Long Beach : Braude Warns That City May Lose Carousel
Concerned that the grand Looff carousel in Shoreline Village may be taken back to San Francisco, its longtime home, city officials are hoping to persuade the carousel’s owner to keep it spinning in Long Beach.
City Councilman Evan Anderson Braude, whose downtown district includes Shoreline Village, warned the council Tuesday that San Francisco would like to get the carousel back to place it in a downtown shopping and recreational complex.
The antique carousel of beautifully carved and ornamented wooden animals is owned by a New Mexico woman who leases it to Shoreline Village, a shopping and retail complex in Long Beach. She has indicated that she is unhappy with the way the carousel has been maintained and is considering leasing it to the San Francisco complex.
Built by carousel maker Charles Looff, who lived in Long Beach in the early 1900s, the carousel was for decades operated at Playland, a San Francisco amusement park that closed in 1971. It was brought to Long Beach in the early 1980s.
“I just want to make sure the carousel stays here,” Braude said. “It’s important to the city and the kids of the city. They love it.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
