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The Featured Organ for the month of November is the 3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ installed at the Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida. It is the first Robert Morton to be featured here at Walnut Hill.
The stop sweep of the 3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ.
The instrument was built in 1926. It is now in the care of the Central Florida Theatre Organ Society under the direction of crew cheif Dennis Werkmeister, who also works on the Tampa Theatre 3/14 Mighty WurliTzer and Johnnie June Carter's 3/12 Grande Page.
A Closer Look at the
3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ
The alterable stop setter board under the right horseshoe lid.
The 3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ has some nifty features, one of them being alterable stops, controlled by two special custom made switch panels. In the photo above, we see the alterable stop panel under the right hand horseshoe lid.
The MIDI and percussion control panel
underneath the left stop bolster.
Here, we see the other panel in a pullout drawer underneath the left stop bolster. The organ has full MIDI implimentation, controlled from this panel as well. The panel has tap switches for various sound effects and more alterable stop setting switches that allow stop expansion and first touch trap transpositions in the Accompanimant and Great manuals, and also the Pedals.
 
Two views of the Main chamber, showing the wind lines and offset chests
in the lefthand picture, and the large bass drum in the righthand picture.
 
Two more views of the Main chamber, showing a rank of String pipes
in the lefthand picture, and a rank of Tibia pipes in the righthand picture.
The Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida
The auditorium of the Polk Theatre, looking down from the balcony.
The beautiful Polk Theatre in downtown Lakeland, Florida is one of only two original atmospheric theatres left in the state. The 3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ figures prominently in the theatre schedule, being used during concerts, silent movies and preshow/post show events.
Another view of the auditorium of the Polk Theatre,
looking down from the balcony.
This majestic theatre was conceived by local businessman, John E. Melton. Unable to bring the project to fruitition, he sold the unfinished structure to the Publix Theatre Corporation for the sum of $300,000. The architect for the project was J. E. Casale.
When the theatre opened on December 22 of 1928, 2,000 of the 2,200 tickets available for the 1:00 p.m. matinee were sold within an hour of the box office’s noon opening. The film on screen that first day was a Warner Brothers all-talking special entitled On Trial.
In October of 1999, total restoration of the building to its original glory was completed. In 2004, 30,000 patrons attended events at this grand movie palace.
Listen to the 3/12 Robert Morton!
The Walnut Hill Mobile Recording Crew paid a visit to the theatre and made some recordings of this fine instrument, with Tom Hoehn and the Bone Doctor taking the bench.
Tom Hoehn at the console of the
3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ
Tom Hoehn at the console of the 3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ.
First up is Tom Hoehn, playing music from a puppet show version of the silent movie classic, Dracula, entitled Harker.
- Soundtrack for Harker (Dracula)
File size = 14.50MB, playing time = 15:47, bit rate = 128KB/sec.
The Bone Doctor at the console of the
3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ
Bone Doctor at the console of the
3/12 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ.
Next, the Bone Doctor sits down to play some tunes he has already recorded on other instruments. Here, he is just having fun as the crew puts things away after the session.
- It Ain't No Thaing
File size = 2.15MB, playing time = 2:19, bit rate = 128KB/sec.
- Norwegian Wood
File size = 3.44MB, playing time = 3:43, bit rate = 128KB/sec.
- Suite in G for Theatre Pipe Organ
File size = 3.06MB, playing time = 3:18, bit rate = 128KB/sec.
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