HNOC in the News

WVUE Feature Explores HNOC’s Restored Aeolian Pipe Organ

August 25, 2026

In its “Heart of America” segment, Fox 8’s Dave McNamara examines what makes the cutting-edge piece of 1920s technology so special.

A musician plays an Aeolian Organ at the Historic New Orleans Collection.

WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans

“The Aeolian Organ was the ultimate home entertainment system of its day. Installed [at 520 Royal Street] in 1926, it could fill an entire mansion with music long before radios and stereos became part of everyday life. This pipe organ was purchased by New Orleans businessman William Ratcliffe Irby and installed a century ago in the entry hall of his French Quarter home that’s now owned by the Historic New Orleans Collection.”

Dave McNamara, WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans

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Dave McNamara from WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans examines the organ and discusses its history with experts at the Historic New Orleans Collection.

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Aeolian Organ

Experience surround sound like a Roaring Twenties bigwig with HNOC’s fully restored, self-playing pipe organ.

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Two people stand in a room near a large, ornate pipe organ with wooden details and vertical pipes. The room has warm-colored walls and wooden flooring. One person is wearing a jacket, while the other is in a patterned shirt.

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