Welte Orchestrion at Cliff House, San Francisco
By Robert Leber
Robbie's article on the Cliff House Welte and the Cliff House Project
web site uncovered an interesting bunch of recordings of likely
orchestrions that were in a gallery at Sutro's which I believe is
mentioned with two pictures of a maintenance back room in Q. David
Bowers' "Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments".
I remember when I was young walking past a stuffed monkey/mermaid
in a window at the entryway going downstairs to the museum and seeing
Egyptian mummies and going into a gallery of coin-operated "things".
I barely remember that part and I am 65 now, so figure the date back
then. Anyway there are 15 tracks from a record you can select from
down near the bottom of the web page. Search for "music" at
http://www.cliffhouseproject.com/environs/sutrobaths/sutro_baths.htm
I believe I might have been somewhere around 14 years old when I heard
that Sutro's had burned down and I cried over it even though I had not
been there in maybe 10 years, plus or minus.
Robert Leber - Organ Builder
Fremont, California
[ Prior to 2002 the Zelinsky collection was displayed in the Musée
[ Mécanique in the lower level of the Cliff House. This fine
[ collection is now at Pier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco,
[ visit http://www.museemecaniquesf.com/ -- Robbie
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