The title of this blog post is a bit misleading since we left the Michigan hotel (at 8:45 a.m.) and drove through Indiana to Illinois where we spent the day at two Chicago area locations. The first was Brookfield Zoo, a place I remember visiting with family as a child. Memory was also stimulated as, just before arriving at the zoo, we passed Riverside-Brookfield High School where I did my student teaching in 1966! It was that experience which resulted in my deciding I did not want to be a teacher despite having spent my college years preparing for that profession. So nostalgia was a key element in the first part of the day.
The Brookfield carousel is a new one (2006), an endangered species carousel which features animals at the zoo and/or those which are endangered so serves as an easygoing environmental lesson as well as a fun activity. Because I enjoy zoos, I also made the effort to see some of the animals and found the pairing of real and carousel animals to be fun.
In addition to appreciating the carousel animals I had seen at the zoo, there were a number of other cute and charming animals represented.
Grabbed some lunch at the zoo to eat on the bus as we headed to our next destination.
We arrived at Sanfilippo in Barrington Hills, an upper, upper class suburb of Chicago, about 1 p.m. This is a mansion, more akin to a European palace than a suburban home. The building is 44,000 square feet, located on 57 acres. Jasper Sanfilippo, son of a Sicilian immigrant, figured out how to mechanize the shelling of nuts and his company is now second only to Planters in the nut processing business. Having made millions, he has been able to indulge his hobbies in a spectacular manner. His love affair with musical machines began in the mid 1970s when he visited Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland which displayed nickelodeons and band organs. He was captivated by their mechanical ingenuity as well as their music. His collection now ranks among the largest in the world, ranging from Victrolas to all kinds of music boxes, mechanical organs, automatic pianos, and similar items.
I was fascinated by the record players disguised, and used, as lamps.
The centerpiece of his musical collection is the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ in existence housed in a music room which is 120 feet long, 64 feet wide, 42 feet tall and containing a balcony. The basic organ was built in 1927 for the Riviera Theatre in Omaha. It has been expanded to 80 ranks of pipes and also has a 32-note set of Tower Bells hung on each side of the room. Our group was given an organ recital, the last part of which was accompaniment to a Laurel & Hardy silent film. Great fun.
While all of this was fascinating, the primary reason for the NCA visit was the 1890 Eden Palais carousel which toured in France from 1890 through 1959. It was in storage in several places in the U.S. until 1987 when Sanfilippo purchased it and built a separate carousel building near the mansion to house it. We had a few peeks at the carousel during dinner which was served in the carousel building and then got to ride -- unfortunately most of us only one time because loading/unloading took a long time, and the bus had to leave by shortly after 7 for the return trip to Michigan (and loss of an hour in the time zone change).
Originally operated by steam engines (which have been restored), the carousel is now run by electric motors. It is 46 feet in diameter, has 36 hand-carved horses, four ornate rocking gondolas, and a spinning lovers' tub. It is incredibly ornate and gorgeous -- if a bit bumpy to ride.
The entry to the carousel is through an 89' by 42' carved facade with life-sized carved horses, giant art glass butterflies, a painting recreating an original that hangs in the Louvre, and a beautiful etched-glass entryway. It was in front of this facade that tables were set up, and we ate our dinner.
When we arrived back at the St. Joseph hotel, it was almost 11:30, and I fell into bed, barely taking the time to undress. Carousel conventions are not for the weak of body or spirit. . . .
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