HistoryThe organ project is full of twists and turns. What started out as buying a xylophone in 2010, has turned into a full organ and a house for it to live in. See more information on this project below.
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How it started
During my childhood, my family would visit nearby restaurant, Organ Piper Pizza. Fascinated by how the organ worked and sounds it produced, I immediately grew interested in the Theatre Organ. In 2010, I purchased the first part (Wurlitzer Xylophone) of what would become (as my wife describes) a serious hoarding issue.
Several years later, after joining the local chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (Dairyland), I had an opportunity to save an organ from the dumpster. This organ (Wurlitzer Opus 1872) came out of the Racine Theatre Guild building in March of 2013. Thanks to several friends, the whole organ was removed, crated and stored in only a day and a half. Opus 1872 was originally installed in the Capitol Theatre located in Racine Wisconsin. Originally a 2/5, 150 Special shipped from the Wurlitzer factory on April 24th, 1928. In 1981, the organ was removed from the theatre, installed at the Theatre Guild and dedicated on February 21, 1982. This move was made possible by donations from Mr. and Mrs. Lowell McNeill and the Dairyland Theatre Organ Society who contracted with Frederick Johnson Organ Builders to reinstall it complete with a modern solid-state Z-Tronics Relay.
In 2016, another organ became available from the residence of Dale and Lois Williams in Whitewater, Wisconsin after the passing of Dale on June 3rd, 2016. Dale was a member of Dairyland and enjoyed assembling and playing his home organ. Shortly after Dale's passing, a friend put me in contact with Dale's son Dave who was handling his father's estate. After a tour and playing of the organ, a deal was reached and it was again time to call on several friends to assist in the removal of organ number two! Without the help of many hands, projects like this simply aren't possible!
The first step was to build 14 pipe crates followed by getting on the phone and rallying the troops again. This time it took two solid days of hard labor but we were able to get it done!
Several years later, after joining the local chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (Dairyland), I had an opportunity to save an organ from the dumpster. This organ (Wurlitzer Opus 1872) came out of the Racine Theatre Guild building in March of 2013. Thanks to several friends, the whole organ was removed, crated and stored in only a day and a half. Opus 1872 was originally installed in the Capitol Theatre located in Racine Wisconsin. Originally a 2/5, 150 Special shipped from the Wurlitzer factory on April 24th, 1928. In 1981, the organ was removed from the theatre, installed at the Theatre Guild and dedicated on February 21, 1982. This move was made possible by donations from Mr. and Mrs. Lowell McNeill and the Dairyland Theatre Organ Society who contracted with Frederick Johnson Organ Builders to reinstall it complete with a modern solid-state Z-Tronics Relay.
In 2016, another organ became available from the residence of Dale and Lois Williams in Whitewater, Wisconsin after the passing of Dale on June 3rd, 2016. Dale was a member of Dairyland and enjoyed assembling and playing his home organ. Shortly after Dale's passing, a friend put me in contact with Dale's son Dave who was handling his father's estate. After a tour and playing of the organ, a deal was reached and it was again time to call on several friends to assist in the removal of organ number two! Without the help of many hands, projects like this simply aren't possible!
The first step was to build 14 pipe crates followed by getting on the phone and rallying the troops again. This time it took two solid days of hard labor but we were able to get it done!
In February of 2017, the console underwent a re-specification. Several tabs were ordered from Hesco to accomplish this task. There were also several components that were bad which were swapped out and tested before getting moved into the house. Since the organ came with Z-Tronics relay boards I decided to stick with that relay system. Several boards were ordered, including a Z-Midi interface which allowed me to connect the console to my computer running Hauptwerk. The card rack pictured below was constructed to house the relay. With this card rack wired, the console was equipped to work with Hauptwerk in addition to be setup to control the actual pipes during the next phase of this project.
In February of 2020, our new house was completed, which was built for the organ. It features a 18x30' music room on the first floor with organ chamber below. The organ speaks through a tone chute in the floor courtesy of brass grills purchased from my friend, Gib Petzke. Given the long lead times associated with Z-Tronics components and the fact that the specification changed again, I gutted the console completely and installed a new Uniflex Relay in the console.
The Capitol Theatre - Racine, Wis.
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The Capitol Theater opened on May 30, 1928 featuring a 2/5 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ. It was "twinned" in 1976, renamed Park I & II In 1981 and closed September 1, 1987. The organ was removed from the theatre in 1981 and moved down the road to the Racine Theatre Guild. At that time, the organ received a modern Z-Tronics relay and was dedicated on February 21, 1982. In October of 2016, I was following my friend Fred Hermes, Sr. to his church. On the way, he stopped his car in the middle of the busy street, walked back to my car and pointed out the Capitol. As I recall, he said, "thought you might want a photo of the theatre your organ came out of". The photo is pictured to the right... |
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The El Capitan Organ, San Francisco
As installed in the El Capitan Theatre, San Francisco. Date unknown.
