors.
To recover losses, the Glen Echo Park Partnership launched the “Lift Us Up” fundraising campaign, raising more than $100,000.
Visit the Park and the Carousel
The carousel operates from May through September. It will open for the 2025 season on Saturday, May 3, during Carousel Day. The annual festival attracts about 4,000 visitors with arts and crafts, performances, and carousel rides.
Visitors can see the restored animals before the season begins. The National Park Service offers a 45-minute walking tour every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Also, the park service offers Glen Echo Park Civil Rights and History Tours on the first Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. with the next tour scheduled for April 5.
