| Name of institution |
Stirling Theatre Organ Productions |
| Type of institution |
Theatre |
| Street Address |
Davenport Street |
| City |
Karrinyup |
| State |
Western Australia |
| Postcode |
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| Country |
Australia |
| Name of building |
Karrinyup Community Recreation Centre |
| Name of room |
Theatre |
| Dates of the building |
1977 |
| Architect’s and builder’s names |
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| Special architectural features |
The requirements for the
organ’s installation were in an architect’s brief for the construction of the
Karrinyup Community Recreation Centre, and included chambers with concrete
floor and brick walls, lead-lined chamber, blower and console room doors, no
right angle corners in the auditorium, triangular shaped chambers, a high
auditorium ceiling, a motorised console platform, and blower/relay and console
rooms. The console is on a motorised platform, emerging from its own room which
has a roller shutter door. The parabolic ceiling of the auditorium is about 10m
high and, with an audience, reverberation time is just under a second. |
| Special fittings |
Elevated chambers either side
of the stage allowed installation of four standard WurliTzer shutter
assemblies. A main and solo chamber assembly angled at 45 degrees allow pipes
to speak directly into the auditorium, while the second sets face each other
across the stage, permitting useful volume control – important in a small building.
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| Other location information |
The Karrinyup Community
Recreation Centre was built in 1977 and is extremely well utilised by the City
of Stirling
residents and local groups. It is adjacent to the popular Karrinyup shopping
centre.
The main hall has a timber floor and measures approximately 252m2. A
large elevated stage is situated at one end and includes curtains, backdrops
and stage lighting. The hall accommodates up to 350 people. There are also
meeting rooms. Karrinyup is a suburb of the State’s capital, Perth, about 7km north of the city.
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| Name of contact |
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| Mailing Address |
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| Telephone |
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| Email |
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| Other contact information |
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| . |
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| Date of previous organs |
None |
| Detail of previous organs |
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| Dates when key work has been undertaken |
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| Dates of any moves that have taken place |
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| Variations from original design of organ |
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| Information on previous organs |
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| Information about comparable instruments to previous
organs |
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| . |
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| Present organ |
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| Type of installation |
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| Case description |
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| Placement in room |
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| Builder's name |
WurliTzer Company, North Tonawanda, U.S.A.
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| Opus number |
1728, Style F |
| Date of completion/installation |
1927 |
| Construction materials |
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| Number of manuals |
Three (3) |
| Key compasses |
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| Number of keys |
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| Key material |
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| Pedal compass |
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| Number of pedals |
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| Pedalboard type |
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| Pedalboard material |
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| Type of chests |
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| Type of key action |
Electro-pneumatic |
| Type of stop action |
Electro-pneumatic |
| Couplers |
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| Tremulants |
9 |
| Accessories |
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| Console type |
Remote horse-shoe stopkey console |
| Stop label material |
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| Placement |
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| General design |
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| Playing aids |
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| Divisions |
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| Wind pressures |
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Stop list
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| MAIN |
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Violin
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Original |
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| Violin Celeste 1 |
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Original |
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| Violin Celeste 2 |
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| Open Diapason |
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Original |
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| Tibia Clausa |
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Original
Solo scale |
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| Clarinet |
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Original |
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| Flute |
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Original |
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| Flute Celeste |
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Vox Humana.
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Original |
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| . |
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| SOLO |
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| Vox Humana |
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| Tibia Clausa |
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Standard scale |
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| Tuba Horn |
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Original |
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| Kinura |
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| Krumet |
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| Orchestral Oboe |
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| Brass Trumpet |
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| Solo String |
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| Salicional |
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| Salicional Celeste |
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| Oboe Horn |
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| Post Horn |
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| . |
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| Total number of stops |
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| Total number of ranks |
8 extended ranks, later enlarged to 12 ranks, now 21 ranks |
| Total number of pipes |
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| Dates when key work has been undertaken on current
organ |
The original 2
manual console has gone to the Theatre Organ Society of Australia,
A.C.T.division.