Through conversation with Mark Herman, a musician and organ broker in Pasadena, I had learned of an opportunity to purchase an organ that was completely restored. It included a three manual scroll type console (what I was looking for in the end) and everything that goes with it. All that would be required would be to wire and wind the instrument.
After careful consideration, I made the realization that the current project would take me at least 10 years or more to complete, about the same amount of money and a ton of my time. This route would allow me to get a functional instrument within a year and that much longer to share it with others. As someone asked me, do you get more enjoyment out of playing the organ or restoring it? Great question, and the answer is playing it and having others find enjoyment from playing the instrument and listening. Perhaps most important, the purchasing route would allow me to spend more time with my family, and less time in our basement working on restoration projects.
The decision was made to purchase it on Saturday, October 2, 2021. The next logistical challenge was to get everything that we currently had in the house out and the new one transported from storage in Indianapolis to our house. A deadline of Sunday, October 10th was communicated to get the instrument out of storage, leaving a week to carry out mission impossible.
On Wednesday, October 6th friends Gary Bieck and Gary Klechowitz assisted in moving parts out of the basement. Second shift help of my aunt and uncle, wife Lindsay, brother-in-law Shawn and neighbor Joey continued where the first shift help left off! Since The Dairyland Theatre Organ Society is actively working on an organ installation at the East Troy Railroad Museum, most parts were donated to their project. By the end of the night, one full pick up truck and covered trailer full of parts made its way to the basement of the Depot building at the museum.
On Thursday, October 7th, my Dad and I, along with friends Devin Deuter and Nick Renkosik and brother-in-law Shawn (who apparently didn't have enough fun the night before) picked up two 26 foot trucks and loaded the parts from our basement that were to be traded as part of the sale agreement. These parts included the two-manual console, tuned sleigh bells, xylophone, master xylophone and a ton of pipes.
Friday, October 8th was the big day, which started at 3:50am when we hit the road for Indy. Arriving at Mark's storage locker at 9:30am (eastern time), we unloaded the parts that went down with us. Broke for lunch nearby and then arrived at the Stutz building (where they used to manufacture Stutz cars). This is the home of Carlton Smith Pipe Organ Restorations. Located on the second floor, this was actually one of the easier organ moves I was a part of (at least this phase of the project...!). Since the building was a car factory, we had use of a freight elevator that was capable of moving a car. This proved very useful as did the indoor loading dock, where both trucks fit nicely. I also appreciated the help of Mark Herman and "local" assistant John Arnold, both of which helped greatly. By 7pm, we were loaded and headed back to Wisconsin... arriving sometime around 11:30pm. I would like to thank my Dad, Nick and Devin for spending the entire day assisting with this part of the project. A very full 20-hour day was a lot to ask and I am very grateful of their help.
Saturday, October 9th I was joined by Chris and Tori Pawlowski, my parents John and Lisa, friends John and son Sean Cornue, Mike Jacklin and Gary Klechowitz. Together, we were able to get both trucks unloaded and returned to Penske of South Milwaukee. Made it back home just in time to volunteer at the railroad as a bartender on their dinner train! With that being said... 23 crates and the console, which didn't fit through the front door remained in the garage.
On Sunday, October 10th, I was able to de-wire (unplug) the console horseshoe, keyboards and back rail. This allowed the console to come apart in more pieces. My wife Lindsay and I were able to carry everything in the house with the exception of the base of the console.... and 23 crates...
On Monday, October 11th, my neighbor Travis, friends Derek and Nicole in addition to their friend Uly helped carry the remaining crates and console base into the house. The organ is now completely IN the house!
The organ itself began life in the Wurlitzer Factory as Opus 1871 (one opus number off from my last organ). It was a style 230 Special and shipped from the factory on April 20, 1928. It was installed in the El Capitan Theatre in San Francisco for the opening of the theatre on June 29, 1928.
From cinematreasures.org:
The El Capitan Theatre was built in 1928 for the Ackerman & Harris circuit, opening on June 29, 1928 with George Sidney in “We Americans”. This large 3,100-seat theatre in the Mission district offered a downtown stage and screen policy at neighborhood prices. It opened with 5-acts of vaudeville and Mel Hertz opening the 3 manual 11 ranks Wurlitzer (Style 235) pipe organ to accompany a silent film. The interior was a beautiful example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture while the outside was built with a splendid Mexican Baroque facade. It later became part of the Fox West Coast Theatres chain and closed on December 15, 1957.
Although the auditorium is long gone, the facade and attached hotel still stand, with the Moderne style marquee standing guard over the entrance to the theatre’s new use as a barren parking lot.
The demolition of all but the decorative facade and the gutted foyer of the El Capitan Theatre in 1964, remains one of San Francisco’s major losses.
After the theatre closed, the organ was removed and installed in the Bill Reid Residence in Antioch (1960) until being installed in the Salinas Fox Theatre (California). From the Fox Theatre, the organ traveled to Indiana in 2005, where the Central Indiana Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society placed it in heated storage. Their intent was to install the instrument in the Indiana Theatre for the 2008 ATOS convention, but plans never fully developed. The organ was moved to our residence on October 8th, 2021.
