At the Salon · Special Collection

Mechanical Marvels

Step into a room full of machines that were built to enchant. Before screens, before speakers, before playlists — there were hand-crafted cabinets of cast iron, chrome, and carved wood that could play a symphony, spin a set of reels, or animate a miniature world. All for the price of a nickel.

Our collection spans the 1880s to the 1950s — from Victorian music boxes to Art Deco jukeboxes to a working orchestrion that fills the room with sound. These aren't behind glass. You can get close, pull a handle, hear the gears turn. It's the most unexpected thing in downtown Seattle.