National Neon Sign Museum gets new ‘mane attraction’ from Restore Oregon

“This is both an amazing and overwhelming honor, but the overwhelming piece goes away when you know how amazing this community is,” David Benko, owner of the National Neon Sign Museum, said during the celebration.

With speeches from Benko and his wife Kristen, City of The Dalles Mayor Richard Mays, Chamber of Commerce president Lisa Farquarson, Restore Oregon Executive Director Nicole Possert and Board President Rachel Browning, four of the 82 historic wood-carved horses were unveiled as part of the official announcement.

A true Oregon historic monument, according to a Restore Oregon press release, the Jantzen Beach Carousel has four rows for a total of 72 horses (with 10 spares) and two chariot seats. At a 67 foot diameter and a weight of 20 tons, the ride was initially built in 1921 in Levanworth, Kan., to be installed on a pier in Venice Beach, but was repossessed and put in storage after its original owner fell behind on payments.

C.W. Parker, designer of the carousel, oversaw the installation of the ride at the Jantzen Beach Amusement Park on Hayden Island in Portland in 1928. It is reportedly the last stationary carousel designed by Parker in existence.

According to Restore Oregon, the carousel resided at the amusement park for 41 years until the park’s closure in 1970, and then resided in the Jantzen Beach Center Mall until 2012, when it was disassembled and stored in anticipation of a mall remodel. Following the disassembly, the carousel was nominated to be placed on the Restore Oregon’s Most Endangered Places (MEP) List.

Restore Oregon is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of historic places in the state of Oregon with “hands-on technical support to help protect Oregon’s Cultural Heritage,” the press release said.

With the Jantzen Beach Center mall being sold in 2017, the owners ultimately donated the carousel to Restore Oregon five years after its initial placement on Retore Oregon’s MEP list.

“The owners of the mall were selling the property and asked if we would be the recipients of the carousel itself, or they were going to break it up and sell it and remove it from the state in some way,” Possert said. “Our board felt that that was something we needed to do our best effort to be an inner holder and be able to care for the carousel, which we did.”

According to Restore Oregon, as an organization, they spent the last six years as temporary stewards of the carousel, fundraising the cost to store, care for, maintain and eventually restore the ride, all the while seeking a permanent home for it.

“Earlier this year, communities across Oregon submitted heartfelt proposals, each a testament to the carousel’s significance in the hearts of Pacific Northwesterners. However, one proposal shone particularly brightly,” a Restore Oregon press release said. “The National Neon Sign Museum shared a vision for the carousel that included preservation and celebration of the carousel’s artistry and history, as well as amazing opportunities for education, tourism, and economic development in The Dalles downtown business core, and the Columbia River Gorge at large.”

Opening in The Dalles in 2018, the National Neon Sign Museum is “an entity dedicated to promoting an understanding and appreciation of illuminated advertising and appreciation of illuminated advertising and signage and the unique historic, social and cultural roles both have played in American history,” the press release said. The museum is located inside the now restored former Elks lodge on downtown Third Street.

“The National Neon Sign Museum’s unique vision and twin passions for preservation and education make them the perfect custodians for the believed Jantzen Beach Carousel,” Browning said in a press release. “We are confident that under their careful watch, the carousel will enjoy a long and bright future.”

With the carousel’s last full restoration taking place in 1995, elements of the ride, including its horses, panels and decorative pieces, will be restored on site in the museum’s education center located in the buildings basement, according to the press release. Visitors of the education center — which includes classrooms, a maker’s space, a glass plant and special exhibition galleries — will have opportunities to view and possibly even assist artisans working on restoring the historic pieces.

“We cannot wait to restore this century-old masterpiece and provide it with a dazzling new home in The Dalles’ historic downtown business district. The Jantzen Beach Carousel is both an Oregon treasure and a national treasure, and we are eager to work with our community, and industry experts, to bring this one-of-a-kind treasure back to life as a major West Coast attraction,” Benko said in the press release.

“This community thrives on our farming, community, and tourism. And I think looking at the opportunity that the carousel is going to present, I believe it will open up doors for us to connect with the schools better with local artisans better with our businesses downtown with the cruise lines that come every week. And it’s just one more thing that we can come together,” said Kristen Benko. “My heart and focus right now is just on the process, and I think that’s where the true joy is going to come in, is you never know what’s going to develop from the community that comes together to work on a project together.”

The National Neon Sign Museum is located at 200 E. Third St. in The Dalles. Visit the website at www.nationalneonsignmuseum.org.

For more information on Restore Oregon and their journey as stewards to the Jantzen Beach Carousel, visit restoreoregon.org

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