Apparently the Barton organ was sold to the Emmanuel Evangelical United Brethren Church, in Appleton, and though rebuilt and moved, remains there and in use.
“F.W. Fisher who owns a string of theatres comprising the cites of LaSalle, Ill., Kewanee, Ill., and Madison, Wis., recently purchased the Grand Opera House building in Appleton, Wis. Dan Barton of Bartola Musical Instruments Co. has personally laid out an organ installation for him which promises to be one of the finest in the state. A large model Barton organ will be installed in the proscenium. The instrument will have a special instrumentation which will provide all orchestral effects.Mr. Fisher’s entire circuit of theatres is equipped with Barton Musical Instruments.”
The hyperbole is charming as the Barton organ installed here was 2 manuals, 9 ranks, very much a comfortable, modest organ as theatre organs went. And as with most theatre organs, it apparently went as soon as talkies came along.
Snow White with Marguerite Clark in the title role opened nationally on December 25, 1916. It would have gotten to Knoxville later that winter. Note the people in the photo are in winter attire.
Tim, Replying to your post on July 31 2010. Notice on the link, the film at the Riviera is “The Bedroom Window” which IMDB lists as opened in June 1924 starring May McAvoy and Malcolm McGregor. Showing at the Queen is the 1923 western “The Fighting Strain” staring Neal Hart, written by Neal Hart, directed by Neal Hart, titles by Neal Hart, executive producer was (3 guesses!) Neal Hart.
At the 1921 opening there was a II/10 Moller pipe organ to accompany the silent pictures. While Loews was spending a lot of money on new buildings just after World War I, they skimped on their organs, buying Mollers instead of the more expensive makes. In larger markets many of Loew’s Mollers were replaced after just a few years. Here in Athens it seems the Moller survived to the sound era, at which point Loews fired all their organists and left to the organs to the mice. There is no record of what became of this one but it would not be unusual if it went to the landfill.
The restored lobby looks excellent! My memory of that space (1960s and ‘70s) was that there was always a row of stanchions and velvet ropes down the middle to separate entering and exiting customers with the terrazzo pattern indicating the direction of travel.
From Motion Picture World, August 7, 1915: “Ben Johnson, the new manager at the Gilbert Theatre at Beatrice, has purchased a new pipe organ. He has closed his Lyric theatre in Beatrice in order to devote all his time to the new acquisition.”
From Motion Picture World, August 7, 1915: “Ben Johnson, the new manager at the Gilbert Theatre at Beatrice, has purchased a new pipe organ. He has closed his Lyric theatre in Beatrice in order to devote all his time to the new acquisition.” If he was investing in an organ it suggests he had begun or was about to begin showing films.
The New House Will Seat 1,300 Patrons and Is Expected To Be Completed in Ninety Days
PLANS for a handsome new motion picture theatre, to be erected at 42 and 44 “West Ohio street, Indianapolis, have been announced this week by David A. Coulter, secretary-treasurer of the Ohio Building Company, of Indianapolis. The new structure, which Mr. Coulter estimates will cost in the neighborhood of $75,000, will be known as the Ohio.
John R. Welch Is President. The Ohio Building Company, recently organized, has been incorporated under the laws of Indiana with a capital stock of $100,000. The officers of the company are John R. "Welch, of Indianapolis, president;
Frank J. Rembusch, of Shelbyville, Ind., vice-president, and David A. Coulter, secretary and treasurer. The company has
just obtained a forty-nine year lease on the buildings now standing on the proposed site.
The theatre will have a frontage of 44 feet 3 Inches and will have a depth of 202 feet 6 inches. It will be constructed of
reinforced concrete and steel and under the terms of the contract is to be completed in ninety days. It will seat between 1,200 and 1,300 people, 800 of whom can be accommodated in the orchestra. Lobby Will Be Distinctive Feature. The distinctive feature of the theatre will be a large lobby which is to have a depth from the theatre entrance to the auditorium of forty-three feet, and is to be thirty feet wide. The purpose in providing this much room is to overcome congestion. The plans for the first floor reveal an
attractively decorated interior. There will be one center aisle with seats flanking on each side, and a mezzanine floor with lounge and ladies' rest rooms. The mezzanine floor will have an opening that will afford a view of the main auditorium. Stairs will lead to a third floor, which
will be used as a balcony. Rembusch Prominent in Management.
