Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info

Spring Fundraising Drive In Progress. Please visit our home page to see this and other announcements: https://www.mmdigest.com     Thank you. --Jody

MMD > Archives > January 1999 > 1999.01.04 > 10Prev  Next


Chicago Paradise Theatre Wurlitzer Organ
By Robert Ridgeway

In response to the inquiry from Mike Walter about the Chicago
Paradise Theatre Wurlitzer:  It was removed around 1948 and was taken
to the Los Angeles area and installed in the home of HiFi Records
executive Richard Vaughn.

The Paradise was one of three original 5 manual organs built by
Wurlitzer.  The Paradise and Marbro Theatres (in the same Chicago
neighborhood) each had 21 ranks and the largest, at 28 ranks, was
installed in the Michigan Theatre in Detroit.

The Paradise had one of the most ornate and elaborate consoles that
Wurlitzer ever built, but this apparently did not appeal to Richard
Vaughn, who had the console completely stripped and covered in a
"moderne" mahogany (like Radio City Music Hall).

In the early 1960's the former Paradise organ was sold to William P.
Brown and moved to Phoenix, where it still resides in his expansive
home.  Bill added to the original 21 ranks and later added a digital
playback system.  Lyn Larsen, among others, has recorded an album on
it in its present home.  It is, without doubt, one of the finest
installations in the country.

As a side note, the late David Junchen always felt that the Paradise
console was so stunning that it should be replicated, and when he
designed the instrument for Jasper Sanfilippo in Barrington IL, he had
it duplicated, only to a larger scale to accommodate the organ being
nearly 4 times larger.  At 5 manuals and 80 ranks it is the largest
theatre organ ever built.

Robert Ridgeway


(Message sent Mon 4 Jan 1999, 13:57:37 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.)

Key Words in Subject:  Chicago, Organ, Paradise, Theatre, Wurlitzer

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page