THE MIGHTY WURLITZER THEATRE PIPE ORGAN
A Piece of History Restored, and Maintained
The Middletown Paramount’s Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ is owned and maintained by the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS). Crews of volunteer NYTOS members rebuilt, installed, and maintain the instrument. The organ is on permanent loan to the Paramount through a contractual agreement with the City of Middletown, who now operates the theatre.
The Paramount’s first Mighty Wurlitzer was a 3-manual, 11-rank instrument installed when the theatre opened in 1930. That original organ remained in the building until the late 1950s, when it was removed to make room for new air conditioning equipment in the organ chambers.
A Link to the Past Reconstructed for the Future
The present instrument began its life earlier, in 1923, at the Clairidge Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey. Built by the Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, New York, it was first installed there as a 2-manual, 10-rank theatre organ. As sound films replaced silent movies in the early 1930s, the Clairidge organ was turned off and largely forgotten, like many theatre pipe organs of that era.
In 1982, the Clairidge Theatre was reconstructed as a multiplex, and its owner donated the organ to NYTOS. NYTOS then brought the instrument to the Middletown Paramount, where it was expanded to 3 manuals and 12 ranks. The Mighty Wurlitzer is a treasured link between the Paramount’s past and its continuing role as a vibrant theatrical landmark.
