Theatre Organ Society of Australia(Victorian Division) Inc
| OTHER ORGANS |
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Theatre Organ Society of Australia| OTHER ORGANS |
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Kingston City Hall, Cnr South Rd and Nepean Highway, Moorabbin - 4/21 Wurlitzer
Regent Theatre, Collins St., Melbourne - 4/36 Wurlitzer
| Kingston City Hall (Moorabbin) |
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| Style 270 4/21 Wurlitzer Opus 1987 |
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The Moorabbin organ was removed from the State Theatre in 1963, and subsequently installed in the Moorabbin Town Hall by members of this division of TOSA, for the then Moorabbin City Council (now Kingston City Council), which still owns the organ. The pipe chambers (Main, Solo and Percussion) are situated high up at the rear of the stage, but the sound from them has become a little restricted of late, by the installation of curtain valences hanging from the ceiling.
Although this organ remains a 4/21, some changes have occurred over the years. In the 1930s, the Oboe Horn from this organ was swapped with a rank of Krumet pipes from the Plaza Theatre Melbourne Style F, Opus 1730, Wurlitzer (This organ is now in Adelaide at Pulteney Grammar School (1969)). The Krumet rank remained until the 1970s, when it was replaced by a Post Horn, which had been purchased with money raised by a benefit concert.
Unusual for Wurlitzer, but common to the Style 270 (Except apparently the Trocadero, Elephant and Castle organ), was the installation of a Grand Piano, which normally is situated on stage with the organ console. The piano is electrically actuated from the organ console; however the mechanism to make the hammers strike the strings is vacuum operated, the vacuum being supplied by an on-board vacuum pump.
When originally installed, this organ had two consoles, but on removal of the organ from the State Theatre, the second console was sold to private interests, and eventually found its way via Mike Pfitzner's organ in Darwin, to Adelaide, where it became the console of TOSA South Australia's Capri Theatre Organ.
The organ was completely refurbished by members of the society, in 2004/2005, with the electro-pneumatic relay and switch stack being removed and replaced by a solid state equivalent. It was presented to the public at the Easter 2005 Convention. Tonal finishing of the flues was carried over the Christmas/New Year 2005/2006 period, and is now awaiting the tonal finishing of the reeds.
Plans are in hand to re-install the Krumet rank, along with a new Oboe Horn (which replaces the one swapped to the Plaza Theatre organ), a Solo String Celeste rank, and a Tibia rank which will be installed in the Main chamber, to complement the Tibia rank which is already installed in the Solo chamber. This will increase the number of ranks to 25.
Complete stop list of the Moorabbin 4/21 Wurlitzer as currently installed in the Kingston City Hall.
The Style 270 4/21 Wurlitzer currently installed in the Kingston City Hall, was originally installed in the State Theatre Melbourne in 1929. This organ is one of only four having the Style 270 classification. The others were the first organ to be installed in the Regent Theatre Melbourne (Style 270 4/21 Opus 2009), the State Theatre Sydney (Style 270 4/21, Opus 2005), and the Trocadero Theatre, Elephant and Castle, London (Style 270 4/21, Opus 2139). Apparently. the Australian organs where somewhat different to the Trocadero organ, (although they are all recorded as Style 270), by having a piano, a 32' diaphone (State Melbourne and State Sydney only), and an Oboe Horn (instead of the Troc's English/Post Horn) installed, amongst other minor differences.
Stop layout of the Moorabbin 4/21 Wurlitzer - Page 1
Stop layout of the Moorabbib 4/21 Wurlitzer - Page 2
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| Regent Theatre Melbourne |
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| Style 285 4/36 Wurlitzer Opus 416 |
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The first installation of the current organ was in the Granada Theatre San Francisco in 1921 as a 4/32, and at the time it was reported to be the largest theatre organ in the world. Over the years, further ranks of pipes were added, including a Robert Morton Solo Tibia in 1930, to bring the organ up to its current size of 4/36. It was removed from the theatre, which had by this time been renamed The Paramount, in 1960, and installed (as a 4/33, along with an additional 16 classical ranks) as a birthday gift for Howard Vollum (the co-founder of Tektronix) from his wife, in their residence in Portland Oregon. On installation in the Vollum's residence, the Robert Morton Solo Tibia was removed and replaced with a Wurlitzer Tibia in the Robert Morton chest. Following the death of Howard Vollum, the organ was purchased by organbuilder David Junchen, selling it later to Jasper Sanfilippo, who intended to restore the organ, and install it in a museum.
The organ was presented to the public for the first time, in a concert by Lyn Larsen and Tony Fenelon to a packed house of more than 2000 people on Easter Monday 5 April 1999. Organists at the Regent Theatre include John Giacchi, Tony Fenelon and John Atwell.
Members of this division of TOSA played a large part in the installation of the organ, and are responsible for its upkeep.
Complete stop list of the Regent Wurlitzer (from the computer definition file)
The current Style 285 4/36 Wurlitzer is the third organ to be installed in the Regent Theatre Melbourne. Its predecessors were a Style 270 4/21 Wurlitzer Opus 2009 (sister to the current Kingston City Hall (previously Moorabbin Town Hall) Style 270 4/21 Wurlitzer) which was destroyed by fire in 1945, and the ex Ambassador Theatre Perth Style 260SP 3/15 Wurlitzer Opus 1902, which was increased in size to a 4/19, by the installation of four ranks of pipes from the Lyceum Theatre Melbourne Wurlitzer, opening in 1947 in the rebuilt theatre, and remaining until 1970, when it was sold to private interests and placed into storage where it remains today.
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