Rhinestone Barton Under Water

Since the consoles of both the Paramount’s Wurlitzer and TCR (Iowa Theatre) Rhinestone Barton were damaged beyond repair in the flood of June 2008, CRATOS and CRBI (Cedar Rapids Barton, Inc) have engaged in joint efforts focused on the preservation and restoration of both consoles. Subsequent inspections of both installations have revealed varying levels of damage caused by the post-flood conditions of the buildings. With the Paramount restoration plans extending out several years the focus has been on bringing one of the two original installation theatre organs back through a careful restoration. The Rhinestone Barton has started its journey towards a full restoration, with some technological updates which will help ensure it continues to provide entertainment for generations to come.

CRBI has focused on the Rhinestone Barton restoration and funding plans, and after many months of meetings, inspections, proposals and interaction with state and federal agencies has been awarded the funding to fully repair and restore the organ. The Cedar Rapids Gazette published an update in the Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009. The article can be found here.

Paul Montague, president of CRBI, has provided additional details of the plan to restore the organ:

• The console of the Rhinestone Barton has been assessed and determined to be a complete loss, as it was submerged in grey water to the third manual.
• Residual moisture damage to the solo chamber was extensive, rusting all ferrous metal, hardening leather, and delaminating chest components.
• Cedar Rapids Barton, Inc., the non-profit corporation that owns the instrument, has worked with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the State of Iowa, and Federal and State historians to develop a plan and secure funding for complete restoration of the instrument.
• Ken Crome of the Crome Organ Company in Reno, Nevada, has begun the construction of a replica console.
  • The console will be fitted with a Uniflex combination action.
  • On its return to Iowa, the printed fabric and rhinestone banding will be applied to the console restoring it to its original 1928 appearance. Ajram Importers of Cedar Rapids have located fabric that matches the original black covering.
  • The original pattern of glass glitter has been preserved, and will be applied to the fabric by Monroe Screen Printers.
    
• The contract for restoration of the contents of the solo chamber has been awarded to Weiler and Associates of Chicago.
  • Removal is to begin in January of 2010.
  • All components will be restored to their original condition.
• The Barton lift is being replaced by Theatre Cedar Rapids with a new scissors lift that will extend from the floor of the pit to stage level, greatly increasing the visibility of the console when it is raised to concert position.
• The total cost of the restoration project, funded by the FEMA, the NEH, and the State of Iowa is $240,000.
• All work is expected to be completed by spring of 2011.

Members present enjoyed food, music, and conversation prior to the start of the annual meeting.  Father Joe Roost provided entertainment on an Allen R211 donated for the occasion by chapter president Darren Ferreter.   After the meal, prepared by Jackie MacVey, Darren Ferreter and Ralph McDowell, the meeting commenced.

Darren Ferreter took the membership through a review of pre-flood activities, including the April 2008 Pipe Organ Encounter with organist Steven Ball.   After reviewing the business at hand, Darren presented a report on the experiences since June 12, 2008, when the floodwaters of the Red Cedar River innundated downtown Cedar Rapids and changed the focus of CRATOS from preservation to recovery and restoration.

Many of the photos found in the CRATOS Gallery were displayed, along with updates on both CRBI (Cedar Rapids Barton Inc.), CRATOS, and available information from the City of Cedar Rapids on the fate of the city-owned Wurlitzer and Paramount Theatre.

Special recognition for their involvement in the theatre organ, and with the Paramount’s Mighty Wurlitzer in particular, were presented to two long-standing members of CRATOS.  George Baldwin and Jim Olver (unable to attend) were provided with commerative plaques in recognition of their service and support.

The meeting closed with the challenges of the organization clearly identified.  All members and the public must come together to ensure that the Mighty Wurlitzer and Rhinestone Barton are restored and returned to their original homes so that they might entertain future generations and restore Cedar Rapids to it’s unique place as one of the few cities left in the world with two theatre organs in their original homes.

 We still have a long way to go however.  Any donation, big or small, is helpful and will allow CRATOS to continue moving forward with restoration and recovery efforts for both the Barton and Wurlitzer organs.  We are working with the City of Cedar Rapids to provide guidance on the Wurlitzer, and the efforts to remove the Barton console and prepare it for cleaning and restoration activities are in full swing. 

You can help CRATOs by donating in many different ways.  CRATOS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your donation may be tax deductable.

Use the “Donate” link to the right to utilize our secure PayPal donation service. 

CRATOS is auctioning a copy of Scott Foppiano’s 2003 recording of the Rhinestone Barton, “Back in the Black” on eBay.  Check out our auction, bid to win, and help CRATOS by winning a copy of this incredible recording.

You can also donate to CRATOS and help us in our goal to save these two unique cultural treasure by sending a personal check, cashier’s check, or money order to:

The Cedar Rapids Area Theatre Organ Society
PO Box 611
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-0611
US

Ferreter, Kelzenberg and Marple attended the July 6, 2008 annual membership meeting at the request of Ken Double, ATOS President and CEO.  At the start of the meeting, attended by an estimated 200 members of ATOS from around the world, Ken Double asked CRATOS to speak to the membership on the condition of the Mighty Wurlitzer and Rhinestone Barton organs of Cedar Rapids.

