Before iTunes and MP3 players, digital sound and electronic keyboards, there were hand-tooled instruments capable of sounds that rocked the house. Literally.

If you want to see one of the oldest and largest examples, take the walking tour of beautiful and historic Wilson Hall at Monmouth University  (www.monmouth.edu/wilson_hall/default.asp).

The giant Beaux Art mansion houses a 1929 Aeolian opus 1677 Organ. The school says this surround-sound behemoth is the last remaining of its kind in the world. It is built right into the walls of the house.

In 1929, when Woolworth company president Hubert Templeton Parson reconstructed  the mansion (it was destroyed by fire), he incorporated the huge organ into the design.  On the second floor, you can peek through walls at the vast and intricate network of nearly five thousand pipes.

During that era, the organ was a status symbol for captains of industry; a vast music room was part of the palace blueprint. Kind of like the big-as-a-house game rooms you see on MTV’s Cribs.  A house organ told visitors your were, uhm, resoundingly successful.

The last time this amazing instrument was played was in the 1970s.  Now, the University is asking for help in a restoration project. The idea being, students of music will be inspired by seeing and hearing the organ.  

Take a walk through Wilson’s atrium, three stories of Italian marble crowned by an intricate stained glass ceiling, and you can imagine the lustrous organ music swirling through the place and bouncing off the gold-leafed walls. No question, it would be the jewel in this ornate, historic crown of a manse.

If you’d like to help, call the Office of University Advancement at (732) 571-3503. Self-guided walking tours of Wilson are available five days a week. Pack your lunch and sneakers, there are lots of steps and rooms to see. Close your eyes and you’ll hear the pipes calling… you’ll be moved, and maybe you’ll help make this more than an auditory illusion