1, Seeburg-Smith: installed in April 1921. No info about why the instrument was replaced or its disposition, but it was being torn out as the new Wurlitzer was installed.
2, Wurlitzer Opus 893, installed September 1924. In 1928 Fourth Avenue Amusement of Louisville bought out Luna Amusement and changed the Mars to a 100% Talkies house; announced that some units from Opus 893 would be installed at the Luna, which also sported a Wurlitzer. (I can’t confirm whether this part-out scheme actually happened or not.) In 1960 Al Mason, a former president of ATOS, purchased Opus 893 and installed it in his home. It was later sold to the Palace Theatre, Marion, OH, and is still there.
3: In the mid-1970s Fourth Avenue Amusement gifted the Mars to the City of Lafayette. In the course of rehabbing and restoring, a group advocated for bringing back an organ. The market was hot and complete instruments hard to acquire, so a composite instrument was pieced together and began playing in 1983. It had problems, though, so a search began for a more suitable instrument. We have no idea of #3’s whereabouts now.
4: Wurlitzer Opus 1824, 3 manual 260SP, originally from the United Artists Theater, Detroit, and by way of a pizza parlor in Michigan. Concerts commenced in the 1992-93 season. The instrument has been augmented to 21 ranks; it sounds glorious, a very good match for the auditorium’s acoustics. Current specs, photos and an audio sample are at lctos.org.
About the venue itself: it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places – https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=c30ae7ce-f28b-4dfe-aa71-b1e247b99ee9.
Greetings! I’m a member of Long Center Theatre Organ Society, a 501©3 which owns and maintains the Mighty Wurlitzer of Long Center. I recently researched Journal & Courier coverage of organs at the venue, and can fill in some info for Andrew.
1, Seeburg-Smith: installed in April 1921. No info about why the instrument was replaced or its disposition, but it was being torn out as the new Wurlitzer was installed.
2, Wurlitzer Opus 893, installed September 1924. In 1928 Fourth Avenue Amusement of Louisville bought out Luna Amusement and changed the Mars to a 100% Talkies house; announced that some units from Opus 893 would be installed at the Luna, which also sported a Wurlitzer. (I can’t confirm whether this part-out scheme actually happened or not.) In 1960 Al Mason, a former president of ATOS, purchased Opus 893 and installed it in his home. It was later sold to the Palace Theatre, Marion, OH, and is still there.
3: In the mid-1970s Fourth Avenue Amusement gifted the Mars to the City of Lafayette. In the course of rehabbing and restoring, a group advocated for bringing back an organ. The market was hot and complete instruments hard to acquire, so a composite instrument was pieced together and began playing in 1983. It had problems, though, so a search began for a more suitable instrument. We have no idea of #3’s whereabouts now.
4: Wurlitzer Opus 1824, 3 manual 260SP, originally from the United Artists Theater, Detroit, and by way of a pizza parlor in Michigan. Concerts commenced in the 1992-93 season. The instrument has been augmented to 21 ranks; it sounds glorious, a very good match for the auditorium’s acoustics. Current specs, photos and an audio sample are at lctos.org.
About the venue itself: it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places – https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=c30ae7ce-f28b-4dfe-aa71-b1e247b99ee9.
Regards,
Amy
Long Center Theatre Organ Society, Inc.