Click on images to enlarge RKO Albee Theatre 1 Dekalb Avenue Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201 The RKO Albee Theatre, located on Dekalb Avenue in downtown Brooklyn, opened on January 25, 1925. It was named for Edward F. Albee (1857-1930), who became partners with Franklin Keith (1867-1914) in the late 1880s to promote "polite" vaudeville. Albee and Keith remodeled several theaters on the east coast and began producing a brand of "high class" vaudeville. Keith was the financial head of the circuit, while Albee was the general manager and owner of several theaters. Designed by Thomas Lamb in the Beaux-Arts style, the Albee had crystal chandeliers in the lobby and paintings from Albee's private collection. It also contained a 40 x 70 foot Czech Maffersdorf carpet billed as the world's largest rug. As the RKO Albee, it showed exclusive first-run films for all of Brooklyn, getting the movies direct from their Broadway premiere engagements. However, due to the product "split" between three other downtown Brooklyn palaces—the Fox, Metropolitan, and Paramount—the Albee played mainly 20th Century-Fox and RKO releases. The last motion picture to play the RKO Albee was "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," the film adaptation of the play by Edward Albee, who happened to be the adopted grandson of E. F. Albee, the vaudeville magnate who built the theatre. The RKO Albee Theatre closed in September 1978 and demolished in November 1978 to make way for the Albee Square Mall (which itself was demolished in the Summer of 2008).
Neal Kissel with RKO Albee console shortly after its removal in 1968 Wurlitzer Organ Company North Tonawanda, N.Y. – Opus 870 (1924) Electro-pneumatic action Style 260 Special 3 manuals, 16 ranks, 7 tuned percussions, 14 traps The organ in the RKO Albee Theatre was built by the Wurlitzer Organ Company and had a factory date of August 5, 1924. Wurlitzer's Style 260 was enlarged to include a one-rank Echo Division with a 61-note Vox Humana stop. Two chambers at the front of the theater housed the main organ, while the Echo chamber was probably in the rear ceiling. A 10 H.P. blower supplied 15" of wind to the entire organ. Albee organist Arlo Hults recalled that the organ was not adequate in the theatre until it was amplified with mics hung in front of the grills. In 1968, the organ was donated to the City of San Gabriel, Calif., where it was installed in the Civic Auditorium (now known as the Mission Playhouse). The organ was subsequently rebuilt and enhanced over the years, and is extant.             Pedal – 32 notes 32   Diaphone     Bass Drum 16   Ophicleide     Kettle Drum 16   Diaphone   Snare Drum 16   Tibia Clausa   Crash Cymbal 16   Bourdon   Cymbal 8   Tuba Horn 8   Great to Pedal 8   Octave 8   Solo to Pedal 8   Tibia Clausa     8   Clarinet   Pedal 2nd Touch 8   Saxophone 32   Diaphone 8   String   Pedal Pizzicato Touch 8   Cello 16   Ophicleide 8   Flute     4   Flute   1st Touch & 2nd Touch Traps Switch 16   Piano   3 Adj. Combination Toe Pistons         Accompaniment (Manual I) –- 61 notes 16   Contra Viol (TC)   Mandolin 16   Bourdon   Marimba (re-it) 16   Vox Humana (TC)     Harp 8   Tuba Horn   Chrysoglott 8   Diaphonic Diapason   Snare Drum 8   Tibia Clausa   Tambourine 8   Clarinet   Castanets 8   Saxophone     Chinese Block 8   String   Tom Tom 8   Viol d'Orchestre   Sand Block 8   Viol Celeste 4   Octave 8   Oboe Horn 8   Solo to Accomp. 