The Forest Park Carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004[1] and has been a New York City designated landmark since 2013.

[3] The carousel is on Forest Park Drive, just west of Woodhaven Boulevard, and is housed in a one-story pavilion designed by Victor Christ-Janer.

The current Forest Park Carousel is older than the structure that it replaced,[4] which was built c. 1916 and burned down under suspicious circumstances in December 1966.

[6][8] The current carousel was originally installed in Dracut, Massachusetts, north of Lowell; it was relocated to Forest Park in 1972.

[11][17] The New York Times wrote in 1976 that the carousel "reflects the more genteel Philadelphia style of Daniel Carl Mueller and the Dentzel family".

[19][18] By the 21st century, the current carousel included a wooden lion, deer, and tiger, although the horses[c] and two chariots remained in place.

[29] The pavilion contains vertical steel piers placed at regular intervals, as well as metal doors, which retract upward into the ceiling when the carousel is in operation.

[33] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported in 1932 that the city had selected bids for concessionaires "to install and operate a carousel in Forest Park".

[4][34] That year, the New York City government awarded a five-year contract to Fred J. L. Hassinger, who already operated a carousel at the park.

[38] That April, the Glendale Taxpayers Association asked the Queens borough president's office to fund the replacement of the Forest Park Carousel.

[44] NYC Parks did not take any action on the bids for over a year,[44] and community members complained that Heckscher had failed to respond to their queries.

[53] The Lowell Sun wrote at the time: "Selling the carousel marked the death of that park that was once Dracut's pride.

"[52] The carousel was acquired by Victor Christ-Janer, an architect from Connecticut, who initially planned to sell the ride to an amusement park.

[10] In January 1972, Heckscher announced that Restaurant Associates was to install a carousel in Forest Park by that June at a cost of $100,000.

[15] Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs administrator Richard M. Clurman rededicated the carousel in November 1973; the project had cost $275,000.

[61] Political candidates Peter King and John Imperiale said in 1986 that Forest Park's carousel and bandshell were a popular meeting place for drug dealers.

[63] Mary Ann Carey, a district manager for Community Board 9, contacted Queens borough president Claire Shulman after learning of a proposal to replace the carousel with a replica.

[14] A New York Daily News reporter said the carousel's valuation was "like finding a carton of Faberge eggs in the bottom of the corner grocer's dairy case", while Sylvor said it "was like buying a Rembrandt for $25".

[14] Fabricon Design Group, a local firm co-headed by Sylvor and Bonnie Garry, restored the ride;[21][61] this was the company's first carousel-restoration project.

The ride's turning mechanism was repaired in 1990, as were the floor and poles, and Sylvor began raising money to stabilize the carousel's frame and improve its lighting.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) declined the groups' request in December 1998,[12] in part because it was not a permanent structure.

[26] At the ride's centennial in 2003, several preservationists signed a petition to prevent the demolition of the carousel, although city officials said they had no plans to modify it.

[32] NYC Parks and local organizations, with the endorsement of state senator Serphin R. Maltese, nominated the carousel for inclusion on the NRHP the same year; such a designation would provide federal funding for the ride.

[80] The agency canceled its contract with New York One[76] and opened another RFP in early 2009, seeking a concessionaire that would restore the ride and promote it.

[82] Potential concessionaires were turned away by the ride's unprofitability, particularly compared to the Flushing Meadows Carousel, whose operating lease expired in 2011.

[31][89] Community members looked for a nonprofit organization to operate the carousel, expressing concerns that the ride could be sold for parts, as it was not bound by city landmark regulations.

[31] The company restored the carousel, which including removing the fences around the ride's perimeter, repainting the structure, and reopening the concession stand.

[97] The restored carousel was featured in such media as a Saturday Night Live skit and in an ad in Vanity Fair magazine.

[101] The LPC had planned to host a public hearing in late 2012 to determine whether to designate the ride as a landmark, but the meeting did not occur as scheduled.

[101] The agency finally hosted discussions about the ride's potential landmark status in early 2013;[101][102] NY Carousel did not object to the proposed designation.