In 1905, Looff moved his factory to Crescent Park and used this carousel as a showpiece for customers to select the horses that they wanted on their rides.

When Crescent Park closed in 1977, the City of East Providence kept the carousel off of the auction block after being pressured by local coalitions in a lengthy legal battle.

[2][5] The Rhode Island General Assembly proclaimed the carousel as "the State Jewel of American Folk Art."

Sunlight floods through multicolored clerestory windows and reflects off of faceted mirrors to create a magical kaleidoscope effect.

Tickets are purchased from a free-standing booth located just inside the entrance and opposite from a small gift and snack stand.

Managerial offices are located in a pavilion annex opposite the main access road which was formerly Looff's on-site workshop.

In response to noise complaints by the carousel operators and visitors, several of the ranks of pipes in the band organ have been disabled to reduce the music volume.