Loew's Plaza Theatre
627 Madison Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10022
Loew's Plaza Theatre was originally known as the New German
Theatre, a 991-seat venue built by a German cultural society for stage plays
and musical concerts.
Located on the east side of Madison Avenue, between 58th and 59th streets, the
New German opened
in
1908. Its
Beaux
Arts
auditorium
had
boxed
seats
at
the
rear
instead
of
their customary position flanking
the
stage. The New German Theatre was not successful,
so it was soon leased to the Shuberts, who turned it into a playhouse renamed
the
59th
Street
Plaza
Theatre. The Shuberts' venture was also unsuccessful. In November 1909,
Marcus Loew took over the lease, and began showing movies only under the name
of
Loew's
Plaza
Theatre.
After Loew's acquired the larger and more elegant
Lexington
Opera
House, it sold the Plaza’s lease to Leo Brecher. The Plaza operated
as a subsequent-run movie house until it was demolished in 1929 to make way for
an office building. Brecher then took the name Plaza for a new
and much smaller theatre that he built a block away at 42 East 58th Street. |
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Wurlitzer Style 135 |
Wurlitzer Organ Company
North Tonawanda, N.Y. – Opus 287 (1920)
Electro-pneumatic action
Style 135B (included Duplex 88-note Automatic Player)
2 manuals, 4 ranks, 4 tuned percussions, 17 traps, piano console
This organ has a Wurlitzer factory date of February 25, 1920. |
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Pedal – 32 notes
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16 |
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Bourdon |
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Pedal 2nd Touch |
16 |
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Flute |
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Bass Drum |
8 |
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Cello |
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Kettle Drum |
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Cymbal |
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| Accompaniment (Manual I) – 61 notes |
8 |
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Trumpet |
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Piano (with mandolin attachment) |
8 |
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Salicional |
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Snare Drum |
8 |
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Flute |
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Tambourine |
4 |
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Salicet |
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Castanets |
4 |
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Flute |
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Chinese Block |
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Solo (Manual II) – 61 notes
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16 |
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Bourdon |
4 |
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Salicet |
8 |
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Trumpet |
4 |
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Flute |
8 |
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Salicional |
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Cathedral Chimes |
8 |
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Flute |
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Xylophone |
8 |
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Vox Humana |
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Glockenspiel |
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General
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One Balanced Expression Pedal |
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One General Tremulant |
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One Vox Humana Tremulant |
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Effects (operated by pistons)
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| Horse Hoofs |
Siren |
Fire Gong |
| Bird |
Triangle |
Steamboat Whistle |
| Auto Horn |
Surf Effect |
Tom-Tom |
| Fire Gong (reiterating) |
Train |
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| Door Bell (push button) |
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Stop Analysis |
8 |
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Trumpet |
61 pipes |
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8 |
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Salicional |
73 pipes |
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16 |
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Flute |
85 pipes |
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8 |
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Vox Humana |
61 pipes |
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Piano |
88 notes |
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Cathedral Chimes |
18 notes |
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Xylophone |
30 notes |
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Glockenspiel |
30 notes |
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Sources:
Cinema Treasures website: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6732
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.
Illustration:
Kaufmann, Preston J. Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. 3. Wurlitzer Style 135 console. |
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