The interior of the theatre will be finished in large, plain panel walls with marble tile wainscotings and two decorative
boxes will be built on each side of the stage. These boxes, when not used for seating purposes, can be used for the staging of small vaudeville entertainments. Frank Rembusch, vice president of the Ohio Company, is one of Indiana’s leading picture showmen. He has gained a national
reputation for enterprise.
A. J. KAVANAGH IS ONE GRAND HUSTLER / Dakota Man Takes Over a Minneapolis Theatre While His New Grand Forks House Is Building
A J. KAVANAGH, exhibitor of Grand Forks and Jamestown, N. D., has taken over the lease of the Southern Theatre, at Seven Corners, in Minneapolis, and will begin the operation
of this house July 1. Mr. Kavanagh plans to renovate the
theatre and place it in first class condition. He stopped over in Minneapolis recently while en route to North Dakota
from Chicago, where he purchased a new $8,000 pipe organ for the new picture house he is building at Grand Forks to
replace his old Grand Theatre, which was burned to the ground.
Construction of the new theatre is now under way at Grand Forks, and it is to be completed by October 1. The house,
which will cost at least $80,000, will have a fifty-five foot front and a depth of one hundred and twenty-five feet. It will
be a fireproof, concrete, brick and tile structure, larger than concrete, brick and tile structure, larger than any present picture theatre in the state.
A. J. KAVANAGH IS ONE GRAND HUSTLER / Dakota Man Takes Over a Minneapolis Theatre While His New Grand Forks House Is Building
A J. KAVANAGH, exhibitor of Grand Forks and Jamestown, N. D., has taken over the lease of the Southern Theatre, at Seven Corners, in Minneapolis, and will begin the operation
of this house July 1. Mr. Kavanagh plans to renovate the
theatre and place it in first class condition. He stopped over in Minneapolis recently while en route to North Dakota
from Chicago, where he purchased a new $8,000 pipe organ for the new picture house he is building at Grand Forks to replace his old Grand Theatre, which was burned to the ground.
Construction of the new theatre is now under way at Grand Forks, and it is to be completed by October 1. The house,
which will cost at least $80,000, will have a fifty-five foot front and a depth of one hundred and twenty-five feet. It will
be a fireproof, concrete, brick and tile structure, larger than any present picture theatre in the state.
Motion Picture World, February 2, 1918 page 705 has several paragraphs about the new Majestic, which pushes the construction date back to about 1917. It mentions the white terracotta facade (consistent with the photo above) and lists the seating capacity as 1100 upholstered seats on the main floor and 950 wicker seats in the loges, though, confusingly, it says “there is no balcony.” The owner is listed as J.F. Higgins. The organ is listed as a Barkoff, a company utterly not associated with theatre organs.
Motion Picture World, January 26, 1918, page 556 has several paragraphs describing upcoming, extensive renovations planned for the Palms Theatre 136-138 N Illinois Street.
“Edward G. Sourbier…owner of the Palms, has announced that the new arrangement will increase the seating capacity from 300 to 650…” It describes how the wall behind the screen will be taken down and the building extended by 40 feet.
The article goes on to mention that a new Wurlitzer organ will be installed, but the Wurlitzer lists do not show that they sold an organ in Indianpolis until 1922 and that was for the Circle Theatre.
The People’s Theatre, Portland Oregan is mentioned in Motion Picture World, February 2, 1918, page 714, saying the theatre “will have a new organ, a real one this time, with lots of reeds and everything that a first-class organ should have. It is a Robert-Morton instrument and is being built and installed by the American Foto-Player Company.”
May 12, 2016 article in the Augusta Chronicle reports a $50,000 grant for restoration purposes. http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2016-05-12/miller-theater-project-receives-50000-grant#
The Cody had Wurlitzer pipe organ, opus 834, style D, II/6. The most common of all the Wurlitzer organs. The “D” and its variants were their most popular model. #834 was shipped to the Cody on May 27, 1924. This version of the “D” was a single chamber model, as opposed to the “stereo” installations where parts of the organ flanked both sides of the proscenium. Its fate unknown, but likely destroyed.
As of 2016 the building still stands, apparently converted into apartments.
The Madison had a Wurlitzer pipe organ, their opus 1470, II/7 style E-X, meaning there were chambers on either side of the screen for the pipes and effects. The organ, of course, is long gone, reportedly destroyed.
