Fox Kew Gardens Theatre

Queens Boulevard near Union Turnpike
Kew Gardens (Queens), NY


The Kew Gardens was built by the S & S Circuit, which was taken over by William Fox while the 1,287-seat theatre was still under construction. As the Fox Kew Gardens, it had its grand opening on September 14, 1929, with the Fox Movietone feature, "Lucky Star", plus assorted "all-talking" short subjects. Unfortunately, the neighborhood was still developing and under-populated, so the Kew Gardens was virtually dead-on-arrival when Wall Street crashed only a month later. In December, Fox closed the theatre and decided to convert it to miniature golf, which was all the rage at the time. All the seats were removed, with the ground floor used for an 18-hole "Tom Thumb" golf course. The deepening financial crisis seemed to keep players away, so Fox soon closed the premises. The Kew Gardens remained padlocked until being assigned to the Skouras circuit, which was formed to run all the former Fox theatres in Queens. Skouras, however, had no interest in re-converting the Kew Gardens into a theatre, so it sat there vacant until the late 1950s, when it was finally sold for demoliton and replacement by an office building.
           
Wurlitzer Organ Company
North Tonawanda, N.Y. – Opus 1777 (1927)
Electro-pneumatic action
Style E
2 manuals, 7 ranks
           
Pedal – 32 notes
16
  Diaphone
  Pedal 2nd Touch
16
  Bourdon
  Bass Drum
8
  Trumpet
  Kettle Drum
8
  Diaphonic Diapason
  Crash Cymbal
8
   Tibia Clausa     Cymbal
8
   Flute      
8
   Cello      

   

   
Accompaniment (Manual I) –- 61 notes
16
  Contra Viole [TC]     Harp Chrysoglott
16
  Vox Humana [TC]     Snare Drum
8
  Trumpet     Tambourine
8
  Diaphonic Diapason     Castanets
8
  Tibia Clausa     Chinese Block
8
   Violin     Tom-Tom
8
   Violin Celeste [TC]
  Sleigh Bells
8
   Concert Flute      
8
   Vox Humana     Accompaniment 2nd Touch
4
   Octave     Trumpet
4
   Piccolo     Tibia Clausa
4
   Viole     Cathedral Chimes
4
   Octave Celeste     Triangle
4
   Flute      
4
   Vox Humana      
2
   Piccolo     Five Adjustable Combination Pistons

   

   
Solo (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
  Diaphone
4
  Flute
16
  Tibia Clausa [TC]
2 2/3
   Twelfth
16
  Bourdon
2
   Piccolo
16
  Vox Humana [TC]
1 3/5
  Tierce
8
  Trumpet
  Cathedral Chimes
8
   Diaphonic Diapason
  Xylophone
8
   Tibia Clausa
  Glockenspiel
8
   Violin
  Harp Chrysoglott
8
   Violin Celeste [TC]
   
8
   Concert Flute
  Solo 2nd Touch
8
   Vox Humana
16
   Trumpet [TC]
4
   Octave
8
   Tibia Clausa
4
   Piccolo
   
4
   Viole
   
4
   Viole Celeste
  Five Adjustable Combination Pistons

   

   
General
One Balanced Expression Pedal      
One General Tremulant      
One Vox Humana Tremulant      
           
Effects (operated by pistons)
Horse Hoofs Train Fire Gong (reiterating)
Surf Effect Auto Horn Steamboat Whistle
Bird Fire Gong Siren
     
Door Bell (push button)  
           
Sources:
     Cinema Treasures web site: http://www.cinematreasures.org
     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.