Wilhelm Reich Museum

Orgonon was the 175-acre (71 ha) home, laboratory and research center of the Austrian-born psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich Museum (1897–1957). Located in Rangeley, ME, it is Reich's burial place, and is now open to the public as the Wilhelm Reich Museum. Its main building, designed by James B. Bell and built for Reich in 1948, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (as the Orgone Research Laboratory), and is a significant example of International Style architecture in the state. The name is derived from the hypostatized term "orgone", Reich's principal area of study in his later years.
The main building is publicly known as the Orgone Energy Observatory, and is where Reich did his research and had his office and library. It is a fieldstone structure, two stories high, with a flat roof. —Source.

Alterations

During the Cold War, scientists and researchers affiliated with the The Order became obsessed with Orgone Energy for the purposes of Weather Modification. The scientists and researchers also drafted the radical process of Orgone Infusion and convinced the Archimandrion Council to fund this effort as well.
The Archimandrion Council immediately saw the benefits and strategic positioning of the untested sciences and invested in the underground structures now known as the Rangeley Reactor Core.
Simultaneously, they officially began the work known as Project Genesis I. It was shut down in 1966 after numerous failed attempts.

Architecture

The Orgonon campus is set on about 175 acres (71 ha) of land west of the town center of Rangeley and north of Rangeley Lake, roughly midway between Rangeley and the village of Oquossuc. The property includes two major buildings and two cabins.
The main building was designed by New York City architect James B. Bell and completed in 1948. The roughly-centered entry leads into a hallway, with Reich's laboratory on the right and a suite of rooms on the left that included a kitchen, bathrooms, and playroom for Reich's son. The upper level, accessed by stairs at the back of the hall, included a bathroom, office, and living quarters. The walls are finished in knotty pine throughout, with plywood ceilings and vinyl flooring.

Alternative Names

Orgonon; Orgone Energy Institute

Type

Museum

Parent Location

Rangeley, ME

Included Locations

• Rangeley Reactor Core

Owner

Victor Kraze

Owning Organization

The Order