Some scraps of information:
The records from the Kilgen Pipe Organ company show in 1928 they sold a small organ to the Wade Theatre in Morehead City NC for $3,155. It included a double roll player so a trained musician wouldn’t necessarily need to be on staff. The Kilgen records do not give an address and sometimes, the name of the theatre is incorrectly given. Sometimes the theatre owner’s name is used.
A look at the Sanborn Map for Morehead City from 1913 shows a theatre on Arendell Street right across from the train station. It is between 7th and 8th streets, but the addresses given are suspiciously inconsistent. On the same block, but facing the other direction is a business owned by B.D.Wade and Sons.
Could the Palace / City / Morehead theatre have been owned by the Wade family at one point? Or possible have been named Wade? Or was this another theatre entirely?
Looking at the pipe organ records from M.P. Moller it would appear that Claude Robinson bought 2 organs from them in 1915. One was listed for the Grand and one for the Orpheum. The one installed here had 9 ranks of pipes. The Orpheum’s came a little later that year and was slightly smaller at 8 ranks, but Mr. Robinson only saved $50 on the Orpheum’s.
In 1915 the Orpheum got a 2-manual, 8-rank, pipe organ built by M.P. Moller, their opus number 1954, for $3,250. That suggests the possibility that movies were not on the bill when the theatre opened. Orpheum was originally a vaudeville company of course. Or possibly this was an upgrade from a smaller instrument. Who’s to say at this point?
The paper trail for the Hook and Hastings pipe organ which was removed from this theatre in the 1960’s implies that the theatre was originally named “Gordon’s Olympia.” The organ had been installed circa 1923.
M P Moller pipe organ records indicate they sold an organ, their opus 1855, to the Colonial Theatre in 1915. That suggests an earlier opening date for this theatre or that there was an earlier theatre of the same name.
Apparently the Barton organ was sold to the Emmanuel Evangelical United Brethren Church, in Appleton, and though rebuilt and moved, remains there and in use.
Moving Picture World March 11, 1922 page 216
“Appleton, Wis. Theatre Installs Barton Organ”
“F.W. Fisher who owns a string of theatres comprising the cites of LaSalle, Ill., Kewanee, Ill., and Madison, Wis., recently purchased the Grand Opera House building in Appleton, Wis. Dan Barton of Bartola Musical Instruments Co. has personally laid out an organ installation for him which promises to be one of the finest in the state. A large model Barton organ will be installed in the proscenium. The instrument will have a special instrumentation which will provide all orchestral effects.Mr. Fisher’s entire circuit of theatres is equipped with Barton Musical Instruments.”
The hyperbole is charming as the Barton organ installed here was 2 manuals, 9 ranks, very much a comfortable, modest organ as theatre organs went. And as with most theatre organs, it apparently went as soon as talkies came along.
Snow White with Marguerite Clark in the title role opened nationally on December 25, 1916. It would have gotten to Knoxville later that winter. Note the people in the photo are in winter attire.
Tim, Replying to your post on July 31 2010. Notice on the link, the film at the Riviera is “The Bedroom Window” which IMDB lists as opened in June 1924 starring May McAvoy and Malcolm McGregor. Showing at the Queen is the 1923 western “The Fighting Strain” staring Neal Hart, written by Neal Hart, directed by Neal Hart, titles by Neal Hart, executive producer was (3 guesses!) Neal Hart.
At the 1921 opening there was a II/10 Moller pipe organ to accompany the silent pictures. While Loews was spending a lot of money on new buildings just after World War I, they skimped on their organs, buying Mollers instead of the more expensive makes. In larger markets many of Loew’s Mollers were replaced after just a few years. Here in Athens it seems the Moller survived to the sound era, at which point Loews fired all their organists and left to the organs to the mice. There is no record of what became of this one but it would not be unusual if it went to the landfill.
The restored lobby looks excellent! My memory of that space (1960s and ‘70s) was that there was always a row of stanchions and velvet ropes down the middle to separate entering and exiting customers with the terrazzo pattern indicating the direction of travel.
From Motion Picture World, August 7, 1915: “Ben Johnson, the new manager at the Gilbert Theatre at Beatrice, has purchased a new pipe organ. He has closed his Lyric theatre in Beatrice in order to devote all his time to the new acquisition.”
