Jantzen Beach Carousel

The Jantzen Beach Carousel, formerly listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the C. W. Parker Four-Row Park Carousel, is a carousel formerly installed at Portland, Oregon's Jantzen Beach, in the United States. It was the subject of concern for historic preservationists for over a decade, as a new site for the carousel was sought. As of 2025, it was being restored for display at the National Neon Sign Museum in The Dalles, Oregon.

History

The carousel was supposedly built circa 1904 by Charles Wallace Parker in Abilene, Kansas, for use at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, according to its National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination and The Oregonian. According to the Oregon Historical Society and its current owners, it was built in 1921 for installation on the Venice Amusement Pier in Venice Beach, California. In 1924, the carousel was repossessed for non-payment. After being put in storage, it was purchased and relocated to Portland for the opening of Jantzen Beach Amusement Park in 1928. The amusement park was torn down in 1970 and replaced with the Jantzen Beach Center shopping mall; the carousel was the only amusement park feature retained at the new mall complex. In 2012, the carousel was removed during a major renovation to the mall, and was reported to be in storage on site.

In 1987, the carousel was listed on the NRHP, along with four others. However, it was delisted in 2008 because of plans for the relocation of the carousel to the Portland Children's Museum, which never came to fruition. The carousel was designated "endangered" by the Architectural Heritage Center. In 2012, it was included in the Historic Preservation League of Oregon's (now Restore Oregon) list of Oregon's Most Endangered Places, and subsequently remained on the list for several years afterward.

2015 sale and restoration

In 2015, the mall's owner, a company called Edens, said the carousel was being "safely stored in a camera-monitored, climate-controlled" building at the shopping center. However, in early 2017, The Oregonian reported that the current owner and location of the carousel were unknown; Edens said the carousel was sold to Kimco Realty, while the latter company claimed its purchase of Jantzen Beach Center included the land and buildings, but not the carousel.

On September 7, 2017, it was made public that the carousel had been donated in spring 2017 to Restore Oregon. The donation was kept private until the transfer was complete. In 2023, The Astorian reported that Astoria was being considered as a permanent location. A final decision by Restore Oregon was expected by September 15.

Future relocation efforts

On March 5, 2023, Restore Oregon sent a call for a permanent home for the carousel, stating that it was not the intention of the organization to house the carousel permanently. Later that year in September, Restore Oregon announced that the carousel had found a new home at the Neon Sign Museum in The Dalles, Oregon. The museum planned to begin construction of a new pavilion to house the carousel.