8   Quintadena     8   Flute   Accompaniment 2nd Touch 8   Vox Humana (Main) 8   Tuba Horn 4   Viol 8   Tibia Clausa 4   Octave Celeste     Cathedral Chimes 4   Flute   Sleigh Bells 2 2/3   Twelfth   Xylophone 2   Piccolo   Triangle 16   Piano 8   Solo to Accomp. –2nd Touch 8   Piano 8   Solo to Accomp. –Pizzicato 4   Piano               10 Double Touch Adj. Comb. Pistons         Automatic Suitable Bass           Great (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Ophicleide 16   Piano 16   Diaphone 8   Piano 16   Tibia Clausa 4   Piano 16   Clarinet (TC)   Marimba (re-it) 16   Saxophone (TC)   Harp 16   Contra Viol (TC)   Orchestral Bells 16   Bourdon   Sleigh Bells 8   Trumpet   Xylophone 8   Tuba Horn   Glockenspiel 8   Diaphonic Diapason   Chrysoglott 8   Tibia Clausa     Cathedral Chimes 8   Orchestral Oboe 16   Sub Octave 8   Kinura 8   Octave 8   Clarinet 8   Solo to Great 8   Saxophone     8   String   Great 2nd Touch 8   Viol d'Orchestre 16   Ophicleide 8   Viol Celeste 8   Tibia Clausa 8   Flute 8   Solo to Great –2nd Touch 8   Vox Humana (Main) 8   Solo to Great –Pizzicato Touch 4   Clarion       4   Piccolo   Echo 4   Viol 16   Vox Humana (TC) (Echo) 4   Viol Celeste 8   Vox Humana (Echo) 4   Flute 4   Vox Humana (Echo) 2 2/3   Flute       2   Fifteenth     10 Double Touch Adj. Comb. Pistons 2   Piccolo     Automatic Suitable Bass 1 3/5   Flute                   Solo (Manual III) – 61 notes 16   Ophicleide 8   Quintadena 8   Trumpet 4   Clarion 8   Tuba Horn 4   Piccolo 8   Diaphonic Diapason   Xylophone 8   Tibia Clausa   Glockenspiel 8   Orchestral Oboe   Orchestral Bells 8   Kinura   Cathedral Chimes 8   Clarinet     8   Saxophone     10 Double Touch Adj. Comb. Pistons 8   String   Automatic Suitable Bass 8   Oboe Horn                 Tremulants (6)     Main     Vox Humana     Solo     Tuba     Tibia     Echo Vox         General     Balanced Expression Pedal – Echo     Balanced Expression Pedal – Main     Balanced Expression Pedal – Solo     Balanced Expression Pedal – Master     Crescendo Pedal     Thunder Pedal (Diaphone) – Piano Pedal     Thunder Pedal (Reed) – Piano Pedal     One Double Touch Sforzando Pedal – Piano Pedal      • 1st Touch: Full stops (wind)      • 2nd Touch: Full stops and Percussion     One Double Touch Sforzando Pedal – Piano Pedal      • 1st Touch: Snare Drum      • 2nd Touch: Bass Drum and Cymbal             Effects (operated by toe pistons)     Auto Horn     FIre Gong     Steamboat Whistle     Horse Hoofs     Two Birds (one in each expression box)                 STOP & CHAMBER ANALYSIS       Main Chamber 16   Tuba Horn 85 pipes 32   Diaphonic Diapason 97 pipes 8   Clarinet 61 pipes 8   Viol d'Orchestre 85 pipes 8   Viol Celeste 73 pipes 8   Concert Flute 97 pipes 8   Vox Humana 61 pipes   Chrysoglott 49 notes     Echo Chamber 8   Vox Humana 61 pipes     Solo Chamber 8   Trumpet 61 pipes 16   Tibia Clausa 85 pipes 8   Orchestral Oboe 61 pipes 8   Kinura 61 pipes 8   Saxophone 61 pipes 8   String 61 pipes 8   Oboe Horn 61 pipes 8   Quintadena 61 pipes   Harp / Marimba 49 notes   Cathedral Chimes 25 notes   Xylophone 37 notes   Glockenspiel 37 notes   Sleigh Bells 25 notes   All non-tonal traps & effects
Sources:      Cinema Treasures website: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1302      Junchen, David L., comp. and ed. by Jeff Weiler. The WurliTzer Pipe Organ – An Illustrated History. Chicago: The American Theatre Organ Society, 2005.      Kaufmann, Preston J. Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. 3. Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1995.      Linton, Donn. Electronic correspondence (Nov. 5, 2009) about Wurlitzer Organ, Op. 870 (1924) as moved to San Gabriel (Calif.) Mission Playhouse.      "On this day in history," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb. 25, 2009. Illustrations:      AJWB Collection. Postcard (undated) of exterior; interior; Grand Foyer.      Junchen, David L., comp. and ed. by Jeff Weiler. The WurliTzer Pipe Organ – An Illustrated History. Console of Wurlitzer Organ, Op. 870 (1924) shortly after its removal from the RKO Albee Theatre.
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