From Motion Picture World, August 7, 1915: “Ben Johnson, the new manager at the Gilbert Theatre at Beatrice, has purchased a new pipe organ. He has closed his Lyric theatre in Beatrice in order to devote all his time to the new acquisition.” If he was investing in an organ it suggests he had begun or was about to begin showing films.
Motion Picture World, June 7 1919, page 1515
INDIANAPOLIS' OHIO WILL COST $75,000
The New House Will Seat 1,300 Patrons and Is Expected To Be Completed in Ninety Days
PLANS for a handsome new motion picture theatre, to be erected at 42 and 44 “West Ohio street, Indianapolis, have been announced this week by David A. Coulter, secretary-treasurer of the Ohio Building Company, of Indianapolis. The new structure, which Mr. Coulter estimates will cost in the neighborhood of $75,000, will be known as the Ohio. John R. Welch Is President. The Ohio Building Company, recently organized, has been incorporated under the laws of Indiana with a capital stock of $100,000. The officers of the company are John R. "Welch, of Indianapolis, president; Frank J. Rembusch, of Shelbyville, Ind., vice-president, and David A. Coulter, secretary and treasurer. The company has just obtained a forty-nine year lease on the buildings now standing on the proposed site.
The theatre will have a frontage of 44 feet 3 Inches and will have a depth of 202 feet 6 inches. It will be constructed of reinforced concrete and steel and under the terms of the contract is to be completed in ninety days. It will seat between 1,200 and 1,300 people, 800 of whom can be accommodated in the orchestra. Lobby Will Be Distinctive Feature. The distinctive feature of the theatre will be a large lobby which is to have a depth from the theatre entrance to the auditorium of forty-three feet, and is to be thirty feet wide. The purpose in providing this much room is to overcome congestion. The plans for the first floor reveal an attractively decorated interior. There will be one center aisle with seats flanking on each side, and a mezzanine floor with lounge and ladies' rest rooms. The mezzanine floor will have an opening that will afford a view of the main auditorium. Stairs will lead to a third floor, which will be used as a balcony. Rembusch Prominent in Management. The interior of the theatre will be finished in large, plain panel walls with marble tile wainscotings and two decorative boxes will be built on each side of the stage. These boxes, when not used for seating purposes, can be used for the staging of small vaudeville entertainments. Frank Rembusch, vice president of the Ohio Company, is one of Indiana’s leading picture showmen. He has gained a national reputation for enterprise.
Motion Picture World, June 21, 1919, page 1808
A. J. KAVANAGH IS ONE GRAND HUSTLER / Dakota Man Takes Over a Minneapolis Theatre While His New Grand Forks House Is Building
A J. KAVANAGH, exhibitor of Grand Forks and Jamestown, N. D., has taken over the lease of the Southern Theatre, at Seven Corners, in Minneapolis, and will begin the operation of this house July 1. Mr. Kavanagh plans to renovate the theatre and place it in first class condition. He stopped over in Minneapolis recently while en route to North Dakota from Chicago, where he purchased a new $8,000 pipe organ for the new picture house he is building at Grand Forks to replace his old Grand Theatre, which was burned to the ground. Construction of the new theatre is now under way at Grand Forks, and it is to be completed by October 1. The house, which will cost at least $80,000, will have a fifty-five foot front and a depth of one hundred and twenty-five feet. It will be a fireproof, concrete, brick and tile structure, larger than concrete, brick and tile structure, larger than any present picture theatre in the state.
Motion Picture World, June 21, 1919, page 1808
A. J. KAVANAGH IS ONE GRAND HUSTLER / Dakota Man Takes Over a Minneapolis Theatre While His New Grand Forks House Is Building
A J. KAVANAGH, exhibitor of Grand Forks and Jamestown, N. D., has taken over the lease of the Southern Theatre, at Seven Corners, in Minneapolis, and will begin the operation of this house July 1. Mr. Kavanagh plans to renovate the theatre and place it in first class condition. He stopped over in Minneapolis recently while en route to North Dakota from Chicago, where he purchased a new $8,000 pipe organ for the new picture house he is building at Grand Forks to replace his old Grand Theatre, which was burned to the ground. Construction of the new theatre is now under way at Grand Forks, and it is to be completed by October 1. The house, which will cost at least $80,000, will have a fifty-five foot front and a depth of one hundred and twenty-five feet. It will be a fireproof, concrete, brick and tile structure, larger than any present picture theatre in the state.
