THE MIGHTY WURLITZER THEATRE ORGAN COMES TO HISTORIC MUSIC HALL! | ||||
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Once the pride of Cincinnati's RKO Albee Theatre, the magnificent sound of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ will once again be heard in Cincinnati! Through the generosity of a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall has arranged for renovation of this remarkable instrument and its installation in the ballroom of historic Music Hall. It is estimated that changes in the layout of the ballroom, along with installation of the organ, will take 30 months to complete, at a cost of $1,350,000. It took a "mighty" effort on the part of Norma Petersen, president of SPMH, who coordinated 7 entities to get to the point of making the announcement in July, 2007. |
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The Wurlitzer Company The Wurlitzer Company was founded in Cincinnati in the mid 1800s and originally created a variety of musical instruments. The company's most famous product was the pipe organ, which became known as the "Mighty Wurlitzer" a designation which became a symbol of quality. These organs were designed as a "one-man orchestra" and are remembered by many as the "score" or accompaniment to silent movies. |
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The History of this Wurlitzer Organ The organ was built for Cincinnati's RKO Albee Theatre in 1927 at a cost of $55,000. The organ was played during the showing of silent films; with the advent of the "talkies" the organ was used for the Albee's stage shows. In the late 1960s, RKO donated the organ to the Ohio Mechanics Institute, which owned Emery Auditorium and installed it in that theatre. The organ was rebuilt and then heard by audiences until late 1999, when the theatre was closed and the organ was placed in storage. In 2003, David Klingshirn, founder of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, was contacted by someone who wanted to fund the rebuilding of the organ. While the donor had hoped to install the organ in Memorial Hall, just south of Music Hall, the Music Hall Ballroom was proposed -- and accepted -- as a more suitable location. In the Music Hall Ballroom, the organ will be nestled among other Albee artifacts: pilasters, brass and wooden railings and architectural fixtures rescued by Pat and Joe Perrin and donated for the Ballroom's renovation in the late 1990s. |
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What's Next for the Organ |
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The Partners for the Restoration and Installation of the Mighty Wurlitzer
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