DTOS - The Early Years
DTOS has changed in many ways in the past 58 years
Sketch of auditorium design by Christian W. Brandt (1926)
The early years were exciting times for the young men and women who became interested in the disposition of the Fisher Theater 4/34 Wurlitzer, opus 1953. When the possibility of obtaining the instrument became a reality, the question of what to do with it became a real challenge. George and Muriel Orbits purchased the organ in February 1961. The enormity of the removal and re-installation project caused them to involve the ideas, expertise and labor of a group of people who were drawn together by a mutual interest in theater pipe organs. This group eventually became the Detroit Theater Organ Club. They brainstormed the possible disposition of the organ and found a vacant theater just a few blocks down Grand Boulevard from the Fisher, the old Iris Theater, which they leased.
Many days and weeks of frantic disassembly at the Fisher, temporary storage, extensive modifications to the Iris interior, and then re-assembly at the Iris followed. A joyous and exciting open house for members, tentative members and guests, was held in August 1961 to show off the progress of the installation and the theater. On September 25, 1961, Fred Bayne played the first sounds to be heard from the newly installed instrument. It was an exciting moment when he played a very rough rendition of Valencia on just six ranks of untuned pipes. In October 1961, the great John Muri played the first concert for members. Twenty concerts were held at the Iris, ending May 3, 1963. The group soon outgrew the facility, causing the club to look for another place.
The Club’s first newsletter was published on 27 May 1962, and continues today, 57 years later, providing us with a printed record of the club’s continuing pipe organ activities. The Senate Theater on Michigan Avenue was discovered and purchased from the City of Detroit/State of Michigan when the DTOC sealed bid of $1000 was accepted on December 13, 1962. The Senate was an abandoned hulk with a lake in the basement and a hole in the roof. Members made repairs and re-installed the organ during the rest of 1963 and into 1964. During this time concerts were held using various electronic organs and visiting other organ venues. The sheer volume of work by amateur volunteers can hardly be comprehended today. Moving the organ parts many miles from the Iris to the Senate, bringing in electricity, fixing the roof, pumping out the basement, building organ chambers, installing seats, repairing plumbing, plastering and painting, installing a furnace and much more. In the process they had to raise funds and attend to all the legal details accompanying such a project.
On March 14, 1964, John Muri played the first Senate Theater concert, signifying the success of a great labor of love performed by many. Ownership of the organ eventually was transferred to the DTOC, which later became the Detroit Theater Organ Society, as we know it today. In 2019 the beat goes on. Who would have predicted that 58 years later the Mighty Wurlitzer is still proudly displayed and regularly presented in concert?