Once home to as many as 25 carousels, Coney Island lost nearly all of its carousels and was in danger of losing its last carousel before the City saved the B&B Carousel in 2005. The 50-horse carousel had delighted children of all ages beginning in 1932 at its Surf Avenue location across from the Astroland Amusement Park. Operated by the McCullough family since 1973, the McCulloughs also owned and operated what would become the Feltman Carousel at Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Prospect Park's carousel (the family also owned a hotel and several shooting galleries at Coney Island). After finally getting out of the carousel business, the family put the carousel up for auction, at which point the nonprofit City Carousel Conservancy stepped in to advocate for the City to purchase the carousel to preserve a part of Coney Island's history and keep it intact as a functioning ride instead of the valuable horses being sold piecemeal to collectors.
With help from the Coney Island Development Corporation, the City purchased the carousel in August 2005 for $1.8 million, which City Carousel Conservancy's Dan Pisark believes is one of the most expensive carousel purchases ever. As of 2008, a conservator has been selected and the fully intact carousel will soon move to a new spot in Steeplechase Park between KeySpan Park and the boardwalk, keeping the tradition of carousels at Coney Island alive for many more generations of riders.
