The G.A. Dentzel Company was an American builder of carousels in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

History

Its founder,

Gustav Dentzel ''Gustav Dentzel'' was a German immigrant who built some of the earliest carousels in the United States. Born in Germany Gustav Dentzel was born in Kreuznach, Germany, on August 3, 1846. As a child, Gustav, would travel around southwest Germany ...

, had immigrated to the United States in 1860, from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Having carved carousels for his father before immigrating he opened a cabinet making shop on Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia. He soon tired of the cabinet making business and decided to try his hand at building a small portable carousel that he could travel with around the country. After finding that people had a great enthusiasm for his carousel he decided to go into the carousel building business full-time in 1867, hiring other woodworkers who had also emigrated from Europe. His son William took over the business after Gustav's death in 1909, and continued making carousels until 1928, with employees such as master-carvers Salvatore "Cherni" Cernigliaro and Daniel Muller. After William's death, Muller went on to form his own carousel company, while the Dentzel equipment and remaining stock were sold to the

Philadelphia Toboggan Company Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry Auchey and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia ...

. In mid-2017, an estimate indicated that there may be 150 of the Dentzel units in existence. At that time, a model from 1907, with 52 hand-carved animals, was sold by

Centreville Amusement Park The Centreville Amusement Park is a children's amusement park located on Centre Island, part of the Toronto Islands, offshore of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park has been operated by the Beasley family since 1967, currently through Etobicoke-b ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, to the city of

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

, Indiana. The selling price was an estimated CAD $3 million, approximately US $2.25 million. The ride will open in 2018 or 2019 as part of a multi-year downtown redevelopment project.

Operating Carousels (in USA)

Gallery

Carousel longshot Philly.JPG, The Woodside Amusement Park Carousel, now at the

Please Touch Museum The Please Touch Museum is a children's museum located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum focuses on teaching children through interactive exhibits and special events, mostly aimed at children seven years ...

File:Lead Horse Carousel Philly.JPG, Lead horse on the Woodside Amusement Park Carousel File:Dentzel Works.jpg, Maker's mark on the lead horse on the Woodside Amusement Park Carousel File:Childrensmuseumgirafferow.jpg, Row of giraffes on the

Broad Ripple Park Carousel Broad Ripple Park Carousel is an antique carousel in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It was installed in 1917 at an amusement park near the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it remained until the building housing it collaps ...

File:Mad Horse Carousel Philly.JPG, Horse on the Woodside Amusement Park Carousel File:Pullen Park Carousel 06.JPG, Giraffe at the

Pullen Park Carousel The Pullen Park Carousel is a classic wood carousel at Pullen Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. Built in 1900, the carousel contains 52 hand-carved basswood animals, 2 chariots (or sleighs), 18 large gilded mirrors and canvas panels and a Wurlitze ...

File:Weona Park Carousel Animals 12.JPG, Zebra at Weona Park Carousel File:Pullen Park Carousel Animal - Tiger.jpg, Tiger at the Pullen Park Carousel

References

External links

antiquecarousels.com dentzel.weebly.comalbanycarousel.comDentzel Carousel at the San Francisco Zoo
{{Authority control Amusement Ride Manufacturers

Carousel manufacturers