With Jane's Carousel set to open on September 16th, the finishing touches are now being put into place. Yesterday we took a look inside of the horse-less carousel and its $9 million acrylic jewel box, and this morning we received photos of the horses rolling through DUMBO, en route to their final destination on the waterfront. But their new home is also the scene of a controversial arborcide, for their arrival meant the untimely demise of a "majestic" weeping willow tree.
So we can't ignore the obvious questions here: Will the horses be haunted by the ghost of the weeping willow? Will this be the latest children's attraction at the park that will terrify parents and kids alike? We have placed calls to both the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, and the oracle we keep on retainer, to get some answers. We'll update when we hear back.
In the meantime, check out these shots of the handcrafted horses (prior to their souls being taken over by the fallen willow) parading through the streets. The NY Times spoke to Jane and David Walentas, the wealthy couple that bought the carousel (for $385,000) in 1984 and have spent years restoring it. Each of the 48 horses are different, and Jane Walentas spared no cost in fixing them up: she called in a Mercedes-Benz car detailer to paint the horse's bridles, and used actual gold leaf for decoration. She called the waterfront site "very spectacular, and I felt we needed something very exciting and elegant."
