HISTORY
On February 18, 1925, the Wurlitzer Factory shipped it's "Opus 998", a 4 manual, 17 rank pipe organ in 12 freight cars, to Gardena, California. The cost to the cemetery was approx. $50,000. A year went into its building. Wind pressures are 10, 25, 35, and 50 inches. The organ itself is contained in a 3 story, 6 room building, centered in the Cemetery. (pictured on opening page) The console is 75 feet away from the organ house and 10 feet underground. The console is covered with a copper and glass top. Sections of the cover open to reveal the organist sitting at the console. There is also a window that opens to allow the organist to hear the instrument more clearly. The reason for the console location is the extreme volume that is produced by the organ. At one time the organ had a listening radius of 5 to 10 miles. Obviously before housing tracts, freeways, airplanes, etc. As you can imagine, tuning is quite an experience. Tonally, the organ is much more majestic and orchestral than theatrical, but mellows out the further away you get from the source. At 500 feet, it begins to sweeten.
Installers were, Val Holtziner, Henry Lytthins and Francis Sullivan. The organ was plagued by mechanical failures right from the start, mostly connected with the unusual high pressures. Primary valves and magnets designed for 10 and 15" pressure, were unstable on the higher pressures. Wurlitzer contracted with James H. Nuttall and Lee Haggart to correct the condition. Nuttall rebuilt the chests to get the high pressure off of the lower pressure primary valves, thus solving the action problems. The regulators had to be redesigned so that they wouldn't rupture, again, under the strain of the high pressure. Screw clamps were added to all of the chests to keep them from literally flying apart. The Wurlitzer Company spent another $50,000 just to correct the problems. This was a total financial loss to the Wurlitzer Factory.
The blower is a Spencer Orgoblo. The motor that powers the blower is a Westinghouse, 870 RPM, 30 HP, with a stick shift starter. The motor is started at 440 Volts in "first gear" and then jumps down to 220 for running speed. Similar to the "Hammond" type of start and run switches. The blower and motor cannot be started from the console, you must enter the Organ House, start the organ and then return to the console. Due to the intense pressures, the blower would get extremely hot after a short operating time, so Wurlitzer equipped the blower with a water mist cooling system.This system worked quite well until somebody forgot to turn it off one day. The result: a floating organ and console. This cooling system has long since been removed.
The organ was damaged by the famous Long Beach earthquake. Parts of the roof came down, damaging pipework. Little by little, more of the organ became inoperable. It went entirely dead in 1959. Patient hobbyists came along and did their best to get the organ playing again. Every Sunday afternoon, weather permitting, the organ was heard in concert. Hundreds of people would gather and either walk around the park or just stay in their cars and listen to the music. You didn't want to get too close to the organ for your ear's sake. The annual Easter Sunrise service drew hundreds of people at one time. Now the service is no longer provided due to lack of interest and the condition of the organ.
Wurlitzer installed a player device on the organ so that when a live organist was not available, the organ could still be heard for funerals and services. The player system is totally reproducing. The rolls control all stop changes and expression devices. When a funeral procession arrived at the gates of the cemetery, the roll was started and provided music until the family arrived at the gravesite. The roll was again started after the service and music was heard until the people exited the park. This system is still there, however somebody has since severed all of the wiring leading to the player mechanism. Hundreds of families paid extra money so that their loved ones could be laid to rest next to the organ.
The relays occupy their own room, along with the player device and 4 of the 9 trems. The blower and starter are located to the rear of the building. Also in the back section of the organ house are the 32' Diaphones. This area is also used as a work room with ample space to work on parts of the organ. The bottom 12 pipes are mitered in an "L" shape with the tops pointing out towards the front of the organ house and above the main chamber. You can see the 42" x 42" low CCCC when looking at the front of the organ house.
As of today, the organ is hardly playable and in extremely poor condition. Too many people with good intentions and bizarre ideas, have left this one of a kind organ in a very confused state. I have started a non-profit account specifically for the restoration of this great organ. The cemetery is privately owned and they simply do not have the funds to restore the organ, yet the desire to have the organ playing again is a top priority.
Please e-mail me if you have any further questions or if you would like to make a tax deductible donation towards the organs restoration. I am available to show the organ and allow you to hear what little does play. Even the few ranks that work are very impressive.
Please do not contact the cemetery directly. Any questions regarding the organ and visits, must go through me. They have a very small staff and do not have the time to answer questions about the organ.
Thank you for your visit to the Roosevelt Organ Website. Any comments, donations or memories are eagerly welcomed.