A Little Bit
of Bavaria
The famous Neuschwanstein
Castle, which was later used as
a basis for Disney’s Cinderella
Castle, served as inspiration
for Bayernhof.
BY PAMELA PALONGUE
W
hat do a mad king, a
temperamental fortune
teller and a Victrola have in
common? They all combine
in a whimsical bit of Bavaria in O’Hara
Township, known as the Bayernhof Museum.
To say that the Bayernhof is a museum of
musical instruments would be accurate, but
far too simplistic.
The brainchild of Charles B. Brown, III, is
fascinating on many different levels.
Brown, who was enthralled with the life of
“Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria, apparently
mirrored his creative obsession to a degree.
Ludwig, who was driven by a quest for
fantasy, built Linderhof Palace and the
famous Neuschwanstein Castle, which was
later used as a basis for Disney’s Cinderella
Castle. These architectural masterpieces
served as inspiration for Bayernhof.
Construction of the 19,000-square-foot
mansion began in 1976 and was finally
completed in 1982 and served as Brown’s
home. The beamed ceilings and rich, carved
wood interiors appear both European
and ancient, despite its rather recent
construction.
Brown launched Gas-Lite Manufacturing
in 1965, a company which afforded him the
56 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Fox Chapel Area
capital for financing his eccentric ideas to
create a wonderland of whimsy. There are
three secret passageways within the house
and one of the most interesting is referred
to as “the cave.” A wandering labyrinth of
hallways flanked by wood carvings which
resemble a forest, the cave is punctuated
by an occasional water feature, where it
finally opens up into a large pool with a 10’
waterfall!
The top floor of the mansion has an
observatory, equipped with a high-powered
telescope and a rotating-dome roof. The
two main floors are loaded with interesting
objects and a plethora of music-making
machines. Keeping them all running and
up to par is Tony Marsico, who has 40
years’ experience working on mechanical
instruments and 10 years at the museum.
“We have around 50 machines, including
music boxes, band organs from merry-gorounds, Victrolas, player banjos, player
violins and reproducing pianos,” says
Marsico. Similar to a player-piano, he
explains that the reproducing pianos can
duplicate the playing style of composers long
dead, such as Gershwin and Rachmaninoff.
The piano “remembers” the timing and even