The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks approved a purchase of the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round for $1 million.

The carousel, featuring 68 hand-carved horses, two chariots and a Stinson 165 Military Band Organ capable of playing 1,500 songs, has long been a cultural landmark. It was relocated from San Diego to Griffith Park in 1937, where it quickly became a favorite attraction for Angelenos and visitors.

Walt Disney was among its admirers.

Disney “regularly frequented the Merry-Go-Round on Saturdays, watching his daughters ride around and daydreaming of one day creating his own theme park. This very merry-go-round, with its beautifully crafted horses and chariots, is widely recognized as the inspiration behind the vision that would one day become Disneyland,” city officials wrote in a report.

The ride has been privately owned and operated for decades, most recently by the R&J Amusement Company LLC, under a partnership between Warren Deasy, Rosemary West and Julio Gosdinski.

After Gosdinski’s death in 2020, his share went into probate, leaving the attraction’s future uncertain. The Merry-Go-Round has been closed since May 2022 due to repairs and ownership complications.

The purchase would ensure the carousel remains a permanent public asset in Griffith Park, officials said.

The acquisition has support from the Griffith J. Griffith Charitable Trust, Councilmember Nithya Raman’s office, the Los Angeles Conservancy and the National Carousel Association.