Redondo Resort ... Redondo Beach, California

Carousel Comments from Our Viewers

There are a few 50' - 60' antique carousels currently on the market with rather hefty pricetags on them as well as a couple of really wonderful frames that would need to be repopulated with animals. Have you considered taking an antique frame and contracting local carvers to populate it with new wooden animals; not just horses, but local wild life, for instance, or sea creatures, zoo animals and even endangered species animals, birds and insects? You could design the figures yourselves and have them carved or ask the carvers to submit their own designs for approval. This is a great way to put an antique mechanism back into service with animals that do not have the usual problems that antique figures have just because of their age and previous service.

I will be looking forward to seeing which direction the city of Redondo Beach takes to bring this important bit of history back to the area. The original ride was such a fantasy visit for everyone and I am sure your new carousel will bring the same joy.     LB     Running Horse Studio

I can assure you that the families and children that go to the Redondo Beach Pier would enjoy a carousel ride.    Best Regards, CC // Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

When the original “Endless Pier” was constructed and dedicated back in 1915, the very first lessee there was an Austrian-born finish carpenter by the name of Charles Loof. On this exact same spot now comprising Parcel 10, Mr. Loof constructed a large roundhouse then known as the “Hippodrome”. Utilizing his extensive skills as an aesthetic finish holzschnitzer, or woodcarver, he hand-fabricated a series of beautiful carousel horses over a period of about a year or so. Upon completion, he constructed a carousel there within the Hippodrome, which remained, off and on, until his son, Arthur Loof, terminated his leasehold with the city in 1951 over a storm-damage dispute. To the best of my knowledge and belief, there has been no carousel since. Yes, after some fifty-seven-odd years, it is high time for our XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mayor and City Council to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX start thinking of the collective goodwill and positive public relations that the presence of a tasteful and artistically pleasing merry-go-around will bring to the people’s table.

It is time, now, to build our carousel on the Pier.     WG

Now comes a proposal and a good one at that! Let's put aside our petty differences for the betterment of the City and our society. Let's give something to the children. Who knows, perhaps even adults can enjoy the simple pleasure of a carousel? While courting a lady in 2007 I rode the carousel in Long Beach; the experience took me back thirty-five years and I cannot share with you what an enjoyable moment we both had. Please consider this humble opinion; build a carousel.     CB

As a natural skeptic, I tend to disbelieve most of what I receive in the form of unsolicited email, especially when it asks for me to support a cause about which I know very little. Thus, the main purpose of this email is to explore whether the "fact" expressed in the email (that this location has been boarded up for almost twenty years), is actually true, and whether it is actually feasible to build the building out as depicted in the rendering. If this is the usual misleading propaganda that seems to flourish whenever the public gets involved in "helping" the government govern, then I would like to know that. If, on the other hand, these facts are more or less accurate, what are we doing?

As a person who has the unfortunate "privilege" to look out my window everyday at the long closed Redondo Car Wash (corner of Torrance and Irena), I can truly appreciate the effect of a boarded up building on neighboring businesses. Rarely does a week go by where one person or another does not make a comment about my neighborhood eyesore. While I understand that the City probably does not have the power to remove every eyesore in town, it certainly has the power (and, some might say, the obligation) to deal with such issues when they are on City property. I think most people would agree that the Redondo Pier, for various reasons (natural disaster, tenant issues, mismanagement or whatever else) has, for many years, failed to realize its full potential. Why, if there is a building that could be converted into a revenue generating business, would we not jump at the chance? And why, if the business, in addition to generating revenues, could also be a destination point that would bring people to the pier, would we not jump even faster?

Something does not seem to be adding up. Either the facts presented in the email are the typical misleading stuff that goes around, or we, as a City, need to take a good hard look at ourselves. It is my expectation that a business operator wanting to take over the location would have to make the bulk of the investment to fix up the building, and the City would receive revenue once the business opens. There should be little or no out of pocket cost to the City. Where is the downside? I could understand if someone wanted to open a nightclub, or some other business that might attract an unsavory element (not to suggest that nightclubs do, but there are other business that might-tattoo parlor, maybe?) that it might not be a good thing to add to the pier. But a carousel? One of those things that little kids ride around on and then go buy some ice cream or popcorn (maybe from Charlie's Place) or a Hot Dog on a Stick and lemonade from Craig?

Isn't that exactly how a business center like a pier (or a mall, or promenade or even a flea market) is supposed to work? Each of the businesses depends on the other businesses to attract people to the location for everyone's benefit? And doesn't the City take a piece of every dollar?

On the one hand, I hope this information is wrong, so I don't need to wonder what's going on. My sincerest hope is that this is not just another situation where economic and community building opportunities for the City are being strangled by politics. On the other hand, if this is the case, what a great opportunity! I'm sure that you don't have time to respond to every piece of correspondence you receive on an issue like this, but, if anyone does have time, I would love to know the truth. Thanks for your attention.    SG

I have always been involved with and passionate about the continued positive development of our pier. A Carousel was always a desirable component of the project. A Carousel was on the Pier in the past in almost the same footprint.    JG