Marvin Sylvor
Encyclopedia
Marvin Sylvor was an American
carousel
and merry-go-round designer
and artist. Sylvor has designed more the sixty carousels worldwide including Bryant Park
in New York City
, New Zealand
, Saudi Arabia
, Brazil
, Singapore
and other parts of the United States
.
, which is located near Yankee Stadium
. He and his father, a sign painter, would vacation in the Rockaways every year. Each year Sylvor would ask to ride a carousel which they would pass near Marine Park Bridge on the way to their vacation. Sylvor's father, who he described as always in a hurry to get to their vacation destination, always refused to stop for the carousel ride. Sylvor later told the New York Times in a 2002 interview
why his father never stopped, "He was a man on a mission to get to the Rockaways."
Sylvor graduated from William Howard Taft High School
in the South Bronx
and then enlisted in the United States Army
. While he was stationed as an Army private at the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii
during the 1950s. A lieutenant asked the privates in attention if any of them were artists. Sylvor was selected from the group because he said was the only man who actually had his paint brushes with him, which was a lie. Truthfully, Sylvor was an untrained artist who did not have brushes with him. He had to sneak off the base to buy some from civilian stores. However, Sylvor successfully managed to decorate the officers' club for a party and was soon commissioned for a series of other Army painting jobs around the base.
in Brooklyn
in 1958. He founded a window display and decorating business, called Fabricon, following his graduation
. His business was successful and he was hired to design displays for a number of well known clients including Bloomingdale's
, Henri Bendel
and the Vatican Pavilion
of the 1964 New York World's Fair
in Queens
. He joined the National Carousel Association around the same time period as the 1964 World's Fair and began traveling to NCA conventions around the country. He initially had little experience building carousels and had to hire outside experts to help with construction. However, the carousels soon gave his buiness more work than window designing.
Sylvor built all of his carousels in the Fabricon factory in East New York, Brooklyn
. He kept an inventory of approximately 100 horses and what the carousel industry calls "menagerie creatures" at the factory. He specialized in unusual animals for his carousels, such as frogs or birds. His favorite figures are called "jumpers," which are carousel animals which move up and down.
He retired from the full time business in 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
and merry-go-round designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
and artist. Sylvor has designed more the sixty carousels worldwide including Bryant Park
Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and other parts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life
Sylvor was raised in the Bronx and grew up on the corner of 165th Street and Jerome AvenueJerome Avenue
Jerome Avenue is one of the longest thoroughfares in the New York City borough of the Bronx, New York, United States. The road is 5.6 miles long and stretches from Highbridge general area to Woodlawn. Both of these termini are with the Major Deegan Expressway which runs parallel to the west. Most...
, which is located near Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
. He and his father, a sign painter, would vacation in the Rockaways every year. Each year Sylvor would ask to ride a carousel which they would pass near Marine Park Bridge on the way to their vacation. Sylvor's father, who he described as always in a hurry to get to their vacation destination, always refused to stop for the carousel ride. Sylvor later told the New York Times in a 2002 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
why his father never stopped, "He was a man on a mission to get to the Rockaways."
Sylvor graduated from William Howard Taft High School
William Howard Taft High School (New York City)
William Howard Taft High School was a high school in Southwest section of the Bronx, New York City.The school was operated by the New York City Department of Education....
in the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
and then enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. While he was stationed as an Army private at the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
during the 1950s. A lieutenant asked the privates in attention if any of them were artists. Sylvor was selected from the group because he said was the only man who actually had his paint brushes with him, which was a lie. Truthfully, Sylvor was an untrained artist who did not have brushes with him. He had to sneak off the base to buy some from civilian stores. However, Sylvor successfully managed to decorate the officers' club for a party and was soon commissioned for a series of other Army painting jobs around the base.
Carousels
Sylvor went on to receive his degree from the Pratt InstitutePratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in 1958. He founded a window display and decorating business, called Fabricon, following his graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
. His business was successful and he was hired to design displays for a number of well known clients including Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, Henri Bendel
Henri Bendel
Henri Bendel is an American upscale women's specialty store based in New York City that sells fashion accessories, cosmetics and fragrances, gifts and gourmet foods...
and the Vatican Pavilion
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
of the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. He joined the National Carousel Association around the same time period as the 1964 World's Fair and began traveling to NCA conventions around the country. He initially had little experience building carousels and had to hire outside experts to help with construction. However, the carousels soon gave his buiness more work than window designing.
Sylvor built all of his carousels in the Fabricon factory in East New York, Brooklyn
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
. He kept an inventory of approximately 100 horses and what the carousel industry calls "menagerie creatures" at the factory. He specialized in unusual animals for his carousels, such as frogs or birds. His favorite figures are called "jumpers," which are carousel animals which move up and down.
He retired from the full time business in 2005.
Death
Marvin Sylvor died of kidney failure in Miami, on April 9, 2008, at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife, Julia, son, Chris, daughter, Aimee and two grandchildren.Incomplete list of locations of Marvin Sylvor carousels
- Bryant ParkBryant ParkBryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
, ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York... - Riverbank State ParkRiverbank State ParkRiverbank State Park is a park built on the top of a sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
, Manhattan - Forest ParkForest Park-Towns and villages:*Forest Park, Ontario, Canada*Forest Park, Georgia, USA*Forest Park, Illinois, USA*Forest Park, Ohio, Hamilton county, Ohio, USA*Forest Park, Ottawa County, Ohio, USA*Forest Park, Oklahoma, USA...
, Queens, New York - Chicago, Illinois
- Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
- Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
- La Paz, Bolivia
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...