Located across from Rose Larisa Park with views of the bay, the Crescent Park Looff Carousel was built in 1895 by Charles I.D. Looff, one of the earliest and foremost carousel designers. The Carousel is nationally recognized as a true masterpiece of wood sculpture. Originally built as a showcase for prospective buyers, it is the largest and most elaborate of Looff's works. The Carousel contains 62 beautifully hand carved figures and four fanciful chariots.
Overall richness of effect was Looff's trademark and the Crescent Park Looff Carousel gives full interpretation to that spirit. Elaborate embellishments of decorative panels, beveled mirrors, faceted glass jewels, electric lights, colored sandwich glass windows and its original band organ music surround flying steeds to create Looff's "Total Carousel Experience."
Saved in the 1970's by a handful of residents, the Carousel was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites and Places in 1976. In 1985, the Rhode Island General Assembly proclaimed the Carousel as the State Jewel of American Folk Art and in 1987, the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, designated the Carousel as a National Historic Landmark.
Crescent Park Carousel
