Mayflower Art Theater

The Mayflower Theater is listed in Film Daily Yearbooks; editions 1941 and 1943 with a seating capacity of 600. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. the seating capacity is given as 544. Sadly none of these editions give an address to verify if the Mayflower was located at 11 W. Main Street.

The current multiplexed Mayflower and the original theater are one and the same. The Mayflower was built as a single screen theater with a 2 manual, 5 rank Style 150 Special Wurlitzer organ, opus 1787, installed at the time it opened. The organ was shipped from the Wurlitzer factory on November 18, 1927. It was installed in two chambers on either side of the proscenium, which was somewhat unusual for an organ of that size. The theatre was listed as “New Theatre, Troy, Ohio,” in older versions of the Wurlitzer opus list, and New Theatre is written in blue crayon inside one of the windchests. The Mayflower opened as The Mayflower Theatre on Wednesday, February 1, 1928, with the Wallace Beery movie, “Wife Savers.” It had a small orchestra pit and featured two orchestras on opening day, plus Edward Dollinger on the “$15,000 Wurlitzer organ” and “a varied program of music and vaudeville numbers.” It had a small stage and did not have a fly loft. There was a large empty room over the stage which connected the two organ chambers, and had a door which opened into the air about 17 feet above the alley below. I purchased the organ from the original owner of the theater, Mr. Chris Pfister, and removed it in the fall of 1973. At that time, Mr. Pfister was old and in poor health, and was leasing the theater to Alan Teicher, who bought it after Mr. Pfister died. When I removed the organ, the theatre was completely intact with a single screen. A wide screen frame had been installed in front of the original proscenium, extending to partially cover the organ grilles on either side. The front was completely covered with drapery, so the proscenium and organ grilles were not visible. The organ console sat on the floor to the right of the small orchestra pit railing, fully exposed at all times. The multiplexing occurred years later. I understand that the original auditorium is mostly intact and is the largest of the theatres. One screen was put on stage, and I believe the other two were put in what was formerly a storefront to the west of the theatre’s main entrance, but I wouldn’t swear to this. The store was a barber shop in 1973. There was no marquee in 1973 and no evidence that there ever was one. I saw the theatre on the outside in the summer of 2007 and it looked much as it did in 1973. I haven’t seen the interior since 1973. I still own the organ, and it is warm, dry, and safe. Unfortunately it doesn’t play yet, but hope springs eternal. I hope this information is helpful. At this time, I don’t have any further details, such as the name of the architect.

Listed as the Mayflower Twin in 1998. Not to be picky but the address is 9 West Main Street.