Author’s note: The intended audience for this article is the citizens of Raleigh, N.C. and surrounding towns who enjoy visiting sites within the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation system. Updates to the original article are highlighted in red font.
Pullen Park Set to Close For a Year as Carousel Gets New Home
RALEIGH, N.C.– For only the third time in more than 120 years and for the first time since 1973, the gates at Pullen Park will be closed shut and park-goers will have to find somewhere else to ride the carousel and feed the ducks.
From mid-December until Spring 2011, the train’s whistle will be silent, the carousel won’t be turning and North Carolina’s oldest park will remain empty. The closure is due to a park-wide renovation project, a concept that became a reality eight years ago.
Project Timeline:
• Carousel Task Force and Master Plan Committee develops Master Plan
• Raleigh City Counsel adopts Master Plan in October 2001
• Raleigh voters approve Park Bonds Referendum on 2003 ballot
Many staff members from the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation department tout the historic significance of the park as the rationale behind the project.
Park History:
• 1887: Richard Stanhope Pullen donates farm land to the City of Raleigh for park use
• 1888: Pullen hires first park keeper, Wiley A. Howell. Howell and Pullen work together to map out park landscaping details
• 1891: City of Raleigh’s first public swimming pool built inside park, designated for men-only
• 1895: Additional swimming pool built for women
• 1920: Carousel installed
• 1992: Indoor Pullen Aquatic Center opens
The last park-wide renovation occurred in 1973. This was 11 years before Marvin Howell, park manager of Pullen Park, started his job. The critical aspect of the latest renovation will be the work done on the carousel.
“It’s a good time to upgrade,” Howell said. “It is mainly about the preservation of the carousel, to put it in a climate-controlled building.”
The Dentzel Carousel Company built the carousel in 1911; however, it wasn’t installed into Pullen Park until April 1920, when the City of Raleigh purchased it. The historic, 50-foot wide carousel sits 52 animals, 16 stationary and 36 that move up and down, and two chariots on an 18-section platform.
Each of the animals is routinely restored and cared for individually.
“There is a lady out in Chicago who comes down, picks them up and takes them back to her shop to be repainted,” said Richard Costello, program director for the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department.
The method of removing layers of park paint to expose and preserve the carousel’s original paints made its debut on the Pullen Park carousel in 1976, making it possible for 28 of its animals to now display their original colors.
In regards to the project resulting in any concern and opposition from the public for the sake of preserving the park’s historic significance, Howell did not seem concerned.
“I am sure there are people out there not liking what we are doing, but it is the best thing for the carousel,” Howell said.
After our interview, an open house meeting was held at the Pullen Community Center on November 12, 2009 and no voices of opposition were present.
When complete, the new housing for the carousel will look similar to this artist rendering:
(Contributed Photo by the City of Raleigh)
Another popular attraction to the park, the miniature C.P. Huntington Train, which makes several trips around the park throughout the day, is included in the project as well. It is named after Collis Porter Huntington, who was one of the pioneers in the building of the transcontinental railroad line across the United States.
The train is about one-third of the size and nearly an exact replica of the larger, industrial trains used in the late 1800′s by the Central Pacific Railroad company. Although the train is in remarkable shape, the project will make way for a larger tunnel and a new train station.
Historical significance aside, the popularity level of Pullen Park beyond the Raleigh city limits makes the work advantageous in the eyes of the park’s management.
“Pullen is considered a metro-park but we consider it a regional-park. It brings people around and we are well known along the Eastern seaboard,” said Howell.
Many of the people who do live within the confines of the city of Raleigh and surrounding towns keep Pullen Park near the top of the list of places to spend a sunny afternoon.
“Pullen Park is the most [prominent] park in the City of Raleigh’s Parks and Recreation system, in my opinion. Everyone knows about it,” Costello said.
The park will not close quietly, as the upcoming 2009 Holiday Express at Pullen Park will be held December 10–13, which are the final days that the park will stay open before closing. Costello sees the annual event as a nice finale for the park and has been involved with the event since it first began in 2006.
“We started the Holiday Express three years ago, as we wanted to bring something new back to Pullen Park. In my opinion, it is one of the most staple holiday events in the City of Raleigh,” Costello said.
In a little over a year from now, as the Spring flowers are blooming and the gates to Pullen Park reopen once again, the park will have a rejuvenated appearance yet carry the same charm and character as Richard Stanhope Pullen hoped it would more than a century ago.
