Tour the Amazing Cliffside Bayernhof Museum (Sun., 4/2/23)

Charles “Make-a-Buck Chuck” Brown, was a humble, but eccentric bachelor-millionaire who made his fortune in gas light manufacturing. He died in 1999, but he left behind one of the world’s most peculiar museums.  And it’s right here in O’Hara Township, on a ridge, overlooking the Allegheny River. The Bayernhof Museum was Brown’s residence, but it’s a many-level estate that features secret passageways, a cave, an observatory, a corporate boardroom (with no apparent exit), and an indoor grotto and swimming pool. If the rambling architecture alone doesn’t impress, more than 30 nearly-unique automated musical machines will.  Brown was a passionate collector of all things audio-mechanical. From tiny “birdsong” music boxes to grand Wurlitzer “Nickelodeons,” visitors can watch and listen to 100 year-old machines that play drums, keyboards, trumpets, and banjos. One even plays a violin. Admission is just $10, but call ahead for tour schedules.

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