MMD > Archives > November 1996 > 1996.11.14 > 08Prev  Next


RE: New York State Band Organs
By Matthew Caulfield

There  is  a  Wurlitzer  153  band  organ  at  Nunley's Carousel,
Baldwin, Long Island  (now closed, owned  by  the county, pending
decisi on on where and how to operate).  There are several in New
York City: Central Park, Prospect Park, Forest Park, and Flushing
Meadows, a  big  old fellow, playing 81-key B.A.B. rolls  on  one
tracker and Wurlitzer 165  on  the other.  Bob Conant should step
in  here  and refine these  data  and  add  about Binghamton area
organs.

BTW,  the Ontario Beach  Park carousel band  organ  in Rochester,
N.Y.  (at Charlotte) is  not  an  old restored organ.   It  is  a
Stinson "Wurlitzer" 165 band organ made  by  Don Stinson ago  for
Monroe  County  Parks Department, which operates the carousel  (a
very old, nice Dentzel restored by Bill Finkenstein.  But  for  a
carousel that  will knock your  socks  off,  go  to Seabreeze and
wonder  at  their all-hand-carved new  machine replacing the  one
that  they accidentally burned down  on  March  31,  1994,  while
making roof repairs.  I  hear that Dynamic Recordings, which made
the three recordings of their late Wurlitzer 165  (and  has  more
recordings of that organ in master form but not yet released) was
out  there earlier  this  month  making recordings from  the  new
organ, which  was  made  by Verbeeck in Belgium  to Wurlitzer 165
specifications.  The  organ  has  no  facade  yet.  Seabreeze  is
commissioning a replica 165 facade this winter, if  all  goes  as
planned.  They  were  down  here taking measurements and pictures
from the Glen Echo Wurlitzer 165 last month.



(Message sent 14 Nov 1996 12:42:12 EST , from time zone -0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Band, New, Organs, State, York