ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
From: Ron Rhode, May 2010
The Rialto in Alamosa, CO, was originally opened as the Legion Theatre and sported a Style “B” Special Wurlitzer,
shipped on 6/22/26 as Opus 1370, according to the Wurlitzer Book by Junchen.
I purchased the organ from the owner of the Rialto, a resident of Roswell, NM, in 1976.
In November, I went to Alamosa and removed the pipework, tuned percussions, and console, and brought them to Phoenix,
where they were stored for a few years.
I never did get back to the theatre to remove the chestwork, pedal pipes, and mechanical support to the instrument.
As I recall, after 34 years of time passing, and suffering from only a few years of “severe inexperience”,
the organ was installed in the very small stage area, at the side, and inside of a single free standing chamber or box,
built with swell shades on the front, and sort of up on stilts so that it didn’t take up floor space.
I remember passing pipework down from the higher level to the floor for packing.
The organ was a “Special”--made so by an 8’ Diapason in place of the Trumpet.
They also made it 5-ranks at some point with original Wurlitzer winding and chest with the addition of
a 10” Tibia Clausa on a single rank chest.
A sixth rank was added when the Vox Humana was placed on a “home-made” chest and an 8’ Clarinet (Wurlitzer) was placed in it’s holes.
It is my belief that the Tibia addition was a part of the original “Special” although the Wurlitzer list does not
include it in the original listing.
The stops on the console were correctly arranged to include the 8’ and 4’ Tibia stops in their proper placement.
The Clarinet was on the “blanks” that were provided in the console layout.
I hope this helps those who are looking for answers to the mystery of the disappearance of the Rialto’s Wurlitzer.
The only thing I have left out was the purchase price.
I didn’t have the money as a pizza parlor organist to buy a Wurlitzer for $3,500 and they moved it a third of
the way across the country in the process.
There is a lady who put faith in me and my abilities and helped me to get started on my path that I’d like to say thank you to,
and that is Mrs. John Brown Cook.
Mrs. Cook was re-paid in full, and has continued to help other “budding” organists with their efforts as well.
Thank you, Mrs. Cook!