William Finkenstein Has Enjoyed A Lifelong Passion For Carousels

For more than 60 years, William Finkenstein of Plainville has admired the history and the beauty of the world’s carousels. He considers the attractions wonderful works of art.

“A carousel is a beautiful attraction. But it also is history,” stated Finkenstein.

Finkenstein was about six years old when he first was mesmerized by a carousel. The family was living in Amsterdam, New York, at the time and the circus came to town. A number of years later, he came across the May 1947 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. The issue is the month and year of his birth, and the cover featured a Norman Rockwell image of an artist who is painting a carousel.

Finkenstein’s father was an engineer with General Electric and the family lived in many different locations. Recreation frequently included many rides on many different carousels. Then, one day, his mother presented her son with a paint set and chalk, and that eventually led the young man to a career as an artist.

“I created a number of pieces and then attended a craft show to display about 30 images,” said Finkenstein. “Within an hour, I had only three left and made $1,800. My father told me to go home and paint more while he stayed to sell the remaining pieces.”

A Carousel Family Affair

Finkenstein became involved with sign work, drafting and then teaching mechanical drafting. The day soon arrived when he began to care for wooden carousel horses. His company, WRF Designs at 103 East Main Street, has for years focused on the appraisal and restoration of carousels from across the country.

The Lake Compounce carousel was one of the early projects. Finkenstein has restored many carousels from Binghamton, New York, which is known as the Carousel Capital of the World. Another project involved an attraction damaged by a hurricane that hit New Orleans. Among the current projects is the restoration of the 1915 Mangels-Carmel attraction from New York’s Rye Playland in Westchester County. It was damaged by water a couple of years ago when its roof caught fire.

As an artist, restorer and appraiser, Finkenstein has more than 40 years invested in carousel preservation. He and his wife, Claudia, started the New England Carousel Museum in nearby Bristol. They invested significantly with their finances and time to gather the collection and secure the museum’s success and popularity. Their son, Gabe, works in the business, too.

The company’s master carvers and woodworkers restore and repair the wear and damage that time, the elements and many joyful riders may have inflicted on beautiful old wooden carousel figures. The expert painters use the same methods and materials as period artists who brought the original treasures to life, restoring the figures to classic splendor.

“Probably the busiest time in the carousel business is the start of spring,” Gabe Finkenstein wrote recently on the WRF Designs Facebook page, “when all the parks are preparing to open again. [One task involves the] Lighthouse Point Carousel in New Haven, polishing brass, cleaning, repairing and touching up for the new season.”

Over the years, the restoration of various carousels has revealed interesting surprises for the Finkelsteins.

Carousel horses are basically boxes, according to the artists. Each horse is a wooden box, with a hollow interior surrounded by walls. Legs, neck, head and tail are all sculpted from separate pieces of wood and added to the box. During restorations, the interiors of these horses have revealed switchblades, old coins, invoices for brass poles and Irish sweepstakes tickets.

“These old horses are pieces of history themselves,” wrote the younger Finkenstein, “but sometimes they're surprise time capsules as well.”

WRF Designs provides tours and presentations by appointment that feature the history of carousel restoration. The opportunity to learn the behind-the-scenes restoration stories from the artists will provide a greater appreciation of the attractions for anyone who has enjoyed a ride or two (or more) on a carousel.

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Mike Virgintino is the author of Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, the story about America’s theme park published by Theme Park Press. It can be found on Amazon, eBay and Goodreads.