Enlarged
in 1986 to 3 manual and 16 ranks. New console supplied from
Golden Concert Studios, Spokane, Washington, USA. Additional
pipework from a Los Angeles Pizza Parlour, Paramount Pizza House in
Indianappolis and a residence organ in Idaho.
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| Dates of any moves that have taken place to current
organ |
The organ was removed on 27th August 1973 when it was bought by John
Fuhrmann and Ray Clements and has since been rebuilt as a 3 manuals 21
ranks organ installed in the Karrinyup Community Centre.
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| Information on current organ |
WurliTzer theatre organ opus number 1728 (style F, 2 manuals 7 ranks) was unsuitable for
the larger Regent theatre in Adelaide, South Australia. Hoyts had it
redirected to Perth and it was enlarged to 8 ranks. The
WurliTzer organ was opened on 4th August 1928 in Perth Metro Theatre by organist Roy Devaney.
Very shortly thereafter the organ had been further enlarged to 12
ranks. In
the era of the Metro when the proscenium was modified in the 1950s to
accommodate CinemaScope, the organ’s sound was strangled because
only narrow apertures were provided in front of the chambers.
The organ fell into disuse by 1948 except for occasional use by the
Wesley Church.
In 1966 after trialling midweek use of the organ by John
Fuhrmann, he was employed by MGM as staff organist and the instrument
used on Friday and Saturday nights.
Some restoration work was done by organ builder Mick Dodd (who, with
his father, had done the original installation), and numbers of
concerts were held through the auspices of the Theatre Organ Society of
Australia.
In 1969 the chamber apertures were again opened up, providing a much
better sound. In the era of Roadshow management concerts were given by
noted organists and the final concert before the
organ was removed was on 27th August 1973.
In 1973 the Wesley Trust,
owners of the 2/12 WurliTzer organ in the Metro theatre invited tenders
for its purchase. John Fuhrmann and Ray Clements were the
successful tenderers,
narrowly beating an offer from the Town Council of the provincial city
of Kalgoorlie. The organ was
removed over a 5-week period by organ builder Mick Dodd and volunteers, and
remained in storage at Ray Clements’ nearby warehouse for 3 years.
The organ was installed at Karrinyup in 1981, the inaugural concert on 3rd October 1981 was played by theatre
organist Tony Fenelon. Neil
Jensen opened the 3 manual console on 19th
October 1986.
The 2 manual console from the
Metro has been replaced with a 3 manual WurliTzer console that originally
controlled opus number 977 in Scheuters theatre, Long Beach, California USA
from 1924 (a style D organ of 6 ranks.) That organ was rebuilt by WurliTzer in
1934, becoming 3 manuals 8 ranks and installed in the studios of radio KFPY in Spokane, Washington
State. In 1949 when KFPY moved location the organ was acquired by organbuilders
Balcom and Vaughn (Seattle)
and further extension occurred creating 3 manuals 10 ranks for the Rolladium
skating rink. In the 1960s noted organ technician Bill Carson bought the organ
and installed it in his home – adding the top portion of a WurliTzer style 260
double bolster stop rail; it is in this form at Karrinyup.
Added to the original 12
ranks from Perth Metro are a second Tibia, an Oboe Horn, second Vox Humana,
Salicional with celeste, Flute and Solo String – these came from a Los Angeles
pizza parlour, the Paramount Pizza House in Indianapolis and a residence in Idaho.
A Gottfried English Post Horn was also acquired as this was the rank chosen by US artist
George Wright for his original organ installation.
A new
Discus blower was purchased and the organ has 9 tremulants.
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| Comparable instruments to current
organ |
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| Current status |
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| Assessment of organ |
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| Other organs by this builder |
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| Photographs |
Photograph of organ console from David Johnstone
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| Technical documents |
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| General documents |
Information from Cinema Treasures
Information from Rod Blackmore
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| . |
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| Supporting information |
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| . |
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| Document control |
Original entries J R Elms, OAM, Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999,2003 and 2004.
This entry D B Duncan 26 January 2009.
Analysis or origins and builders from John Fuhrmann 10 February 2012.
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