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Theatre organ undergoes revival
posted by
Michael Zoldessy
on
May 14, 2009 at 7:45 am
DAYTON, OH — After many years working to get it back in service, some dedicated fans are giving a historic organ a chance to shine again.
Just before King Wrecking Co. crews tore down Dayton’s RKO Keith’s Theatre in 1967, David Bowers and a couple of friends went there on a mission to save a precious artifact.
Bowers and his friends, Roy Haning and Neal White, found a 1922-vintage Wurlitzer Style 210 pipe organ, “a gem of an instrument,” in Bowers' estimation. Haning and White bought the organ and its nearly 1,000 pipes on the spot.
Four decades later, the RKO Keith’s Mighty Wurlitzer is being restored in Medford, Mass., for use in Medford’s Chevalier Theatre. If all goes as planned, it’ll be played for the first time since 1986 sometime next year.
Read more in the Dayton Daily News.
Comments (2)
I believe that the Chevalier Theatre in Medford MA is actually the auditorium in the old Medford High School. It was turned into a concert venue and renamed some years ago. The Wurlitzer from Dayton will make a nice addition to the venue.
Here’s the Chevalier Theatre website. To my knowledge, it has been used only for live stage shows. If a movie is ever shown there, we can even add it to CinemaTreasures.