Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2022-04-16 - This organ is known from the annotated King work list created by King researcher Dr. Donald R.M. Patterson and published in *The Tracker* XVI:4:1972. At the time of its construction it was the grandest house in Elmira and was fitted with the finest furnishings money could buy. Sadly, the mansion was torn down ca. 1927 so a more modern house could be built on the same site. The following mansion history was transcribed from the internet: Strathmont Estate: A History Strathmont Estate & Elmira’s Gilded Age The Honorable J. Sloat Fassett and his wife, Jennie (Crocker), built their Queen Anne Victorian mansion, with stone and shingle exterior, on a 60-acre plot of land west of the City of Elmira in 1896. The house was designed by Ithaca architect William H. Miller and constructed by J. C. Allington of Elmira. It was three stories and had twenty bedrooms as well as seven domestic staff bedrooms. They had six children and entertained overnight guests on a regular basis. It is said that there was a fireplace located in just about every room. The Grand Hall was 39’X40’ and had a built-in William King & Son pipe organ. A den, library, and music room were located off of the Grand Hall. The arts and humanities were embraced at Strathmont. It had a theater and stage on the third floor. “Many Elmirans learned the social graces at a dancing school conducted at Strathmont” (Taylor, 2019). The first golf course in Elmira was designed on the estate grounds and boasted nine holes. A large garden, reminiscent of those found in France, was designed behind the house. Greenhouses also graced the immense grounds. A two-story barn with stables and carriage house, with a three-story central tower, was built beyond the gardens. The interior of the barn had rich wood paneling and individual glass-front cabinets for tack storage. The second floor had living quarters for the coachman. The Fassetts were well-read and extensive world travelers. They came from families who were kings and queens of industry and Strathmont showcased their vast wealth and worldliness. The Fassetts were known for their generosity and civic mindedness and certainly left their mark on Elmira by helping to create a better way of life for those less fortunate. They believed it was their obligation to give back to society. One of their passions was seeing the growth and longevity of Elmira College. During the tenure of President Shaw, the Fassetts donated $30,000 for the construction of Fassett Commons dining hall. The project costs went over budget and they funded an additional $10,000. In 1916, J. Sloat wrote to Shaw about expanding the college on estate grounds. In his letter, dated March 6, 1916, “Isn’t there a feasible way to guarantee the growth for all time of Elmira College by a use of this real estate?” (Elmira College Archives, 2021). He knew that the college’s future was held in an expansion that allowed for technical schools. After feasibility meetings, the college politely declined. Shortly after J. Sloat’s death in 1924, Jennie donated money to the college for the construction of the Hamilton Hall library. The impressive library, within the building’s walls, was dedicated to J. Sloat Fassett’s memory. On October 8, 1927, Jennie announced that she had sold the entirety of the estate, which included all outbuildings and the remaining eighteen acres, to the Strathmont Realty Corporation. The corporation, had previously purchased twenty-nine acres to the west of the estate and subdivided the land to form Strathmont Park, a private housing development with the most modern infrastructure of the area. Jennie went on to have a charming double house built at 459-461 West First Street (later owned by famed fashion designer and Elmira native, Tommy Hilfiger). The West First Street home is presently owned by Mr. William Knapp who is a participant in the 2021 Homes for the Holidays tours. More biographical information regarding the Fassetts can be found in the tour brochure under that address. Jennie's home was fitted with an Aeolian pipe organ and the tone was said to be available in every room. Prominent Elmira businessman and philanthropist, John Arnot Rathbone Sr. and his wife, Gracia (Gannett), purchased the mansion and eighteen acres from the realty group. They hired American architect Harrie T. Lindenberg to design a grand new mansion in the same location as the Fassett mansion. After only gracing the hill to the north off of Fassett Drive for thirty-one years, the former Fassett mansion was razed to accommodate Rathbone’s new vision for the estate grounds. -Scot Huntington
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