The carousel was originally destined for San Francisco, but because of the 1906 earthquake and fire, it was diverted to Seattle's Luna Park. A few years later, though, it was sent on to Playland-at-the-Beach in San Francisco, where it operated from 1914 to 1972.
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The carousel is now enclosed in a glass pavilion. (The pavilion is great for photography in that the interior gets so much light -- but it's bad for photography in that the walls are too close to the rim!) Music is supplied by recordings. The carousel actually sits on the roof of an underground part of the Moscone Center -- and this has reportedly been problematic, in that the roof has buckled a bit, causing slight misalignment of the carousel's mechanical parts.