After careful consideration, I made the realization that the current project would take me at least 10 years or more to complete, about the same amount of money and a ton of my time. This route would allow me to get a functional instrument within a year and that much longer to share it with others. As someone asked me, do you get more enjoyment out of playing the organ or restoring it? Great question, and the answer is playing it and having others find enjoyment from playing the instrument and listening. Perhaps most important, the purchasing route would allow me to spend more time with my family, and less time in our basement working on restoration projects.
The decision was made to purchase it on Saturday, October 2, 2021. The next logistical challenge was to get everything that we currently had in the house out and the new one transported from storage in Indianapolis to our house. A deadline of Sunday, October 10th was communicated to get the instrument out of storage, leaving a week to carry out mission impossible.
On Wednesday, October 6th friends Gary Bieck and Gary Klechowitz assisted in moving parts out of the basement. Second shift help of my aunt and uncle, wife Lindsay, brother-in-law Shawn and neighbor Joey continued where the first shift help left off! Since The Dairyland Theatre Organ Society is actively working on an organ installation at the East Troy Railroad Museum, most parts were donated to their project. By the end of the night, one full pick up truck and covered trailer full of parts made its way to the basement of the Depot building at the museum.
On Thursday, October 7th, my Dad and I, along with friends Devin Deuter and Nick Renkosik and brother-in-law Shawn (who apparently didn't have enough fun the night before) picked up two 26 foot trucks and loaded the parts from our basement that were to be traded as part of the sale agreement. These parts included the two-manual console, tuned sleigh bells, xylophone, master xylophone and a ton of pipes.
Friday, October 8th was the big day, which started at 3:50am when we hit the road for Indy. Arriving at Mark's storage locker at 9:30am (eastern time), we unloaded the parts that went down with us. Broke for lunch nearby and then arrived at the Stutz building (where they used to manufacture Stutz cars). This is the home of Carlton Smith Pipe Organ Restorations. Located on the second floor, this was actually one of the easier organ moves I was a part of (at least this phase of the project...!). Since the building was a car factory, we had use of a freight elevator that was capable of moving a car. This proved very useful as did the indoor loading dock, where both trucks fit nicely. I also appreciated the help of Mark Herman and "local" assistant John Arnold, both of which helped greatly. By 7pm, we were loaded and headed back to Wisconsin... arriving sometime around 11:30pm. I would like to thank my Dad, Nick and Devin for spending the entire day assisting with this part of the project. A very full 20-hour day was a lot to ask and I am very grateful of their help.
Saturday, October 9th I was joined by Chris and Tori Pawlowski, my parents John and Lisa, friends John and son Sean Cornue, Mike Jacklin and Gary Klechowitz. Together, we were able to get both trucks unloaded and returned to Penske of South Milwaukee. Made it back home just in time to volunteer at the railroad as a bartender on their dinner train! With that being said... 23 crates and the console, which didn't fit through the front door remained in the garage.
On Sunday, October 10th, I was able to de-wire (unplug) the console horseshoe, keyboards and back rail. This allowed the console to come apart in more pieces. My wife Lindsay and I were able to carry everything in the house with the exception of the base of the console.... and 23 crates...
On Monday, October 11th, my neighbor Travis, friends Derek and Nicole in addition to their friend Uly helped carry the remaining crates and console base into the house. The organ is now completely IN the house!
The organ itself began life in the Wurlitzer Factory as Opus 1871 (one opus number off from my last organ). It was a style 230 Special and shipped from the factory on April 20, 1928. It was installed in the El Capitan Theatre in San Francisco for the opening of the theatre on June 29, 1928.
From cinematreasures.org:
The El Capitan Theatre was built in 1928 for the Ackerman & Harris circuit, opening on June 29, 1928 with George Sidney in “We Americans”. This large 3,100-seat theatre in the Mission district offered a downtown stage and screen policy at neighborhood prices. It opened with 5-acts of vaudeville and Mel Hertz opening the 3 manual 11 ranks Wurlitzer (Style 235) pipe organ to accompany a silent film. The interior was a beautiful example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture while the outside was built with a splendid Mexican Baroque facade. It later became part of the Fox West Coast Theatres chain and closed on December 15, 1957.
Although the auditorium is long gone, the facade and attached hotel still stand, with the Moderne style marquee standing guard over the entrance to the theatre’s new use as a barren parking lot.
The demolition of all but the decorative facade and the gutted foyer of the El Capitan Theatre in 1964, remains one of San Francisco’s major losses.
After the theatre closed, the organ was removed and installed in the Bill Reid Residence in Antioch (1960) until being installed in the Salinas Fox Theatre (California). From the Fox Theatre, the organ traveled to Indiana in 2005, where the Central Indiana Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society placed it in heated storage. Their intent was to install the instrument in the Indiana Theatre for the 2008 ATOS convention, but plans never fully developed. The organ was moved to our residence on October 8th, 2021.
El Capitan Chamber Blueprints
| Main Chamber.pdf |
| Solo Chamber.pdf |
