The Jantzen Beach Carousel has provided Restore Oregon with a unique opportunity to demonstrate how the process of historic preservation planning works, and why it is so vital to any preservation project, be that preservation of an object (like the carousel), a landscape, a structure, or a building. 

Our team spent the pandemic testing repair and painting processes to finalize protocols for inclusion in our Preservation Roadmap. While every horse on the carousel is different, testing always started with the same step. With each test horse, we began by reviewing notes and photos in our condition assessment database to understand the extent of any visible damage, and the steps we might need to take to address that damage.

Of course, surprises often lurked beneath the paint, so we learned it was wise to assume additional challenges would emerge during the repair process. Test repairs typically took several months, with some horses requiring over 400 hours of carpentry. Fortunately, we were able to spend those months refining our rendering and painting process, so painting could begin as soon as repairs were completed. Ultimately, by carefully testing repair and painting methods on several horses with different needs, we were able to adjust our Preservation Roadmap to include proven step-by-step protocols to guide full restoration of the carousel in the future. Because we allowed ourselves the time to be methodical about testing and refining our methods, we are now confident that when the time comes, we will know exactly how to Re-Turn the Jantzen Beach Carousel!

Watch this quick slideshow of Arthur's restoration journey...



Restore Oregon would like to thank the donors whose generosity has made this preservation planning work possible including our anonymous donor at the Oregon Community Foundation, Portland Diamond Project, Craig Cheek, Sandy and Harvey Platt, Oregon Cultural Trust, Juan Young Trust, Kinsman Foundation, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Oregon Heritage Commission and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and the National Carousel Association. THANK YOU!