Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Fallbrook residents, artist Natasha Ragland, left, and carousel owner Rosemary West, right, pose for a photograph with the carousel crown section (in primer) displaying a Spillman Engineering signature panel for the first time in decades. Ragland's talent has been used on the crown section.
In her studio on East Alvarado Street, next to the California Sculpture Academy, Rosemary West stands by one of the ornate carousel horses she is repairing, painting, and gold leafing.
FALLBROOK – Two Fallbrook residents are working together to restore the beautiful 1926 Spillman Engineering Carousel.
Now owned by local resident Rosemary West, the carousel was built specifically for San Diego upon the request of John D. Spreckels, son of the founder of Spreckels Sugar. Spreckels ordered the elaborate carousel as a way to draw visitors to Mission Beach, a stop on his newly-installed street car line.
Spreckels contacted the Spillman Carousel Company of North Tonawanda, New York, and ordered the "grandest, most elaborate carousel they could create."
Spillman designers carved large, detailed horses and then added 16 huge, spectacular horses that had been carved in the mid-1880s and probably taken in trade. Most of these were from carousels built by master carver Charles Looff, who is credited with installing the first carousel at Coney Island, New York.
This 1926 four-row all-jumper carousel is the only full size machine in existence built by Spillman Engineering and has many other unique features.
It has a highly detailed "crown" section with carved cherubs and large paintings, hiding the mechanism and adding to the carousel's magic.
The merry-go-round was greeted by huge crowds when it arrived in Mission Beach. In 1935-36, it was featured at the Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park. In 1937, when it was moved to its current home in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, these lovely paintings had finally rusted away.
West has recently set up a studio in Fallbrook to restore pieces of this rare carousel, starting with the crown sections using a second set of original paintings. But one was missing. Carousels always featured a "signature panel," advertising the proud manufacturer’s name. Only a blurry black and white photo of this panel remained.
Using this photo as inspiration, Fallbrook artist Natasha Ragland created a huge painting featuring the Spillman Engineering name and a lovely, ocean scene reminiscent of the carousel's original home in Mission Beach. It will be put in place on an original panel and mounted in its original spot to complete the crown’s circle.
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