Residence: Mrs. Chester W. Lasell / The House of Affirmation / Estate of Mind: Ballroom
120 Hill St.
Whitinsville (Northbridge), MA
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
Images
ca. 1910 - Facade (Photograph from an archival source: OHS Archives, submitted by Jim Lewis/Jim Lewis)
ca. 1940's - House and property (Photograph by Vintage postcard, submitted by Jim Stettner/Jim Stettner)
1920's - House (partial) and properety (Photograph from an archival source: Vintage postcard, submitted by Jim Stettner/Jim Stettner)
Date unknown - Ballroom with organ facade (Photograph from an archival source: Estate of Mind website, submitted by Jim Stettner/Jim Stettner)
2021-08-03 - Organ pipes (Photograph by Clarence "Sparr" Risher/Clarence "Sparr" Risher)
2021-10-29 - Player console, after decades of neglect and weather damage. (Photograph by Clarence "Sparr" Risher/Clarence "Sparr" Risher)
2024 - Organ case/facade (Real Estate listing/Jim Stettner)
2024 - Present house exterior appearance (Real Estate listing/Jim Stettner)
2024 - Aerial view of house showing burned roof (Real Estate listing/Jim Stettner)
Consoles
Main
- Organ type: Traditional Without Cover
- 2 manuals
- 10 stops
- 3 divisions
- Key action Type: Electrical
- Stop action Type: Electrical
- Stop layout Type: Drawknobs in Horizontal Rows on Terraced/Stepped Jambs
- Manual compass: 61 notes
- Pedal compass: 30 notes
- Pedal Type: Flat Straight
- Expression Type: Balanced Expression Shoes/Pedals (Details Unknown)
- Has crescendo
- Combination action: Adjustable Combination Pistons
- Has combination thumb pistons
- Has coupler trundles
Notes
2022-10-30 - This entry represents the installation of a new organ. Identified through online information from Clarence Risher, and verified with the Aeolian opus list.
From *The Aeolian Pipe Organ and its Music* by Rollin Smith, the contract was signed September 22, 1905 for a cost of $6,750.00. The organ was shipped April 28, 1906.
The home was later the adult leadership and training conference center for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts. in 1996, it became a treatment center for Roman Catholic clergy known as The House of Affirmation.
The present owners of the house - Estate of Mind - is home to a growing community of creatives, artists, and makers, with a focus on collaborative projects and events. -Jim Stettner
2024-03-05 - Updated through online information from Kevin Mathieu: Building burned in a fire early in the morning of March 1, 2024. Based on a newspaper aerial photo, it appears the organ and the building are a total loss. (Photo from Worcester Telegram and Gazette shows the ballroom in the upper right. The organ was on the rear wall of the room, two bay windows to it's right, and appears to be destroyed). -Jim Stettner
2024-11-06 - The house is being listed for sale as an 'opportunity'. Real Estate listing photos show the case/facade extant and largely unaffected. -Jim Stettner
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