Two sides to every horse and tale.
As far as romantic notions go, a beautiful carrousel as a wedding gift from your master-carver father, is story worthy. The reality? This generous gift went beyond sentimental and altered the lives of the newlywed Vogels and all Spokane residents.
Romanticizing history is a way to fall in love with the past and lose yourself in a tale as old as time. Without fail, anyone who has read about the history of Spokane's Looff Carrousel has heard that Charles I.D. Looff carved it as a wedding present for his daughter, Emma Looff Vogal, but there is more to the story.
More than an Artist
Not all great artists are destined to navigate and succeed in the field of business, but Looff falls into this rare category. In 1907 he entered in an agreement to build a carrousel for Spokane. Looff's company completed this commission within two years. Here the plot twist begins, as the story goes, the original broker went bankrupt and left town, but the carrousel was still wanted for Spokane's Natatorium Park (a trolly park fondly known as Nat Park). Without Looff's business shrewdness and creative flexibility, Spokane might be missing its shinning gem.
Wedding Present
Two Sides to Every Horse
City Heirloom
Wedding Present
The notion of the carrousel simply being a wedding present downplays Looff's capabilities as a business strategist. He found an opportunity to bolster the future of his daughter and son-in-law.
Emma Looff married Louis Vogel in 1904, three years before Looff accepted the Spokane commission and five years before the carrousel was completed. Vogel was pursuing a banking career in New York; however, concerns regarding his health suggested a move would be necessary.
Looff negotiated with Washington Water Power to continue with the installation of his carrousel at Natatorium Park, IF his son-in-law would manage its operations along with earning commissions. The deal was struck, the carrousel and the Vogel family would call Spokane home.
This belated wedding present changed the story of the Vogels and their sons, and it intertwined the carrousel with the city of Spokane.
Two Sides to Every Horse
Having both sides of a story, doesn't demean its quality, it can actually lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of a person and their craft. Another layer to Looff as a talented artist turned successful businessman showcases two common practices within the carrousel craft.
The saying, "there are two sides to every story" (or horse or giraffe or tiger or dragon), is meant literally in the carrousel trade. There is a romantic side to each animal carving that faces spectators, and a money side that is faces the inner side of the spinning structure. Both are expertly carved and painted, but only the romantic sides are bejeweled with brightly colored cut-glass.
Another layer deeper into the money side of a carrousel, occurs as you get closer to the center of the platform. The available space decreases closer to the interior structure. How do you fit the same number of horses in the tighter space? Decrease the size of the horses. This not only supports the optical illusion but reduces the amount of material needed to carve these smaller horses.
City Heirloom
Engagement rings have a tendency of being a common family heirloom, but due to a serendipitous business deal the Looff's and Vogel's they passed on this particular carrousel. Charles I.D. Looff was the creator, Emma and Louis the recipients, and vicariously Llyod inherited the carrousel through the family's business development and management of Natatorium Park. After Llyod's sudden passing, Bill Oliver (Natatorium operating manager) and Bill Fearn (Spokane city park director) saw the value of the Looff Carrousel. The two men saved the carrousel from being relocated, auctioned off, piecemealed, or destroyed - the unfortunate fate of many other rides at this time. The carrousel was purchased and became property of the local city government and an heirloom for all residents. After one hundred years, the Looff Carrousel continues to be the shinning gem of Spokane, Washington.
Sources Sited
Fairmount Memorial Association's dedication to the Vogel Family
Fairmount Memorial. (2022, April 15). The Vogel Family: A Legacy of Joy and Wonderful Memories.
https://www.fairmountmemorial.com/post/the-vogel-family-a-legacy-of-joy-and-wonderful-memories
Spokane Carrousel website - Money or Romance?
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