THE VICTORIAN PALACE 'Place de la Musique' The Sanfilippo Place de la Musique THE COLLECTION The Victorian Palace 'Place de la Musique' is known worldwide for its magnificent collection of beautifully restored antique music machines, phonographs, arcade and gambling machines, chandeliers, art glass, the world's largest restored theatre pipe organ, the most spectacular European salon carousel in existence, street and tower clocks, steam engines and other functional mechanical antiques, displayed within a breathtaking French Second Empire setting located in Barrington Hills, Illinois. The primary motive behind this collection is the preservation and sharing of the experience of these marvelous inventions of the Western World. The 44,000 square foot mansion, home to collector Jasper Sanfilippo, is a private museum designed as a complementary setting for the display and demonstration of these musical instruments within a temperature-controlled environment. The large scale of the rooms accommodates the great number of instruments and sizable audiences. The Place de la Musique Foyer The Mortier Band Organ The Victorian Palace contains the largest collection of restored automatic musical instruments in the world, including over 200 music boxes and phonographs, approximately 65 coin-operated pianos, violin machines and photoplayers, 60 large American and European orchestirions, 25 dance organs, fairground and band organs and calliopies and an 8,000-pipe theatre organ. Only with proper restoration or conservation can these instruments look and perform as they did when new. Instrument restoration, while behind the scenes, has been the largest part of the commitment. This restoration is an on-going effort accomplished by experts across the U.S. and abroad. The Music Room featuring upper balcony theater seating. View from the back of the Music Room showing the stairway, elevator & balcony seating. The massive organ console controls 8,000 pipes, percussions & sound effects in the five rooms behind the four-story high curtain. EDEN PALAIS CAROUSEL Paris, France 1890 Entrance to the Eden Palais, featuring a ticket booth in the center. The 89' wide by 42' tall carved wood entrance facade, featuring extensive decorative painting, gilding and fine art canvas paintings. Close up of decorative painting and 23 karat gold leaf details. Built in Paris France in 1890, the salon carousel was more than just an amusement ride - it was a self-contained entertainment palace that included stages for live performers, several bars, booths for perimeter seating and music. The whole affair was lighted by hundreds of light bulbs, and was undoubtedly one of the first places patrons experienced electric lighting when it was new. Words hardly begin to describe the stunning effect that this carousel has on those who experience it in person. The Eden Palais includes an enormous 89' wide by 42' tall carved facade with life-size carved horses, giant art glass butterflies, a painting recreating an original that hangs in the Louvre, and a beautiful etched glass entryway. The carousel itself is 46 feet in diameter, with 36 hand-carved Hubner horses, four ornate rocking gondolas, and a spinning lovers' tub. The center is adorned with seven large Coppier paintings. The platform runs on tracks; three steam engines originally drove the platform, the center hub of paintings and the band organ. The steam engines are restored, but power is now supplied by electric motors. Several different owners toured France with the Eden Palais from 1890 through 1959, when it was then transported to the United States and left in storage. When Jasper Sanfilippo acquired it in 1987, the carousel and facade were tremendously deteriorated and broken into thousands of pieces. Although restoring the deteriorated Eden Palais was a multi-million dollar project to undertake, to visionary Jasper Sanfilippo, bringing the historical masterpiece back to life was well worth the expense. The carousel building, completed in 1997, is the home of the most complete European salon carousel in the world. Original condition of The Eden Palais, one of thousands of pieces prior to restoration. Part of a life sized carved wood horse that stands at the facade entrance. Heavily deteriorated condition of carousel gondola. THE RESTORATION In 1995, Mr. Sanfilippo assembled a carefully selected team of specialized artists to undertake The Eden Palais restoration on location at his estate. The team comprised of renowned artists traveling from across the country and included fairground art authority, Rosa Regan, gilding master Tony D'Angelo, fine artist Christopher Cismesia, Ron Rozelle, and 19 year old artist Jill Bradshaw. For 2 years the team collaborated to complete the 1st phase of restoring the carousel's intricately carved wood entrance facade. The restoration included extensive historical research, color design, decorative painting, intricate detail artistry, 23 karat gold leafing, silver gilding, color glazing, faux finishing, and the creation of fine art canvas paintings and murals.  ARTIST IN RESIDENCE In 1998, when The Eden Palais facade was completed, the team of artists disbanded, as Artist Jill Bradshaw stayed to become the sole Artist In Residence for the Sanfilippo collection.  In addition to independently completing the interior phase of restoring The Eden Palais Carousel, Jill has transformed dozens of historic European band organ facades, priceless historical paintings, and has created countless custom fine art paintings for the collection.  Jill's work has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe, as she has earned an international reputation for her work and unique ability to paint lifelike faces on canvas and statues, using old world painting techniques. "Renowned artists and collectors throughout the world have universally praised the astounding realism of Jill's faces.  She is the best, no other artist could possibly hold a candle to her."  - Curator Robert Ridgeway