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After spending years in storage while preservationists looked for a new, permanent home, the Jantzen Beach Carousel finally has a corral it can call its own: the National Neon Sign Museum in The Dalles.
Today, Restore Oregon’s board of directors announced that it had selected the venue, located in the historic Elks Building at 200 E 3rd St., to become the next steward of the attraction.
The decision concludes the nonprofit’s statewide six-year search for a new place to display the century-old carousel. In 2012—the same year Jantzen Beach shopping mall closed—the organization placed the ride on its Most Endangered Places list, a status that indicates it was “in imminent danger of loss due to economic challenges, development pressures, demolition, or neglect,” according to Restore Oregon.
The former owners ended up donating the carousel to Restore Oregon, which over the last several years, has been in the research-and-development phase of repairing and repainting the ride. The results of those efforts were meant to be passed along to the entity that would eventually take over that process.
The National Neon Sign Museum, which has more than 20,000 square feet of displays from the late 1800s to the 1960s, was a natural choice as the carousel’s new home, according to Restore Oregon’s board of directors. The venue has both the space and the knowledge to restore the ride, which includes 82 hand-carved horses. Visitors will be able to watch that work once it gets underway and possibly even volunteer to help out with the process.
Once that work is complete, the carousel will become the centerpiece of the museum’s “early lightbulb display” and reside in its very own pavilion on an adjacent empty lot.
“Both neon signs and carousels are industrial works of art; and just as signs were meant to occupy prominent spots on Main Street where they would be visible to all, we strongly believe the carousel should enjoy a location of prominence,” museum founder and executive director David Benko stated in a press release. “The Jantzen Beach Carousel is both an Oregon treasure and a national treasure, and we are eager to work with our community, and industry experts, to bring this one-of-a-kind treasure back to life as a major West Coast attraction.”
