JACKSON LA ORGAN RENOVATION BY ATOS GULF COAST CHAPTER

REPAIR OF HISTORIC WURLITZER ORGAN NOW UNDERWAY!
(Jackson, Louisiana)

The Republic of West Florida Historical Association and the American Theatre Organ Society are pleased to announce ongoing restoration of famous pipe organ in Jackson, Louisiana:

With the assistance of donations from the various sources, volunteer organ technicians, from the South Mississippi Gold Coast Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society are moving toward completion of restoration efforts on the grand old organ that once charmed audiences in Connecticut's Olympia Theater. This 2/10 Wurlitzer had fallen on hard times but, thanks to the efforts of the Republic of West Florida Historical Association, Mr.Leroy Harvey, and ATOS-SMGC chapter members who volunteer their weekends, the Wurlitzer is well on its way to being returned to its original glory..

Utilizing Grant monies from the State of Louisiana and the ATOS Endowment Fund, as well as private contributions, defective components, that kept the organ silent for years, are being replaced or repaired. A new Peterson solid-state relay was purchased and has been installed in 1999. The most unreliable chests have been re leathered, and broken and damaged pipes have been repaired or replaced. . In addition, much needed renovations have been made to the Organ Pavilion, including air conditioning of the facility, installation of a video projection system for presentation of silent movie series, and installation of raised theater type seating. Currently, the Republic of West Florida Historical Society is seeking additional funding to perform a complete re leathering of the instrument.

In October of 2002, enough of the organ was functioning to begin a yearly concert event. That year, and in years following, the museum and the ATOS have jointly sponsored a Halloween silent movie screening that has drawn much acclaim. Florida organist Tom Hoehn has played for these events, and regular demonstrations, throughout the year, have been provided by house organist John DeMajo and other members of the South Mississippi Gold Coast Chapter. Anyone who wishes to aid the non-profit organizations in this endeavor may contact us at the addresses furnished below.

The following photos are provided to give the viewer some idea of the scope of this instrument.


Pipe Chamber exterior view	Solo chamber interior	Chamber with chrysoglott above

Post horn, oboe and tibia ranks	Spencer turbine blower and Peterson Relay	Console View following initial renovation

View of restored Clarinet rank	Toy Counter	16' Pedal Bourdon
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IF YOUR COMPUTER IS EQUIPPED FOR SOUND, YOU ARE LISTENING TO A THEATRE ORGAN.
No other instrument can produce the dynamic range of sounds that the theatre organ produces. (Deep Purple played by John DeMajo at the ROWFHS Wurlitzer)

The following photos document some of the the recent renovation work performed by the South Mississippi Gold Coast Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society:

BLOWER MOTOR REPLACEMENT AND RESTORATION OF BLOWER

Left: Old Century 3 HP wound rotor motor, along with its modern 5 HP, 3 phase replacement. At right, Harold Henderson, working with SMGC maintenance crew, pressure washes blower housing in preparation for re-assembly of the unit.

Below, blower with new motor installed. The original 3 HP Century motor, installed before the organ reached the museum, had overheated due having been ms-applied on a blower requiring a 5 HP motor. Although it powered the organ for ten years prior to this corrective work, the instrument was plagued by low wind pressure and motor overheating and failures throughout those years of service. The new motor is a three-phase unit of adequate size for the organ, and winding problems have proven to have been corrected with this action by the museum and the chapter's maintenance crew.

REWIRING OF CONSOLE AND RESTORATION OF KEYBOARDS

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Console shown with keyboards removed. Keyboards were shipped to Arndt Organ Company for complete restoration. The organ is expected to be returned to service in late Summer of 2005.

Rear of console showing new cabling to relay and chambers. Peterson terminal boards were installed in place of the original Wurlitzer spreaders which had been damaged by attempts to solder the pressure connections prior to the time the organ was acquired by the Jackson museum.

During the Summer of 2005, the organ console was subjected to some much needed corrective action by the chapter. The original keyboards had become unplayable due to moisture problems and deterioration which began when the console was in storage prior to its acquisition by the ROWFHS Museum. After much planning and preparation, the instrument was shut down after Christmas of 2004, and the keyboards were removed and shipped to Bob Arndt (Arndt Organ Supply) for restoration. At the same time, the console wiring was addressed. The original cotton wiring was removed due to fire code concerns. All cabling was replaced with modern thermo-plastic wire. The Wurlitzer spreader boards, which had been badly damaged by overheating due to attempts to solder the connections over the years, were replaced with Peterson terminals. All re-wiring was performed on-site by members of the chapter.

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BLOWER MOTOR REPLACEMENT AND RESTORATION OF BLOWER

Left: Old Century 3 HP wound rotor motor, along with its modern 5 HP, 3 phase replacement. At right, Harold Henderson, working with SMGC maintenance crew, pressure washes blower housing in preparation for re-assembly of the unit.

Below, blower with new motor installed. The original 3 HP Century motor, installed before the organ reached the museum, had overheated due having been ms-applied on a blower requiring a 5 HP motor. Although it powered the organ for ten years prior to this corrective work, the instrument was plagued by low wind pressure and motor overheating and failures throughout those years of service. The new motor is a three-phase unit of adequate size for the organ, and winding problems have proven to have been corrected with this action by the museum and the chapter's maintenance crew.

REWIRING OF CONSOLE AND RESTORATION OF KEYBOARDS
	.
Console shown with keyboards removed. Keyboards were shipped to Arndt Organ Company for complete restoration. The organ is expected to be returned to service in late Summer of 2005.		Rear of console showing new cabling to relay and chambers. Peterson terminal boards were installed in place of the original Wurlitzer spreaders which had been damaged by attempts to solder the pressure connections prior to the time the organ was acquired by the Jackson museum.

During the Summer of 2005, the organ console was subjected to some much needed corrective action by the chapter. The original keyboards had become unplayable due to moisture problems and deterioration which began when the console was in storage prior to its acquisition by the ROWFHS Museum. After much planning and preparation, the instrument was shut down after Christmas of 2004, and the keyboards were removed and shipped to Bob Arndt (Arndt Organ Supply) for restoration. At the same time, the console wiring was addressed. The original cotton wiring was removed due to fire code concerns. All cabling was replaced with modern thermo-plastic wire. The Wurlitzer spreader boards, which had been badly damaged by overheating due to attempts to solder the connections over the years, were replaced with Peterson terminals. All re-wiring was performed on-site by members of the chapter.