About Us:
This extremely unique, 19,000 square foot museum (the former residence of Charles B. Brown, III, the Museum's founder) houses a world-class collection of music boxes and other antique automatic music machines, as well as many other fascinating items.
The building itself provides guests with a most enjoyable experience as they pass from one unbelievable room to another, at times through hidden doors and secret passageways.
Almost the entire south side of the Museum is glass, affording fantastic views up and down the Allegheny River.
In the latter part of his life, Charles Brown III developed a passion for collecting old, rare automatic musical instruments. That collection is now part of the Bayernhof Museum.
His collection is displayed in almost every room in the house. There are many antique music boxes, “monkey” organs, a Wurlitzer carousel organ, a Reproduco Piano-Pipe organ used in funeral homes and theaters, an Encore Automatic Banjo. There is also a Mills Deluxe Violano Virtuoso player violin and piano combination, a Knabe Ampico reproducing grand piano that faithfully “reproduces” the playing of the artist who originally recorded the roll and a huge Seeburg Pipe Organ Orchestra that was once used to accompany silent films to name just a few.
In his will, Charles Brown III directed that his instruments be restored and his house opened to the public as a museum. Charles was the founder and chief executive officer of Gas-Lite Manufacturing, he died in 1999.
