What is it???

[cr500]

The shame is this place is probably going to be gutted...SO
Down to the modest basement we go...



Behind door #1...The boiler room of the Titanic


Behind door #2...Dr. Frankensteins lab annex



And behind door #3 ??? near as we can guess it's some sort of water bath spinning thing that was hooked to a bigass cast iron Roots-type blower for the central vacuum system installed in this 50,000 sq. ft. mansion when it was built in 1919. The original Rainbow Vac?

[BaldLoonie]

W O W !

Some place. Got any more pix?

[cr500]

A few more... One of Many stairwells

Another view

One of 20 or so baths, this one with the Happy shower

scoping out one of the smaller attic spaces...

The indoor pool, check out marble world...

another angle

i'll take more next time if anyone would like, i really slacked 'cause we were hurried..

[jtjgvle]

That is an incredible house. Why so many individual electircal disconnects? Are they light switches or what?

[rammer]

that nice bathroom shower stall looks like something that would be in a crazy house.

[cr500]

Originally posted by jtjgvle
That is an incredible house. Why so many individual electircal disconnects? Are they light switches or what?

outdoor fountains, numerous outbuildings, greenhouses, a couple hundred street lights on the driveway, the pools, the bowling alley [only 2 lanes though] etc.
Also check out the big chase above the stairwell, it runs from the large "organ room" in the basement up thru the 3 floors near the center of the house; the idea being that the orchestra can be heard throughout the house while entertaining guests...

[amickracing]

The craftsman ship that house has will likely never be matched again in any house in the US anyway.

If I owned that house I think I'd try to leave as much of the old stuff operational as I could, I just love that kinda stuff. But, if I owned that house I wouldn't be wasting my time banging on tin and posting here.. I'd be out playing with the rest of the toys I could afford lol.

[square2round]

Awesome pics. What a house. That stairwell is HUGE! I can't imagine tearing that down. Any more pics?

[karsthuntr]

I believe this is an air pump for that organ you mentioned.

[cr500]

Originally posted by square2round
Awesome pics. What a house. That stairwell is HUGE! I can't imagine tearing that down. Any more pics?

sorry, what's to be torn out is just the heating system or perhaps not, maybe add heat to the proposed AC install, it's all up in the air at the moment.

Now i've got it on good authority [and marked on the ORIGINAL prints!] that the spinning drum contraption is a salt water ice maker! maybe someone knows how it worked?

more pics when we return to review the plans...

[york_hvac]

Wow! The only other place that big I have seen was the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. Got a "Behind the scenes" tour of the sub basement. 3 HUGE Original Hot water boilers with one powered by coal, one oil, and one gas, frankinstine room with VERY old G.E Electrical trasformers for both the AC and DC power lines coming into the house, HUGE organ with very large organ motor, first home to use ammonia liquid absorbtion cooling for icemaking area, large freezers, and large refrigerators. 7 levels total including basements and attic, 250 total rooms, and many more buildings built on the 125,000 acers, you guys should go check it out!

[edward301]

I have been to Builtmore, it was something, grounds are
so big, I could barely walk when finished. And the
driveway is miles long.

[tpa-fl]

Oh, I'd kill to get my hands on those electrical knife-switch panels... would be an absolute crime for those to get tossed in the trash.

They definitely don't make things like this anymore, which is a shame, even with the safety factor. At my condo building, the original relay-based elevator controls are still in place, and sparks are still flying. The elevator mechanic keeps telling us to do whatever it takes to keep the existing system in place and "if it ain't sparking, it ain't workin'." The schematics on the system say 1965, but I know the building was built in 1973/4... still, 32 year old controls that are still running like they did on day 1. Despite the building taking direct lightning strikes, this system survived where many electronic systems in the building were toast.