Pipe Organ Database

Wurlitzer Style 150
Factory date: January 28, 1930

This organ was originally built for the Lawler Theatre in Greenfield, Mass., and shipped from the factory on January 28, 1930. When the Lawler closed, the organ was moved to the Rainbow Roller Rink in South Deerfield, Mass., where it was rarely used. The owners of the rink sold it to Ben M. Hall, who installed the organ in his duplex apartment at 181 Christopher Street. Hall was an editor for Time-Life, film critic, a noted theater historian, founder of the Theatre Historical Society, and in 1961 wrote The Best Remaining Seats, a fascinating account of the movie palace. Tragically, Hall was murdered in his home in 1970. His estate gave the organ to the American Theatre Organ Society, who had it shipped to California for installation in the proposed Harold Lloyd Estate museum. Plans for the museum fell through and the organ was shipped back to New York City where the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS) installed it in the Carnegie Hall Cinema. Opus 2095 played in the Carnegie Hall Cinema for over ten years until the restoration of Carnegie Hall. During restoration, the Carnegie Hall Cinema was twinned, and the organ was put in storage. Dave Kopp, then chairman of NYTOS, arranged for the organ to be installed in the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, N.Y., where it made its debut in December 1992. Opus 2095 has been enlarged to 11 ranks and is maintained by the NYTOS.