Canalside carousel to open in July 2020
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation has begun construction on the Buffalo Heritage Carousel project at Canalside. The project will consist of a new building near the corner of Prime and Perry streets to house the nearly century-old De Angelis Carousel.
“The Carousel project celebrates both Buffalo’s industrial history and our ongoing work to revive Buffalo’s Waterfront,” Governor Cuomo said. “With the community’s support, New York will continue to invest in projects like this that are transforming the city’s burgeoning waterfront into a central hub for residents and visitors alike to enjoy for generations to come.”
The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. approved the $5.3 million attraction, putting the solar-powered carousel on track to open at Canalside. After more than 60 years in storage, it will finally give this carousel a new home in Buffalo. The $4 million multisided roundhouse, with glass partitions between wooden columns, will have a double-pitched metal roof with integrated solar panels and large windows. The 6,400-square-foot pavilion will be open-air in the summer, and have a 13-foot-wide walkway around the inside of the roundhouse, with a handicapped-accessible ramp.
The three-row, park-style menagerie carousel was the most fanciful model and one of only about 20 ever produced by the four Herschell-Spillman carousel companies in nearby North Tonawanda. The menagerie of 34 animals, plus three display figures, features 30 horses plus a lion, tiger, ostrich, deer, giraffe, mule, and sea dragon. The three chariots include a custom-carved, handicapped-accessible Erie Canal boat, an original, two-bench chariot with carved dancing goddesses on the side; and a replica of the original rocking gondolier. A classic Wurlitzer Model 153 carousel band organ will provide dance music from the attraction’s inner loop.
