A hand-carved horse that will soon be a part of the Carousel of Dreams by Franklin artist Ken Means sits on display at The Factory at Franklin on Dec. 9, 2024.
The Factory at Franklin’s newest attraction, the Carousel of Dreams, is set for a grand opening on May 31, but The Factory's years-long upgrades are not over just yet as plans for a hotel are also underway.
The carousel is the work of master carver, painter and mechanical engineer Ken Means, who has spent decades hand-crafting carousel figures after carving his first piece, a wooden rocking horse, as a Christmas present for his children in 1979.
In 2019, Means moved to Franklin from Oregon and began working in a rented space inside the Factory, which will now be the permanent home for his art.
The carousel will feature 36 animal figures from horses to dragons, as well as wheelchair-accessible chariots, all of which can be sponsored by generous members of the community to benefit a new nonprofit.
Proceeds from the carousel’s operations will benefit the Circle of Giving nonprofit, launched by Factory developer Holladay Properties.
“Having landed in this community that prides itself on giving back so much, we felt like the opportunity was for this Carousel of Dreams to be the cornerstone of a new Factory nonprofit foundation,” Holladay Properties Chief Development Officer Allen Arender said at the December groundbreaking for the carousel.
Carousel figures designed and hand-carved by Franklin artist Ken Means.
The charity is now led by City of Franklin Alderman Brandy Blanton as the president and CEO. The nonprofit will provide financial support to other Williamson County charities that “align with its mission.”
“We talk about our city, and specifically about how we do a great job of balancing progress and preservation — that's exactly what this is,” Blanton said in December. “You'll learn that while this is not a historic carousel, it's going to be. It's going to be a new asset to our community, which is progress.”
While the inside of the Factory complex has continued to fill out with restaurants and retail, the next phase will be the addition of a new 120-room hotel. The building features a pool that will be inside the facade of the detached Building 9 at the back of the Factory as well as a 250-space parking garage. A representative from Holladay assured aldermen during a planning meeting that there would be a net surplus of parking during each phase as the parking garage would be built first. The Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the plans for the hospitality development in an April meeting.