United Artists Theatre

[Gistok]

Thanks for the building exterior updates folks! And thanks for the info on the United Artists organ. I cannot find any mention of a Detroit United Artists Theatre organ in all my movie palace documentation.

56packman would know the model type of the UA organ.

As for organs leaving Detroit... the Publix 1 Wurlitzer organs of the State [[Fillmore) and Capitol [[Detroit Opera House) were long ago dismembered and parts sold to theatres on the west coast. Parts of those 2 organs are now in the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, and across the bay in the Oakland Paramount.

The two organs at the Fox are still in place and well taken care of. Only 4 theatres in the world are known to have had an independent lobby organ, as well as one in the auditorium. The Detroit Fox is the only theatre remaining that has them both still "in situ". The Moller 3/21 lobby organ and massive Wurlitzer 4/36 auditorium organ [[with an additional slave console up in the balcony) are still there.

Besides the Barton Organ at the Redford, the other major theatre organ still in Detroit is the unique one of a kind 4/34 Wurlitzer organ from the old Fisher Theatre. This organ, 8th largest theatre organ ever built by Wurlitzer, is currently at the Senate Theatre. But that organ is in danger of being lost to Detroit. Attendance at the Senate [[located on Michigan Ave. in a scary part of town) has been rather sparse... and the principal organ donor [[no pun intended) has been attempting to get it moved to Ann Arbor to a UofM site [[yet to be determined).

It would be a sad situation to lose this organ from Detroit. When the Fisher Brothers had the Fisher Building/Theatre built back in 1928, they requested that the theatre organ have many of the features of a church organ... since several of the 7 Fisher brothers played the organ at their family church. So the Wurlitzer Organ Co. [[of North Tonawanda NY) built a special organ just for the Mayanesque style Fisher Theatre. The organ console still has its' colorful Mayan design [[with Mayan god cartouches) with its' bright colors. It is doubtful if any theatre organ console in the country was as colorful and exotic as the Fisher organ console. [[at the moment I cannot locate a pic of the wonderful Fisher console...)

During our August Preservation Wayne theatre tours, I had lunch with Karen DiChiera, the ex-wife [[in good standing) of MOT General Director David DiChiera, and she herself is a MOT director. I mentioned that the Detroit Opera House and the Fisher Organ would be a match made in heaven... since the massive organ grilles at the DOH were the largest in Detroit. And 56packman mentioned to me before that the [[smaller) Wurlitzer organ originally located at the Capitol Theatre [[now DOH) provided the best sound of any organ in Detroit. It seems that acoustics and organ grilles play a more important role than organ size [[LOL...). Karen DiChiera was interested... and this interest has been forwarded to one of the folks involved with Senate Theatre Fisher Organ. I'm hoping for the best.

As for the Detroit United Artists... the organ grilles there are very large as well... and I would assume that a theatre organ within the UA could likely sould very nice indeed.

Hmmmm.... I forgot about a 4th large theatre type organ still remaining in Detroit... the large Aolean Skinner [[sp?) organ at Ford Auditorium is still there.... wouldn't it make a nice addition to a restored United Artists....