The organ in the Warner was a small, old Wurlitzer 2-manual. What was left of it was salvaged many yaers ago by the Pittsburgh Area Theatre Organ Society. Several years back we purchased all leftover parts of it from them. It’s been out of the building for quite a long time.
Wow! I will indeed e-mail you, as I would stand upside-down to see pics of this theatre in its glory (or any other photos, for that matter). Thanks so much!
We stopped in the Granada back in the early ‘70s right when it was being converted for indoor shopping use. The auditorium was still basically intact, and they were tearing down the draperies over the organ chambers. I remember going into the balcony and looking over the entire room, which still looked magical with its atmospheric ceiling and general theatre appointments still intact. The floor had been levelled with concrete and much more was to come. I stopped by again recently and walked in. While most everything in sight is covered up, the ornate lobby ceiling is still there and I’m told that the upper audotorium and balcony survive above the drop ceiling. The facade still retains a Spanish look, although greatly simplified, and the whole place still smells like a '20s movie palace! The organ was a 3-manual Morton which supposedly went to Geneva College years ago. I wonder if it still exists somewhere……. The Granada was very much a sister to the late Oriental in Rochester, PA, both theatres beautifully done by Michael DeAngelis.
RE the Fox Wurlitzer: it was neither a “Crawford” nor “Fox” Special. The factory designated these instruments only as “Special”. The Style would not have been named “Fox”, as the first one was designed for Paramount, and Crawford himself publicly stated that the only organ he designed was the Publix #1. Additionally, I believe it is accurate to state that the Brooklyn instrument was of 37 ranks, one additional Celeste being added and, therefore, the largest. The organ was broken up for parts (I know the people who took it out) and the only portion in the residence in Washington is the console (there could be a few stray parts). The rest is scattered about the country.
The 36 and 37-rank organs in the Paramount (the first of the instruments) and 4 later Fox theatres were designated by the factory only as “Specials”. They were not officially Fox Specials, although that name has passed into generic use, and the misnomer “Crawford Special” has always been totally without basis and incorrect. The professionals in the business know the only actual Crawford-specified organ to have been the Publix #1 of 20 ranks. Accurate history would thank us all to not use the designation “Crawford Special” incorrectly.
The Ceramic was located on East 4th Street in East Liverpool and was considered that city’s finest playhouse. It was opened on Monday, November 21, 1904, under the management of Edward Moore and went down in November of 1961 for a parking garage that never materialized. There seem to be few photos of the interior, but there are several good ones of the facade and vertical, both daytime and at night. The theatre opened with DeWolfe Hopper reciting “Casey at the Bat” and went onward through vaudeville, operetta, and silent, then sound films. At one time there was an early Bartola pit organ installed. The stage was rumored to have been, along with the acoustics, the finest between New York and Chicago. There was quite a kick when demolition was announced, but the time was not yet ripe for the saving of buildings like the Ceramic. People still talk about the loss to this day, however.
The Oriental was located on Hind Street in Rochester and was designed by Michael DeAngelus, the same architect who did the Granada in Beaver Falls, PA. He was still living until a few years ago, at least. The theatre was built circa 1930 and closed about 1973; I was at the auction where everything in the place was sold off including urns atop the facade, marquee pieces, plasterwork, and even the asbestos (to a nice lady who planned to make drapes for her living room!!!). It was a fabulous oriental atmospheric in not-too-bad condition, and was lighted up as best it could be for us that day. It put on quite a show in spite of having sustained some significant water damage. The Graule photo studios right down the street still have at least two beautiful auditorium photos from early days, and the theatre was quite incredible; not awkward or clunky, but very, very well developed. It still had that “smoky” feel to it at the end. It definitely sat at least 1200, and I remember that it had fairly extensive lobby areas, as well. When it was finally torn down around three years ago, they uncovered much of the destroyed plaster work still under the false floor that was erected for the building’s disco period. Numerous pieces and parts of the theatre are still in private hands around the area and I have a couple of bricks from the stagehouse. It was a real beauty and was a terrible shame to be lost as it was. The 6-rank Morton organ, which was played almost to the end, is now in Bellefontaine, Ohio.
