Pipe Organ Database

Wurlitzer Style R16 residence organ built in 1929 for the Wurlitzer Studio in the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California. In 1955 it was moved to the Goslin residence in Flint Ridge, California, where it was never installed before Mr. Goslin fell ill and decided to sell it. At some point, quite possibly when Mr. Goslin acquired the organ, the original "straight" residence console was replaced with the 3 manual horseshoe console that was in the Wurlitzer factory showroom in North Tonowanda, New York. This console was used for recording reproducing rolls at the the showroom. In 1969, Dean McNichols bought the parts from Goslin and installed the organ (and its new horseshoe console) at his residence in Downey, California. Marilyn McNichols stripped and refinished the elaborate walnut horseshoe keydesk. Her husband added a set of untuned percussions, and a piano. In 1993, the organ was sold to Ned Miemiec, who installed it at his residence in Lakeville, Massachusetts. Ned added two more tuned percussions (glock and xylophone), 2 new ranks of pipes (Welte Trumpet, and Wurlitzer Kinura), and a toy counter. He also added offsets to the Tibia rank, extending it up to 2', and to the Tuba rank, extending it down to 16'. At some point, the Tuba was extended down to 32' with 12 pipes of an Austin Contra Bombarde; these pipes are mounted horizontally from the living room floor joists.