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Builder: Wurlitzer Organ Co., Op. 2091, 1930. Style "190"
model. Manuals: 2 Ranks: 8 (plus 4 tuned percussions and 18 traps) Pipes: 572 Stops: 55 Action: Electro-mechanical Console: Horseshoe style Notes: Information from Rodney J. Weed. This organ was built for this theater. The Theater opened as the Fox Movie Theater on Valentine's day in 1930. This Wurlitzer Style 190 organ was shipped from Wurlitzer to the theater on April 1, 1930. The Fox Theaters went bankrupt in 1933. This theater was purchased by new owners and opened as the Bay theater in September of 1933. Around 1978 the theater was sold again and turned into a three screen triplex theater covering up most of the original Spanish Atmospheric architecture of the original Fox. Somewhere during the time the organ was removed and sold. It went to someone's home for awhile and then when it was in danger of being broken up and sold for parts another buyer purchased it to keep it intact. It was stored for 12 years. When the Bay finally closed in 1998 and talks were begun about renovating the theater to its original beauty as it opened in 1930 they thought it would be nice to have a Theater organ and then discovered they could get the organ that had originally been built for this theater. The organ was purchased and thanks to a very generous donor about $200,000.00 was spent renovating the organ and bringing it back to its original condition. The organ was renovated and shipped to the Meyer theater in May of 2005. The computerized system installed in the renovated organ was having some problems and in the Fall of 2012 the organ had significant work done installing a Peterson system located in a drawer on the right side of the console. Buttons to operate the sound effects originally operated by the nine toe pistons were installed in a drawer under the console on the left side. I am not sure if the nine toe pistons still operate the sound effects or with the new system become standard programable toe studs. Originally the organ had 5 adjustable Combination Pistons under each manual and operated the Solo & Pedal or the Accompaniment & Pedal. The organ now has 16 pistons under the Solo manual and 17 pistons under the Accompaniment manual. My examination of the organ does not allow me to know exactly how these pistons are set for use but with the Peterson system which now controls them the organist would have many options for their programming. For only eight ranks of pipes the organ can put out quite an impressive sound. I heard Jelani Eddington do the introductory concert and it was superb despite a few ciphers and other operational problems, which I think now are all in the past. In the late 1990's when it was decided to totally renovate this theater and restore it to its original state when it was built in 1930, this organ original to the theater was located in storage, purchased and totally refurbished at a cost of around $200,000.00, thanks to a generous donor, to bring it back to its original condition with console wiring updates and a computerized system. This was all done in about 2002. In the Fall of 2012 the organ was again improved by adding a Peterson system to it to improve the wiring reliability. At this time they also added several pistons under each manual. The organ, though not used very often, is now in perfect working order. Organ Historical Society as of 2021. RANKS/SPECS 8' Trumpet 61 16' Open Diapason 85 8' Tibia Clausa 73 8' Clarinet 61 8' Violin 73 8' Violin Celeste (TC) 61 16' Flute 97 8' Vox Humana 61 Cathedral Chimes (18 tubular) Xylophone (37 bars) Glockenspiel (30 bars) Chrysoglott (49 bars) PEDAL MANUAL 16' Diaphone 16' Bourdon 8' Trumpet 8' Open Diapason 8' Tibia Clausa 8' Cello 8' Flute Bass Drum Kettle Drum Crash Cymbal Cymbal ACCOMPANIMENT MANUAL 8' Trumpet 8' Open Diapason 8' Tibia Clausa 8' Clarinet 8' Violin 8' Violin Celeste 8' Concert Flute 8' Vox Humana 4' Octave 4' Piccolo 4' Viol 4' Octave Celeste 4' Flute 4' Vox Humana 2 2/3' Twelfth 2' Piccolo Chrysoglott Snare Drum Tambourine Castanets Chinese Block Tom Tom Sleigh Bells SOLO MANUAL 16' Trumpet 16' Diaphone 16' Tibia Clausa (Ten C) 16' Clarinet (Ten C) 16' Contra Viol (2 Rks) 16' Bourdon 16' Vox Humana (Ten C) 8' Trumpet 8' Open Diapason 8' Tibia Clausa 8' Clarinet 8' Violin (2 Rks) 8' Concert Flute 8' Vox Humana 5 1/3' Fifth (Tibia) 4' Octave 4' Piccolo 4' Viol (2 Rks) 4' Flute 2 2/3' Twelfth (Tibia) 2 2/3' Twelfth 2' Piccolo (Tibia) 2' Piccolo 2' Fifteenth 1 3/5' Tierce (Tibia) 1' Fife (Tibia) Cathedral Chimes Xylophone Glockenspiel PISTONS 17-Adjustable Combination Pistons on rail under Accompaniment Manual 16-Adjustable Combination Pistons on rail under Solo Manual MIDI Pedal MIDI Accomp MIDI Solo MIDI COUPLERS Solo to Pedal 8 Accomp to Pedal 8 Accomp Octave 4 Solo Sub 16 Solo Octave 4 ACCCOMPANIMENT SECOND TOUCH 8' Trumpet 8' Open Diapason 8' Tibia Clausa Cathedral Chimes SOLO SECOND TOUCH 16' Trumpet (TC) 8' Tibia Clausa 8' Clarinet TREMULANTS Tibia Vox Humana Trumpet Main Clarinet SOUND EFFECTS TOE PISTONS Horse Hoofs Surf Bird Siren Auto Horn Fire Gong Fire Gong (re-it) Steamboat Whistle Machine Gun SOUND EFFECTS (Buttons in drawer under left side of Console) Boat Whistle Horse Hoofs Auto Horn Bird Siren Triangle Surf PUSH BUTTON (at either end of the Accompaniment manual) Door Bell |
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