Continuing with my look inside the Sanfilippo Estate, I was impressed by how pristine. fresh and light it all appeared. Unlike many of the pieces at The House on the Rock which were very often made in their own workshops and which appear somewhat tawdry in comparison, all the collectibles in the Sanfilippo home are genuine. While you won’t find many descriptive notes on the things at the Rock and are obliged to walk around in semi-darkness, the pieces in this spectacular house are clearly labeled with signs that attest to their authenticity, and all the rooms are brilliantly lit.
The Place de la Musique contains the largest collection of beautifully restored automatic musical instruments in the world and includes music boxes, phonographs, violin machines, coin-operated pianos, dance organs, calliopes and orchestrions.
The collection also contains all kinds of arcade and gambling machines. As Jeffrey Sanfilippo joked with us, while most people downsize when their kids grow up and leave home, his parents added a wing or two.
The phonographs are in evidence as soon as you walk through the front door.
One of the most amazing things about this place is the fact that, although there is a small sign at the entrance that asks visitors to enjoy all these beautiful pieces with eyes and ears only, nothing is roped off or inaccessible. They even leave little piles of nickels by some of the machines so you can try them out. And someone will gladly turn on an automated machine for you so that you can hear it play. The banjo player was a particular favorite of mine.
In the Arcade Room you will find a recreation of a turn-of-the-century casino, along with more than 30 cast iron Mutoscopes, fortune telling machines, strength testers and slot machines from penny arcades.
I hope you will join me here next time when I take a look at my favorites, the calliopes, orchestrions and the magnificent carousel, all at the Sanfilippo Estate.
Getting the Picture 
Fascinating.
Many thanks for visiting, Lori.
The “Vibratory Doctor” is hilarious! And I love those gramophones. Like giant brass flowers. 🙂 This looks like a really neat place.
Yes, I had a laugh at the ‘Doctor’ myself. Thank you for stopping by, Mike.
I cannot believe that this estate holds so much and so much variance in the collections they accumulated. If I once walked in I’m not sure I would ever leave!
It was so interesting, I’m thinking of looking for an upcoming concert that I can attend, just so I can get another look at the place. Supporting a worthy cause and seeing the Sanfilippo Estate is a win- win.
What an interesting collection – I would love to hear all the different music, get my fortune told and checked out by the Vibratory Doctor!
The ‘Doctor’ did seem to pique people’s interest.
Wow – that’s amazing. Fantastic that they collected all these things, restored them and people can now enjoy them. I would imagine that many of these would otherwise have been abandoned.
There was so much to see, so there’s a lot more to come. Thanks for visiting, Lynette!
What a wonderful selection. My fingers itched to touch the keyboards.
I thought you would find those keyboards interesting, Tom.
The items are incredible. What a fabulous opportunity for you to see all of the artifacts.
It really is worth supporting one of the benefits that are held at the Sanfilippo Estate, both for the cause and to see all these fabulous pieces. Many thanks for stopping by, Mary.
Amazing. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for visiting, Cindy!