Custom Designed Carousel Coming to the Greenway

A custom carousel designed for the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is in the making and should be in operation by Labor Day 2013.

The carousel will be fully integrated into a new, lush landscaped park setting distinguished by a grove of trees. It will be installed in the Wharf District Parks opposite Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Christopher Columbus Park.

“This has been on Boston’s Wish List for years,” according to a Conservancy staff person.

Funding for the new carousel, which will be the only handicap accessible one in New England, was received from dozens of donors with 95% of the fund from private sources.

A multi disciplined design team was engaged by the Conservancy to develop the new carousel.

One of a kind carousel characters, lobster, cod, whale, sea turtle, fox, grasshopper, Peregrine Falcon, butterflies and sea serpent were inspired by Boston school children through two-rounds of design workshops with four different schools including the North End Eliot School.

Extensive public feedback through agency reviews and four public meetings were engaged by the Conservancy during the process of developing a carousel that everyone would be happy with.

The Conservancy also worked with the Institute for Human Centered Design to incorporate universal design principals into the carousel and landscape setting.

The new carousel will have a longer operating season and the ticket prices will remain the same at $3 per ride. Discounted events are being explored by the Conservancy.

A custom “grandparents'” leaning rail, ticket booth and amenities such as tables, chairs and umbrellas will be included in the project.

The Conservancy will continue to maintain Carousel Park and utilize horticulture best practices. The grove of trees will be set in a field of permeable pavers.

Net revenues from the new carousel are forecast to be more than double from the old one, increasing annual support for the hundreds of free programs on the Greenway organized by the Conservancy.

The Greenway draws thousands of visitors each year.