Greek Cool with a Soda Fountain at Zaharako's Confectionery, Columbus, Indiana

Cadillac Man's presence hasn't been evident in some days and the explanation is he was roaming, this time to Columbus, Indiana, where he found Zaharako's Confectionery and within it one of the most incredible musical devices anywhere.  It's a self-playing organ and check out the specs:

• 44 Wald Flöte pipes from GG-g''', open wood with cylindrical mouths.
• 44 (estimated quantity) Zinn pipes from GG-g''', stopped wood pipes in the bass end, then polished tin pipes.
• 25 (estimated quantity) Violin register, scale unknown.
• 44 (estimated quantity) Octave register, 4' pitch, open wood pipes.
• 25 Trompette pipes from g' - g''', with wood boots and tunable free reeds, brass resonators forming the center sunburst arrangement. The top 7 treble pipes are open wood flues.
• 6 Posaune pipes from GG, AA, C, D, E, F, with wood boots and tunable free reeds, brass resonators. These are the three brass pipes visible on the left and right sides of the center sunburst arrangement.
• Triangle
• Snare drum (single beater with reiterating pneumatic action)
• Bass drum, with cymbal (loud and soft stroke)
• Kettle drum (tympani effect using two beaters)

For more information, take a look at M. Welte & Söhne Orchestrions

The Brave New World thinks a synthesizer is so exceptional but this instrument was doing it mechanically and you could get one for ... $1800 in 1907.  You could have bought Manhattan for that as I think it was originally 'purchased' for some shiny seashells or some such.

The interest in Cadillac Man was for the whole vibe of the soda fountain rather than that incredible organ alone and you can find more on that at Columbus, Ind.: A Midwestern Mecca Of Architecture.  The article is about more than the soda fountain and you can find that by scrolling to the bottom.

Note:  use of Mecca as such a metaphor in 21st Century America is a highly unusual but so it goes.  It's a smile to see they do that.


Here's the word from Cadillac Man:

Zaharakos Confectionery In Columbus, Indiana has a Welte Style 3 Cottage Orchestrion.  Made in Germany in 1906 it was installed in Zaharakos Confectionery in 1907 where it remains today.  There are only three others known to remain (2 in England and 1 other in the US).  It plays rolls and works and sounds like a pipe organ.  Zaharakos was started by three Greek Brothers in 1900 and is the finest soda fountain I've had the pleasure of visiting.

- CM

When Cadillac Man gives a recommendation, you know the place has major cool as the man knows soda fountains and I'm not sure how many he has visited so far but he's on a roll with them and, as you can see, he's enjoying it thoroughly.

Have a ball, Cadillac Man, and thanks for the report!