Mr. Ferreter expressed that “many of the arts and entertainment venues of Cedar Rapids were devastated by the flood.  The Paramount Theatre sustained damage from 8 1/2 feet of water at stage level”.  He went on to say that CRATOS will need the help of the international theatre organ community to bring the Wurlitzer and Barton organs back to the public.

Colonel Jack Moelmann, a long-time friend of CRATOS and a performer at the Paramount Theatre’s Wurlitzer as recently as 2001, joined Mr. Ferreter and presented a donation of $1,000 to CRATOS in support of the organs and the chapter.

Prior to the annual meeting, Darren Ferreter (President), David Kelzenberg (Vice President) and Neal Marple (Secretary) attended a July 5 concert by Walt Strony, another long-time friend of CRATOS, which featured the world premiere of the new Allen Organ Company STR-4 Four-Manual Walt Strony Signature Quantum™ Organ.  The concert was held in the Indiana Theatre, Terre Haute, where over 100 local residents joined the mass of ATOS convention attendees in hearing a theatre organ in this beautiful theatre for the first time in many years.

CRATOS has been the official caretaker of the Paramount Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ since 1969. The City of Cedar Rapids, which owns both the Paramount and the Wurlitzer – a matching set since 1928, and now one of just 36 original installations still in existance – has consistently entrusted CRATOS with the task of ensuring the organ remains an inseperable part of the theatre and the community.

CRATOS is working with the City of Cedar Rapids on the next steps in the process of saving this magnificent piece of musical and cultural history. CRATOS is a non-profit organization which exists solely on membership fees and chartiable contributions from the public. Now, more than ever, CRATOS needs your help to ensure the organization can continue caring for the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ.

CRATOS is also working with Cedar Rapids Barton Inc (CRBI), which owns and maintains the incredible “Rhinestone Barton” organ at Theatre Cedar Rapids.  This unique example of 1927 Barton-Wangerin theatre organs experienced severe damage to its console during the flooding in Cedar Rapids and is currently awaiting removal from the theatre for a more thorough damage assessment.

How you can help:

Charitiable contributions made to CRATOS, a 501(c)3 non profit organization, will be applied to the CRATOS general fund, which supports the efforts to preserve and maintain both the Paramount Wurlitzer and the Rhinestone Barton.  Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Please help CRATOS in our efforts to save these cultural treasures of Cedar Rapids.  We look forward to the day when the theatres and the organs are once again heard and enjoyed by the public.

Donate Now

Online donations are available through a secure PayPal service.  Click on the “Donate” button on the right to complete your online donation.

You may also send a check to CRATOS via US Postal service at the following address:

The Cedar Rapids Area Theatre Organ Society
PO Box 611
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-0611
US ]]> http://www.cr-atos.org/?feed=rss2&p=34 0 http://www.cr-atos.org/?p=22 http://www.cr-atos.org/?p=22#comments Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:57:10 +0000 nmarple http://www.cr-atos.com/?p=22 In the midst of all of the activity over the past many days, we have been fortunate to have a significant amount of media interest in the story of the Paramount, and our Mighty Wurlitzer.

Local, state and national news organizations were onsite to spread the word of the danger the organ was in due to the flooding, and the efforts to pull the console from the theatre at the last minute as the stage became increasingly unstable.

Here are some of the many reports submitted:

June 17: CNN iReport by CRATOS

June 18: The Gazette (Cedar Rapids) and KCRG (Cedar Rapids) send reporters, photographers, and video crews onsite to document the incredible efforts underway by CRATOS, Paramount theatre management, Coonrod and Altorfer to save the console.

June 18: CNN follow-up on iReport with a live on-scene interview (wait for it).

June 19: The Gazette’s Adam Bell’s report for the print edition of the paper, with some positive updates to the story.

These reports, and the follow-up reports that will document and publicize the activities CRATOS, Paramount management, and the City of Cedar Rapids now undertakes in saving or reconstructing the console, and the efforts still needed in the pipe chambers, will help keep this magnificent organ and theatre in the spotlight.

Please send any links to other related reports you’ve found to: cratos.info@gmail.com

If you have stories of the Paramount, the Wurlitzer, and the former Iowa Theatre and the Rhinestone Barton, please send them along and we’ll publish them in a special section on our site.

Opening on Saturday, September 1st, 1928, the Capitol Theatre was part of the Publix/Balaban & Katz chain of theatres. The Capitol opened with great fluorish, heralded by fireworks and airplanes which dropped prizes in the vicinity of the theatre.

The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, New York, was the quintessential and by far the largest manufacturer of theatre pipe organs.  “Wurlitzer” became both a household word and a generic term for theatre organs.