Motion Picture World, February 2, 1918 page 705 has several paragraphs about the new Majestic, which pushes the construction date back to about 1917. It mentions the white terracotta facade (consistent with the photo above) and lists the seating capacity as 1100 upholstered seats on the main floor and 950 wicker seats in the loges, though, confusingly, it says “there is no balcony.” The owner is listed as J.F. Higgins. The organ is listed as a Barkoff, a company utterly not associated with theatre organs.
Motion Picture World, January 26, 1918, page 556 has several paragraphs describing upcoming, extensive renovations planned for the Palms Theatre 136-138 N Illinois Street.
“Edward G. Sourbier…owner of the Palms, has announced that the new arrangement will increase the seating capacity from 300 to 650…” It describes how the wall behind the screen will be taken down and the building extended by 40 feet.
The article goes on to mention that a new Wurlitzer organ will be installed, but the Wurlitzer lists do not show that they sold an organ in Indianpolis until 1922 and that was for the Circle Theatre.
The People’s Theatre, Portland Oregan is mentioned in Motion Picture World, February 2, 1918, page 714, saying the theatre “will have a new organ, a real one this time, with lots of reeds and everything that a first-class organ should have. It is a Robert-Morton instrument and is being built and installed by the American Foto-Player Company.”
Duplicate entry. See the I.D. 341
Reportedly got a new Kimball pipe organ in 1922 and the name is listed as the “New Plaza Theatre”– which suggests the hall had a facelift that year.
May 12, 2016 article in the Augusta Chronicle reports a $50,000 grant for restoration purposes. http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2016-05-12/miller-theater-project-receives-50000-grant#
The Cody had Wurlitzer pipe organ, opus 834, style D, II/6. The most common of all the Wurlitzer organs. The “D” and its variants were their most popular model. #834 was shipped to the Cody on May 27, 1924. This version of the “D” was a single chamber model, as opposed to the “stereo” installations where parts of the organ flanked both sides of the proscenium. Its fate unknown, but likely destroyed.
As of 2016 the building still stands, apparently converted into apartments.
The Madison had a Wurlitzer pipe organ, their opus 1470, II/7 style E-X, meaning there were chambers on either side of the screen for the pipes and effects. The organ, of course, is long gone, reportedly destroyed.
Some scraps of information: The records from the Kilgen Pipe Organ company show in 1928 they sold a small organ to the Wade Theatre in Morehead City NC for $3,155. It included a double roll player so a trained musician wouldn’t necessarily need to be on staff. The Kilgen records do not give an address and sometimes, the name of the theatre is incorrectly given. Sometimes the theatre owner’s name is used.
A look at the Sanborn Map for Morehead City from 1913 shows a theatre on Arendell Street right across from the train station. It is between 7th and 8th streets, but the addresses given are suspiciously inconsistent. On the same block, but facing the other direction is a business owned by B.D.Wade and Sons.
Could the Palace / City / Morehead theatre have been owned by the Wade family at one point? Or possible have been named Wade? Or was this another theatre entirely?
Looking at the pipe organ records from M.P. Moller it would appear that Claude Robinson bought 2 organs from them in 1915. One was listed for the Grand and one for the Orpheum. The one installed here had 9 ranks of pipes. The Orpheum’s came a little later that year and was slightly smaller at 8 ranks, but Mr. Robinson only saved $50 on the Orpheum’s.
In 1915 the Orpheum got a 2-manual, 8-rank, pipe organ built by M.P. Moller, their opus number 1954, for $3,250. That suggests the possibility that movies were not on the bill when the theatre opened. Orpheum was originally a vaudeville company of course. Or possibly this was an upgrade from a smaller instrument. Who’s to say at this point?
The Loew’s Midland was equipped with a 4/20 Robert Morton pipe organ, sadly long since lost.
The paper trail for the Hook and Hastings pipe organ which was removed from this theatre in the 1960’s implies that the theatre was originally named “Gordon’s Olympia.” The organ had been installed circa 1923.
M P Moller pipe organ records indicate they sold an organ, their opus 1855, to the Colonial Theatre in 1915. That suggests an earlier opening date for this theatre or that there was an earlier theatre of the same name.