Click on any photo to see a larger version.



Seeing the success of that first horse proved to Six Flags St. Louis' management that they in fact had the talent to be able to bring the Grand Ole' Carousel back to life on their own.  As a result that first renovated horse was named "Able" because it proved that they were able to handle the task.  Shortly afterwards the Grand Ole' Carousel slowed to a stop and soon the rest of the horses and the carousel's two chariots were taken off of the ride.  Six Flags St. Louis' largest project had began.



The goal of the Grand Ole' Carousel renovation project was simple, make this classic carousel the most beautiful carousel in the world.  Additionally the goal was to be able to preserve this classic carousel so it could keep making memories for young and old guests alike, for another century.

This is a renovation and not a restoration as Six Flags St. Louis was not returning it to the rides previous state with monochromatic horses that all looked the same.  Instead this was a refurbishment as the artisans at Six Flags St. Louis would be brininging back details to the hand carved horses that had been lost throughout the years due to wear and tear as well as countless layers of paint.

As Six Flags St. Louis wanted to bring what was referred as the "Enchanted Carousel" when it opened at Cleveland's Luna Park in 1915, back to its former glory a lot of time was put into researching the history of the carousel.  One of the things that had been lost to time was the mirrored manufacturer logo from the Philadelphia Toboggan Co.  At some point between 1915 and modern times the second "R" stopped being used to spell the word carousel so this is not a mistype.  Six Flags made the sign look exactly like it did back when it first took people for a ride.



With any big project, especially a renovation, there are always going to be unforeseen issues that slow down the process.



Not having rennovated a carousel from the ground up For Six Flags St. Louis had a lot to learn.  Starting off once over a century of paint was stripped fro each horse they found out that some parts of the horses were  too deteriorated to be saved.  Thankfully they had just the right wood on hand as when the parks front gate was rennovated several years back there were trees of just the right type that were removed.  That wood had to be carved and fitted onto the horses that needed.  During the sealing and painting there were further issues that slowed the project as Six Flags learned along the way.  On top of  learning and dealing with all of the pitfalls along the way we had the Corona pandemic which caused the park to shut down leaving the only employees allowed in the park was securitywhich set this project back further.



Despite all of the setbacks and how long the project was taking Six Flags St. Louis stuck with it, determined to do it the right way and that's how we ended up here.

Next I've got something really cool to show you.
 


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Copyright 1999 - 2025

Paul B. Drabek