Bob Taylor recently posted an interesting piece on the Dodge brothers.
Much can be learned about Aeolian and how they did business.

Opus 1444 was ordered for the Grosse Pointe home of John Dodge, but he
died before that home was built.  Mrs. Dodge cancelled the construction
of the home, as well as the organ.  But litigious Aeolian reminded her
that a contract is a contract, and they were quite prepared to cancel
the order, as long as they were paid in full, and they were prepared to
pursue that end through legal means.

Mrs. Dodge soon married Alfred Wilson and oversaw the construction of
what is now Meadowbrook Hall.  The Grosse Point organ was redesigned
for that home in Rochester Hills.  The organ is still there in an
unaltered state, except for the action and relay.  The original action
generators, still there, have been supplanted by modern rectifiers.

The organ has a few dead notes and stops, as well as a few temperamental
switches, but otherwise is in fair condition.  The 116-note player is
partially functional.  A 176-note Duo-Art player has been removed from
its built-in cabinet and is now in storage.

The organ is not heard during regular tours (oh, how I pleaded!) but
it can be heard every year during the Annual Holiday Walk which runs
annually from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.  A team of volunteer
organists man the console all day long rendering seasonal music.

I have participated in this for two years now.  It is great to interact
with the visitors.  The console is located in a recess near the living
room.  Most people are astonished to discover the music is provided by
a live player.

There is a lot of latency between the time the keys are pressed and
the sound is heard by the organist.  In fact, two visitors noticed this
and accused me of "lip synching".  I had to stop and start to prove
I was playing!  Try to hear this 76-rank organ during the next Annual
Holiday Walk.

One more Dodge brothers/Aeolian bit of trivia.  An enterprising Aeolian
salesman learned that Horace Dodge was an avid yachtsman and promptly
placed a four page advertisement in the leading yachting magazine with
an intended audience of one: Horace Dodge.  From that, Horace fitted
his home and yacht with Aeolian organs.

Ron Dossenbach
Windsor, Ontario, Canada