The organ in the Warner was a small, old Wurlitzer 2-manual. What was left of it was salvaged many yaers ago by the Pittsburgh Area Theatre Organ Society. Several years back we purchased all leftover parts of it from them. It’s been out of the building for quite a long time.
Wow! I will indeed e-mail you, as I would stand upside-down to see pics of this theatre in its glory (or any other photos, for that matter). Thanks so much!
We stopped in the Granada back in the early ‘70s right when it was being converted for indoor shopping use. The auditorium was still basically intact, and they were tearing down the draperies over the organ chambers. I remember going into the balcony and looking over the entire room, which still looked magical with its atmospheric ceiling and general theatre appointments still intact. The floor had been levelled with concrete and much more was to come. I stopped by again recently and walked in. While most everything in sight is covered up, the ornate lobby ceiling is still there and I’m told that the upper audotorium and balcony survive above the drop ceiling. The facade still retains a Spanish look, although greatly simplified, and the whole place still smells like a '20s movie palace! The organ was a 3-manual Morton which supposedly went to Geneva College years ago. I wonder if it still exists somewhere……. The Granada was very much a sister to the late Oriental in Rochester, PA, both theatres beautifully done by Michael DeAngelis.
RE the Fox Wurlitzer: it was neither a “Crawford” nor “Fox” Special. The factory designated these instruments only as “Special”. The Style would not have been named “Fox”, as the first one was designed for Paramount, and Crawford himself publicly stated that the only organ he designed was the Publix #1. Additionally, I believe it is accurate to state that the Brooklyn instrument was of 37 ranks, one additional Celeste being added and, therefore, the largest. The organ was broken up for parts (I know the people who took it out) and the only portion in the residence in Washington is the console (there could be a few stray parts). The rest is scattered about the country.
Just a quick correction: the Regal organ was not a Wurlitzer, but a 3-manual Barton that was reputed to have been very large-scaled, loud, and jazzy.
The 36 and 37-rank organs in the Paramount (the first of the instruments) and 4 later Fox theatres were designated by the factory only as “Specials”. They were not officially Fox Specials, although that name has passed into generic use, and the misnomer “Crawford Special” has always been totally without basis and incorrect. The professionals in the business know the only actual Crawford-specified organ to have been the Publix #1 of 20 ranks. Accurate history would thank us all to not use the designation “Crawford Special” incorrectly.
The Ceramic was located on East 4th Street in East Liverpool and was considered that city’s finest playhouse. It was opened on Monday, November 21, 1904, under the management of Edward Moore and went down in November of 1961 for a parking garage that never materialized. There seem to be few photos of the interior, but there are several good ones of the facade and vertical, both daytime and at night. The theatre opened with DeWolfe Hopper reciting “Casey at the Bat” and went onward through vaudeville, operetta, and silent, then sound films. At one time there was an early Bartola pit organ installed. The stage was rumored to have been, along with the acoustics, the finest between New York and Chicago. There was quite a kick when demolition was announced, but the time was not yet ripe for the saving of buildings like the Ceramic. People still talk about the loss to this day, however.
The Oriental was located on Hind Street in Rochester and was designed by Michael DeAngelus, the same architect who did the Granada in Beaver Falls, PA. He was still living until a few years ago, at least. The theatre was built circa 1930 and closed about 1973; I was at the auction where everything in the place was sold off including urns atop the facade, marquee pieces, plasterwork, and even the asbestos (to a nice lady who planned to make drapes for her living room!!!). It was a fabulous oriental atmospheric in not-too-bad condition, and was lighted up as best it could be for us that day. It put on quite a show in spite of having sustained some significant water damage. The Graule photo studios right down the street still have at least two beautiful auditorium photos from early days, and the theatre was quite incredible; not awkward or clunky, but very, very well developed. It still had that “smoky” feel to it at the end. It definitely sat at least 1200, and I remember that it had fairly extensive lobby areas, as well. When it was finally torn down around three years ago, they uncovered much of the destroyed plaster work still under the false floor that was erected for the building’s disco period. Numerous pieces and parts of the theatre are still in private hands around the area and I have a couple of bricks from the stagehouse. It was a real beauty and was a terrible shame to be lost as it was. The 6-rank Morton organ, which was played almost to the end, is now in Bellefontaine, Ohio.