THE THEATRE PIPE ORGAN had it’s beginnings in the early 1900’s, when an English engineer named Robert Hope-Jones radically departed from the accepted methods of organ building in pursuit of an instrument that could do all that an orchestra could. These “orchestral organs” or “unit orchestras” caught on quickly, finding their niche in the movie theatre’s of the 1920’s.

MOVIE THEATRES installed these organs as an alternative or augmentation to the expensive orchestras which had provided solo music as well as accompaniment to silent films.

THE ORGAN PIPER WURLITZER was assembled from several vintage theatre pipe organs across the country.  The basic mechanical parts (including the windchests, regulators and tremulants/vibratos) were all built by the Wurlitzer Company in North Tonawanda , NY .  Three smaller Wurlitzer organs were incorporated into this chestwork – a 2-manual (or "keyboard") 6-rank organ (or "sets of pipes), a 3-manual  9-rank  organ and a 3 manual 12 rank organ. This completes 27 ranks on 5 chests plus an independent 3-rank Mixture as found in church organs totaling the entire organ at 30 ranks.

THE PIPEWORK which is the “heart or sound” of an organ, and what actually creates the sounds that you hear, was built by the Wurlitzer firm, and also the Kimball Co. of Chicago.  Organ Piper Pizza was fortunate in obtaining the nucleus of the famed Kimball Hall recital organ pipework.  Kimball was especially known for the quality string and reed pipes that they built, and when our organists perform music in the classical vein, the basic ensemble heard is that of the Kimball Hall organ.  The THEATRE ORGAN sound is comprised from the Wurlitzer pipework, and this builder was unsurpassed in the sobbing Tibias and Vox Humanas they voiced, as well as the reeds that were built and voiced with great precision and quality.

THE CURRENT CONSOLE was built by the Wurlitzer firm for the Seneca Theatre in Buffalo , NY. Opus # 2085 12/05/29. This console later was installed in Milwaukee ’s Avalon Theatre.  Originally being the last Wurlitzer "Style 260" console ever built, it was enlarged, and now reunified to play the Mighty Wurlitzer at Organ Piper Pizza...!

THE ORGAN PIPER ORGAN has 30 ranks or sets of pipes displayed behind the glass windows.  Percussion instruments and traps are mounted throughout the dining room.  Wind is generated by a 10 horsepower turbine blower, and then is distributed through out large bellows (regulators), which may be seen at the bottom of the windows.  

An analysis of the pipe chambers and the instruments around the dining room is shown below.