By Mary Dodge Allen
Many believe that the beautiful carousel he built in Griffith Park inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland.
Karl Jurgen Detley Looff was born in 1852 in the Duchy of Holstein, part of the German Confederation. He began working as a wood carver as a teenager. In 1870, after turning 18, he emigrated to the United States.
Looff changed his name by mistake after arriving in New York. A customs agent began filling out his identification papers and asked Looff to state his middle name. In the Low German language, the letter J resembles the English letter I. And in the confusion of the moment, Looff pointed to the initials “I.D.” on the official identification form (thinking it was J.D. for Jurgen Detley). His name became Charles I.D. Looff from then on.
Looff settled in Brooklyn, New York and began working as a wood carver for a furniture company. As a sideline, he taught ballroom dancing part-time, which is how he met his future wife, Anna Dolle, who was also from Germany.
At this time, vacationers and local residents were flocking to the south Brooklyn beaches, and investors and entrepreneurs were actively developing Brooklyn’s beachside properties. Looff saw an opportunity. He decided that a carousel - also called a merry-go-round - would be a perfect addition to the attractions at the Brooklyn beaches.
After working at the furniture factory all day, Looff began bringing wood scraps home to his apartment, where he worked long hours, carving and painting ornate wooden horses and animals. He worked at this for nearly four years, before he married Anna in 1874.
In 1875, Mrs. Lucy Vanderveer’s Bathing Pavilion was completed on Coney Island. It was an impressive building, with a spacious restaurant and flags flying from three ornate cupolas. Somehow, Looff convinced the Pavilion’s manager to allow him to assemble a carousel inside the Pavilion.
Working alone, Looff fastened his wooden menagerie of animals and horses onto a circular platform he personally designed. His first carousel, which began operating in 1876, became the first amusement ride on Coney Island.
Looff opened his own factory in Brooklyn and continued building carousels. As business increased, he hired other expert carvers to help him. Looff’s carved horses were known for their decorative ornamentation, glass eyes and tails made of real horse hair.
Looff's Carving Style Phases:
During his long career, Looff's carving style had three distinct phases. His early phase (1876-1888) produced horses with gentle expressions.
During his second phase (1889-1900) his horse heads were elegant, and the manes intricately carved.
In his last phase (1901-1918) his horses became more stylized and flamboyant.
The Looff Family Carousel Business:
Charles and Anna Looff had six children, three girls and three boys. All of them, except the eldest child, Anna, would eventually work with Charles in his carousel business. (Anna was tragically killed in a trolley car accident at age 21.)
In 1886, Looff moved his family to Rhode Island, where he set up a new carousel manufacturing operation. He installed a carousel at Crescent Park in Riverside, RI, known as “the Coney Island of the East.”
Nine years later, in 1895, Looff replaced this carousel with a larger, more elaborate one, containing 61 horses, 1 camel, 2 single chariots, and 2 double chariots. The 1895 carousel is now owned by the city of East Providence, R.I. and has been fully restored. It is still operating in its original location. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
In 1910, Looff left two of his grown children to manage the family business in Rhode Island. He moved the rest of his family to Long Beach, California because he had heard of opportunities to build amusement parks on the West Coast.
Looff built carousels at various locations, including Ocean Park, Redondo Beach, Santa Cruz and Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The Griffith Park carousel remained in operation until 2020. It is believed that this beautiful carousel served as the inspiration for Walt Disney to build Disneyland.
Looff’s youngest son, Arthur helped him design and build the Santa Cruz Carousel and Roller Coaster, along with the Looff Pleasure Pier in Santa Monica (now called the Santa Monica Pier). To access the Pier, people entered through the impressive Looff Hippodrome. The Looff carousel inside the Hippodrome was illuminated with 1,000 electric lights, a spectacular sight at the time.
In all, Charles I.D. Looff and his family built 45 carousels between 1876 and 1916. Looff carousels were installed at amusement parks across the U.S.
Charles I.D. Looff died in July 1918, in Long Beach, at the age of 66. For many years after this, his children continued managing the family’s businesses in New England and California.
Fun and Fascinating Facts about Carousels, aka Merry-Go-Rounds:
The word carousel has been traced back to 12th century Italian horsemanship competitions, called carosellos (Italian for “little wars”). These competitions tested the skill of riders, as they handled horses while moving in a circle.
Carousels run clockwise in the United Kingdom and counter-clockwise in the United States.
Each carved carousel horse has an individual number, stamped on a brass circle on its left cheek.
There are two types of horses on a carousel: "Jumpers" go up and down; "Prancers" go back and forth.
Many carousels have a "Lead Horse" decorated fancier than the others. It helped the operator to keep track of how many times the carousel went around.
Riding Benches called "Chariots" were first made just before the turn of the 20th century, for ladies who did not want to ride side-saddle in their long skirts.
From 1885 to 1940, the standard price of a carousel ticket was five cents. What a bargain! Have you ever ridden on a carousel? Have you ridden on one recently?
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Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers.
