This rather marvelous edifice was called the Looff Hippodrome on the Santa Monica pier, photographed circa 1920. It was built in 1916 by Charles Looff to hold a Looff Carousel. (Looff was a German-born builder of hand-carved carousels and built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876.) I’d love to have seen this in color because it looks like those pointy doo-dahs on the turrets were different colors. And from the sign out front, I’m guessing rides cost 5 cents.
Remarkably, the building is still around, albeit pared down with no pointy doo-dahs. After a 50-year absence, the fully restored carousel was returned to its home and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. This image is from February 2015:
As I’m sure anyone reading this knows, the building and carousel were featured in The Sting. It was a thrill for my wife and I to ride those hand-carved horses a few years ago, shortly before enjoying the amusement park located on the Santa Monica pier.