Historic carousel and pavilion to reopen at Grand Rapids Public Museum

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The 1928 Spillman Carousel once provided an iconic view as it spun around inside the Grand Rapids Public Museum, overlooking the Grand River.

But the original automobile paint on the horses had dulled. So, it was stripped off and repainted, as part of a major restoration of the 1928 Spillman Carousel and the Cook Carousel Pavilion. Friday marks a reopening of that section of the museum, culminating a two-year, $50 million renovation and expansion.

Museum exhibits manager Stevie Hornyak tells WOOD Radio a lot of thought and work was put into the project.

"I think the carousel's really beautiful to see all the animals," she said. "One of the reasons we wanted all the personal touch to each figure, with their own personalities, is people really like to pick out which one. So, I think this gives them an opportunity to see how it goes around, how it functions. And then, be able to pick out the figure that they really want to ride."

The Grand Rapids Public Museum will be open later than usual Friday, Feb. 13 - until 8 p.m. - so the public can view the newly refurbished Cook Carousel Pavilion and the restored 1928 Spillman Carousel. During the expansion project over the past two years, they have been closed to the public.

Hornyak said the renovations include a new viewing area that makes the carousel more visible.

"When you enter the building, this whole section that you first come up to use to be covered in glass. That was outside, and now it's not. So, you can really see one path of the carousel, like really up close," she said.

Some of the other changes include expanded space, upgraded sound baffles and the addition of a wheelchair ramp and a wheelchair-accessible chariot.

"That's been a process going through the design and then the carving and the painting," Hornyak said. "And so, it's really exciting to finally see people be able to use it."

These improvements were designed and implemented with support and guidance from Disability Advocates of Kent County, the Mary Free Bed Guild, and Meijer Inc.

The museum retained Marion, Ohio-based Carousels and Carvings to restore the 52 horses and menagerie animals, plus two chariots.

An outside viewing area is part of the new design. Being built outside in view of the riverfront is an outdoor classroom that will soon open. The new space will allow the museum to double the number of students it serves annually from about 35,000 to more than 70,000 students. It also includes a new north-end park that connects to Ah-Nab-Awen Park on the north side of Pearl Street along the riverfront.

Eleven-foot-tall walls have been built to create a platform for the school and museum to access the Grand River.

The Cook Carousel Pavilion is now detached from the main galleria of the GRPM’s Van Andel Museum Center to comply with requirements that create seamless connectivity through the Kent County Trail System.

"That's why we had to separate it," Hornyak said. "And so, because of that, we wanted to take advantage of getting a lot of our accessibility needs - that was already planned - in the works, so that when we could reopen the pavilion all of that would be in that whole new outdoor classroom section by the river.

"The river portion is scheduled to be completed this spring, so we're excited about that, as well."

A covered, heated walkway will ensure museum visitors can easily access the pavilion.

The project is part of the 7.5-mile trail loop that connects into the greenway with the White Pine Trail and out into Ottawa County as part of a regional trail system.

The upgrades include a new elevator. Sound baffles will control noise. Museum officials said colors, textures and other aspects were taken into account to enhance the overall visitor experience.

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