[NJARC] Musical Wonder House Leaves Customers Wondering

[Joe Devonshire via NJARC]

Yes, I know this isn't radio related, but for those whose interests include 
 automatic musical instruments, this is a sad story.  I believe they had  
some Victrola's, & Edison machines as well.  It's been many  years since we 
were to this museum.  Nobody seems to know where the  collection went.  
 
Regards,
Joe Devonshire
Jefferson, ME 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (http://lincolncountynewsonline.com/m) 

Musical  Wonder House Leaves Customers Wondering


11/25/2014  2:00:00 PM

By  Abigail W. Adams 


The  19th century mansion that formerly housed The Musical Wonder House on  
16-18 High St. in Wiscasset, Thursday, Nov. 20. The Musical Wonder House  
closed suddenly and without explanation last spring. (Abigail Adams  photo) 
The Musical Wonder House was, at  one time, a gem of Wiscasset. Opened by 
Danilo Konvalinka, Lois Ernst  Konvalinka, and Douglas Henderson in 1963, the 
business achieved international  acclaim for its collection of antique 
music boxes and instruments that filled  the 32 room mansion on High Street. 

The  collection attracted thousands of visitors each year; was written 
about in  on-line and print publications across the country, and received the 
Business  Recognition Award from the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen in 2012. 

Today,  the Musical Wonder House is an empty building with broken windows, 
dead weeds,  peeling paint, and a notice that the property is 
vacant/abandoned. It closed  suddenly and without explanation in the spring of 2014. 

The  only notice provided to customers was a printed out paper, dated May 
25, 2014,  taped to the front window that reads: "After 50 wonderful years at 
this  location, The Musical Wonder House has closed. Thank you to our many 
loyal  patrons." 

The  Musical Wonder House was more than a museum. It was a business that 
restored,  bought, and sold antique music boxes, player pianos, and talking 
machines. The  Musical Wonder House not only left the general public in the 
dark about its  sudden and mysterious closure. It, also, gave no notice, or 
explanation to many  of its former customers that had left their property with 
the Musical Wonder  House for restoration and sale - property that is now 
missing. 

Roxann  Lannan was one of those customers. 

A  Vernon, Conn. resident, Lannan frequently vacationed in Wiscasset. One 
of her  favorite places to visit was the Musical Wonder House where she has 
fond  memories of Danilo Konvalinka, a classically trained pianist, give 
private  concerts on the antique organs in his collection that echoed throughout 
the 19th  century sea captain's mansion. 

In  2006, however, The Musical Wonder House changed hands. Konvalinka 
established  the Danilo Konvalinka Trust to ensure the continued operation of his 
passion  project. Joseph Villani and Paulo Carvalho assumed control of the 
business. 

In  2009, Lannan handed over two antique music boxes to Villani and 
Carvalho. She  was told that if she paid $5,000 to have the crank polyphones 
restored, they  would be able to resell them for her for an enormous profit. They 
charged her  $5,500 for the restoration then stopped returning her calls. 

After  two years, Lannan threatened to contact a lawyer. On Aug. 23, 2011, 
she received  a check from Villani for $1,080 and an explanation that the 
Musical Wonder House  was able to sell one of the music boxes for $1,200. $120 
was deducted in  commission. She never heard from them again. 

"I'm  76 years old," Lannan told The  Lincoln County News. "I don't have a 
lot of money. I was looking forward to  paying the taxes on my house with 
the money they told me I would receive. I  never would have tried to sell them 
[the music boxes] if I didn't need to." 

"This  whole experience has left me feeling very angry," Lannan continued. 
"I feel  empty and angry." 

Joseph  Villani passed away Sept. 11, 2011, a short time after Lannan 
received a check  from him. Carvalho, however, carried on until the doors of the 
Musical Wonder  House were closed in 2014. 

Lannan  is not the only customer jilted by the Musical Wonder House. 
According to a  review left on tripadvisor.com on Oct. 7, 2014, a woman left an 
antique music  box with Musical Wonder House for restoration. It disappeared 
when the business  did. 

The  Wiscasset Police Department, also, logged a call from a complainant 
the week of  Sept. 29, 2014, stating that a music box left for restoration at 
a local  business disappeared when the business closed. It is unclear if the 
caller was  the same woman who left the review on tripadvisor.com, or if it 
is a separate  case. 

According  to Wiscasset town records, the property that housed the Musical 
Wonder House is  still owned by the Danilo Konvalinka Trust. In 2013, it 
underwent a bank  foreclosure, however, property taxes to the town are current, 
and are being paid  by Nation Star Mortgage through an escrow account. 

Mortgage  Contracting Services, a national company that is hired by 
mortgage lenders to  provide property management services, is currently in charge 
of maintaining  16-18 High Street in Wiscasset. 

According  to Whitepages.com, Paulo A. Carvalho still has a PO Box listed 
in his name in  Wiscasset. It is, also, the same PO Box listed for the Danilo 
Konvalinka  Trust. The  Lincoln County News was unable  to contact Carvalho 
for comment. 
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