The Capitol’s Wurlitzer was shipped from the facrory on July 16, 1928. It was the first in a series of “special” Wurlitzers designed specifically for the Balaban & Katz theatre chain. It is listed as style “Balaban 1A”.

After a few years, Paramount bought out the Balaban & Katz chain, and the theatre became the Paramount.

The console is the most visible part of the organ. The 3/12 (three keyboard, twelve rank) organ houses over 900 pipes in two chambers, the “Main” on the left, and the “Solo” on the right, that produce a wonderous sound.

It’s ready for you– This Palace of Splendor with its acre of seats. The rare paintings are hung, the sculptures are in place, the deep carpet is waiting for the tread of thousands who will come to marvel at the countless wonders!…The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette and Republican, 1928.

We are deeply saddened to report that the console did not survive the flood intact.  Altorfer and Coonrod Crane Service volunteers rushed to the aid of the CRATOS team to help pull the console free from the edge of the stage and organ lift.  The strain of movement, water, time, and exposure to extreme conditions was simply too much.  Our beautiful Balaban 1A console, a fixture of the Paramount Theatre since 1928 made it into the sunlight for the first time in 80 years, holding together until the very end.

CRATOS members onsite worked to salvage any major components from the console.  The keydesk, top, stoprail, all stop tabs, pedal board, and bench were all retrieved along with several pieces of ornate woodwork and the original Wurlitzer faceplates.  The remaining portions of the console are in temporary storage while decisions can be made and funding secured to rebuild or replace the console.

Following the efforts to save the console, the CRATOS members onsite entered the upper levels of the Paramount to inspect the Main pipe chamber.  We were very encouraged to see that no water had entered this chamber – which we have to assume for the time being is the same as in the Solo chamber which is not easily accessible at this time.  The temperature was a cool 70 degress, and much lower humidity than expected.  The water line is approximately 1 ft under the floor of the chamber.

Despite the damage to the console, the condition of the pipe chambers is very encouraging, and gives us renewed hope that the organ will once again play in its original home.  I will take time, talent, and the generosity of the community to bring this priceless instrument back to life.
Updated photos are in our gallery. 

The Paramount is difficult to look at, the organ console off the lift and on its back and heavily damaged.  We’re holding out for good news from the two pipe chambers once the building is a bit safer to get around it.  The theatre was hit very hard by the flood waters  After we get further clearance to enter and evaluate the condition of the Wurlitzer we’ll provide further updates.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette published an article, complete with a photo of the console and video including the interior of the theatre.

We had KCCI in Des Moines and KCRG in Cedar Rapids with us in the Iowa (TCR) theatre today to document the condition of the Rhinstone Barton.  This organ and console escaped the same level of damage over at the Paramount.  There is still considerable work here to get the Barton back to playable condition.

Photos of both organs will be published in the CRATOS Gallery.

A note from CRATOS President, Darren Ferreter:

I would like to begin by thanking everyone who has taken a moment to send notes of support to CRATOS after the flooding and organ damage that occurred in Cedar Rapids.

Although the water level is dropping, the Cedar River is not anywhere near being within its banks. The water current is swift and very enraged.  CRATOS is days from accessing either theatre. The National Guard has been on hand to (thankfully) prevent looting of the downtown area.  It has been an interesting study as you learn much about a person during a crisis period.

As an update, here is what I know to this point . . .

The water level in the Paramount theatre with its original 3/12 Wurlitzer was believed to have peaked at about 9 foot above stage level which will have completely destroyed the console, blower, and lift.  We have been studying some very incomplete plans of the theatre cross section but have begun to have some serious question about water in the chambers. Nine feet is very close to being at least at floor level of both the main and solo chambers.� We trying to decide if the chambers may have taken murky water that could have created damage to regulators, tremulants, and possibly offset chests. Again, we have not had access, but we are considering the worst as the CRATOS organ crew begin to develop our plan for protecting the remaining components of the instrument. We do not expect access into the Paramount for another 4-5 days.

At the Iowa theatre, it is believed that water had entered the theatre but we are speculating the Wangerin built 3/14 Rhinestone Barton will have survived much better than the Wurlitzer. We are seeing photos of the exterior of the theatre that showed about 8-12 inches of water surrounding the building but most of us believe the stage level is a bit higher than the street. We do not expect access into the Iowa theatre for a few more days.

I would assume over time we will be looking for a new blower, blower motor, and seeing what our options would be in acquiring a three-manual Wurlitzer console.

Again, we appreciate hearing from people. I’ve not been able to take time to respond to each note as I am very busy trying to help my employer Mercy Medical Center back on its feet after we had to evacuate patients and staff because of water that was never expected anywhere near the hospital.

We are doing our best to keep the CRATOS website www.cr-atos.com updated. More updates to follow.

Darren Ferreter, President
Cedar Rapids Area Theatre Organ Society (CRATOS)
Geu30cg at aol.com
www.cr-atos.com