Theatre Pipe Organs
We are honored to maintain, preserve and promote theatre pipe organs and performing arts throughout the Tulsa community.
The Theatre Pipe Organ is one of just a few truly American musical instruments.
No other instrument has a theatre pipe organ’s elegance and versatility of sound or its incredible technical complexity. Through its carefully crafted array of keyboards, pipes, percussion and various sound effect devices, the organ reproduces the sound of any entire orchestra plus special sound effects.
History
Conceived in the early 1900’s as live accompaniment for the rapidly expanding silent movie industry and its venue growth from store fronts to grand movie palaces, the theatre pipe organ (originally call “unit orchestras”) rapidly replaced piano and orchestras. Because of the development of “talking” motion pictures, beginning in 1927, the organs were no longer needed and many were destroyed.
Ours was one of the few that survived.
Sound
The instrument’s dynamic range of sound and versatility is well-suited to playing most types of music from classical orchestral transcriptions and popular music to move soundtracks, jazz, gospel, and even some rock n’ roll selections.
Preservation Through ATOS
Today, through the dedicated efforts of the American Theater Organ Society and its. many chapters worldwide, the theatre pipe organ is alive and well entertaining crowds with concerts, silent film accompaniments, and special events at original movie palaces and new venues such as performing arts centers, public schools and museums.
The ATOS Sooner State Chapter is dedicated to preserving the rich history of theater pipe organs and fostering an appreciation for these iconic instruments. The chapter actively works to maintain its own theater pipe organ, ensuring it remains in excellent condition for future generations to enjoy. The chapter also collaborates with other local venues to preserve and restore their theater pipe organs, ensuring their continued presence in the community. Through educational programs, performances, and outreach efforts, the chapter promotes the knowledge and appreciation of these unique instruments. The ATOS Sooner State Chapter not only celebrates the theater pipe organ’s cultural significance but also ensures its future in the world of live music and entertainment.
The Sooner State's Opus 2372
A three-manual, fifteen rank Robert Mortan theatre pipe organ originally built in 1928 for Ohio’s Capitol Theatre.
From the Capitol Theatre
The Capitol Theatre opened to the public on September 6, 1925. It was located at the corner of S. 4th and Adams Streets. It was constructed by the Tri-State Amusement Company, owners of the Olympic and Strand Theatres in Steubenville, as well as several other theatres in nearby East Liverpool, Ohio and Wheeling, W. Va. John K. Papulias is President, and Angelos G. Constant is Vice-President of the company, and are well-known in the Ohio Valley theatre industry.
From the newspaper at opening:
The Capitol Theatre is a large glazed white terra cotta structure, with large boulevard lights surrounding the building. The cost for construction is $700,000. Four shops and several offices share the building with the theatre. The building itself is 150′ x 181′ with the stage being 75′ wide and 32′ deep with an orchestra pit to accommodate a 20-piece orchestra. 2,000 people could be seated in the Capitol.
It is interesting that there is no mention of an organ on opening day, but since the Robert-Morton organ is a 1927 model, it must have been installed later.
In 1980 the Jefferson County Historical Society newsletter had an article written by local resident Bob Dyson about Steubenville’s theatres. He made the following notations about the Capitol:
The Capitol Theatre at 4th and Adams Streets was owned by the Populias-Constant Chain, also called Tri-State Amusement or Steubenville Amusement. The Olympic and the Strand were also their theatres.
The Olympic had reruns from the Capitol or cowboy shows featuring Tom Keene or Johnny Mack Brown. The Capitol had a large marquee over the ticket booth and a lovely carpeted lobby. After entering the Theatre, it was a question of upstairs or downstairs to watch a fine Warner Brothers movie. The seats were plush and comfortable. Gene Krupa played the big Morton organ when it was first installed, later Hazel Simpson was the organist.
In the 1930s, nearby Pennsylvania passed the “blue laws.” Theatres in Pittsburgh were closed on Sundays and the stage shows booked over the weekend at the Stanley would play Steubenville on Sunday. When Swing swept the land in the mid-1920s, the Hep Cats loaded the Capitol to see and hear Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, the Dorseys, or Jan Savitt. Many of the “biggies” booked in here like the aforementioned as well as Glenn Miller, Chick Webb, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Bob Crosby, Horace Heidt, Sammy Kay, and Freddy Martin.
By the 1960s, the big Capitol Theatre had lived past its prime and people remembered the big Morton organ covered most of the time. In 1970, the theatre closed and the new multiple screen theatres opened in the shopping center. The building was demolished to make way for a Goodyear Tire and Auto Center, now also closed. Interestingly, the parking lot of the former tire center has begun to sink showing what are likely the outside walls of the Capitol Theatre.
To Tulsa, Oklahoma
From the Capitol Theatre in Steubenville, Ohio, our Opus 2372 organ was brought to Tulsa and eventually installed in 1984 in the Conference Center of the Broken Arrow Campus of Tulsa Tech, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The ATOS Sooner State Chapter proudly maintains the organ in addition to offering ongoing performances and opportunities for others to experience our theater pipe organ.
Additional instruments the Sooner State Chapter helps preserve and promote within our community.
1908 Kimball Grand Piano
The Chapter also owns a rebuilt 1908 Kimball grand piano, donated to us by Don and Dee Miller, that used to preside in the historic Mayo Hotel in downtown Tulsa.
1927 Kilgen Pipe Organ
Circle Cinema Theater
The Chapter is actively involved with the promotion of Tulsa’s Circle Cinema theater and its original 1928 Robert Morton theatre pipe organ through special programs, intermission music and a joint venture program with their “Second Saturday Silents, ” featuring the presentation of silent film classics.