The Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round Turned 100 Behind a Locked Gate. Here's How Los Feliz Can Help It Spin Again.

"Honestly, I don't think carousels were ever intended to last 100 years," Kurt Sawitskas told the Los Angeles Times in October. "And now here we are with a carousel that's 100 years old. We want to honor it and make it run again."

Sawitskas works at Walt Disney Imagineering. He is one of several theme park veterans who now spend their own Saturdays on a ladder inside the Griffith Park merry-go-round, studying the machinery that lifts the horses. The Times notes that he and his coworkers volunteer on their own time and do not represent the Walt Disney Co. The carousel turned 100 this year and is still locked on most days. Its 66 wooden horses stand weathered and stopped mid-leap a short walk from the Griffith Park Ranger Station.

If you live in Los Feliz, you can probably walk to it, and it's one of four closed landmarks on the park's south side. The other three are moving through city contracts, utility schedules and requests for proposals. The carousel's path back depends on volunteers and private donations.

Four Closed Landmarks on the South Side of the Park

Here's where each one stood this fall, based on the latest public updates.

The pool is the largest of the city-run projects. The Eastsider describes a $36 million rebuild that replaces the old 225-foot pool with a 164-foot competition pool and a 25-yard-square splash pad. In March, the Los Angeles Times reported a $40 million project with a second recreational and training pool, so the final scope may still change. Either way, a neighbor can't speed up a project in the city's design pipeline. The carousel is different.

What the City Bought for $1 Million

On Aug. 21, 2025, the Recreation and Parks Commission approved buying the carousel for up to $1 million. The Daily News reported a 3–0 vote. The city's own report laid out the order of events. First the city organizes restoration fundraising. Later it issues a request for proposals for a party to operate, maintain and preserve the carousel. The report calls reopening a multi-year effort, and the purchase had support from Councilmember Nithya Raman's office.

Restoration money is raised separately from the purchase price. Tracy James, the Rec & Parks staffer leading the effort, told the Times there had been a real fear the carousel would end up with a private collector. She called the $1 million price a bargain for what she described as "the jewel in the middle of the city."

Look closely at the horses and the price makes sense. The carousel was built in 1926 by the Spillman Engineering Co. It ran in San Diego first and moved to Los Angeles in 1937, during the Depression. Spillman horses are known for flowing, windblown manes and heavy carving on the "romance" side, the side that faces riders waiting to board. Some have lion heads carved on their chests and others have cherubs reaching toward the horse's face. All of them wear jewels and once had tails of real horsehair, though squirrels and other animals have eaten many of the tails. The carousel also includes horses by Charles Looff and Charles Carmel, master carvers of the era.

There were 68 horses originally. James told the Times that one now stands at Disneyland and another is with a former owner. The Disneyland horse ties into the story most Angelenos already know, that Walt Disney sat on a bench here watching his daughters ride and imagined a park where adults and children could have fun together.

Why the Estimate Doubled

In August 2025, the Daily News reported a restoration estimate of up to $2 million. By October 2026, after volunteers had opened up the carousel, James was telling the Times the total would top $3 million or $4 million. The volunteers' findings explain most of the jump.

• Lead paint. The 1920s paint contains lead and has to come off. It can't simply be painted over.
• Cracked joints. Many horses have small fractures in their wood joints. As Sawitskas explained, those can only be repaired once the paint is off and the bare wood is exposed.
• Original colors. Volunteers are working through carousel history books to match each horse to its original paint scheme.
• Mechanics and access. The carousel runs at one speed, 14 mph. The plan adds modern controls for a smoother ride and work to meet Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.
• Painted panels. The murals around the carousel need restoration too.

At the time of the Times' Oct. 12 story, a formal condition assessment was expected "in the coming weeks." The restoration is expected to take at least two years, and no reopening date has been announced.

Getting Through the Gate This Winter

The carousel stays locked on most days, but James told the Times she would host open houses "on as many Saturdays as she can." Dates aren't set in advance on any public calendar. They're posted on the project's Instagram page, so check it before you head out on a Saturday. The carousel sits in the Park Center area near the Old Zoo Picnic Area and Shane's Inspiration playground, close to the Ranger Station and the tennis courts. On an open-house morning you can walk from the carousel to the old zoo ruins and be back in Los Feliz by lunch.

Fundraising runs through the nonprofit Friends of Griffith Park, which hasn't published a dollar goal for the campaign. Here are the ways to give that Friends lists.

1. Online, in preset amounts from $25 to $1,000, or any amount you choose.
2. By check made out to Friends of Griffith Park, with "Merry-Go-Round" written in the memo line.
3. As a grant from a donor-advised fund, designated for the project.
4. As a gift of stock, arranged by email with the organization.
5. As a qualifying charitable distribution from an IRA.

Friends says contributions are tax-deductible. This post is general information, not tax or financial advice, so check with your own tax professional about how a gift applies to you, especially the stock and IRA options.

The Rest of the Park Is Busy This Season

The carousel will be closed this holiday season, but plenty is open within a short drive up Crystal Springs Drive or Vermont Avenue. Phase 3 of the city's Griffith Park safety plan added bike lanes on Zoo Drive and Crystal Springs Drive, plus speed humps and narrower lanes on Crystal Springs. That makes the ride from Los Feliz to the Zoo calmer than it used to be.

• Saturday, Nov. 14: Griffith Observatory holds a free public star party from 2 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. The same afternoon, the Sunset Walk & Talk leaves Greek Theatre Lot F/G at 2700 N. Vermont Ave. for a moderate 2.25-mile hike from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 20: L.A. Zoo Lights opens and runs select evenings through Jan. 10. Tickets start at $19 and parking is free. This year adds a new light display and an artificial skating rink, which needs its own ticket. Zoo Lights is closed on Nov. 26 and 30 and on Dec. 1, 7, 14, 15, 16, 24, 25 and 31.
• Thursday, Nov. 26: The Observatory is closed for Thanksgiving.
• Saturday, Dec. 19: The Observatory holds its second free star party of the season.
• Monday, Dec. 21: The Sunset Walk & Talk repeats the same 2.25-mile route from Lot F/G, again from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

During the day, The Eastsider reports, six Magellanic penguins are on exhibit in the Zoo's Rainforest of the Americas. It's the first time the species has been at the Zoo since 1984. Coming back down Crystal Springs, you pass Park Center, where the carousel stands under its roof, waiting on its assessment and its fundraising.

Sarah has a soft spot for carved horses, painted panels and anything handmade that has lasted a century. If you'd like help planning a Saturday around an open house, or want to talk about the craftsmanship in the older homes near the park, SJLA Real Estate is happy to hear from you. Let's connect.