Question: Several years ago, a project was undertaken to restore the Wurlitzer organ in the Kentucky Theatre. A public dedication concert was planned. Has the restoration been completed?  

Answer: Ask Us addressed this very question on September 6, 2004 when we wrote: A project to reinstall the original 1922 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ has been in the works since August 1993. Steve Brown is an architect and president of the organization that has been working aggressively to finance the dream of hearing the Wurlitzer  inside the theater again.
 
   In 1977, the Wurlitzer was sold to an organ broker, who intended to install it in a Chicago pizza parlor. Two weeks later, the broker sold the organ to Oscar Wilson, who installed it in his home on Winchester Road in Lexington. After Wilson became very ill in 1989, the organ was donated to the University of Kentucky, where it has been stored ever since. UK has agreed to release the organ to Brown’s group.
 
   A fund-raiser and public-awareness event was held at the Kentucky
Theatre on Oct. 28, 2004.  .
 
To update this question, we again spoke to Kentucky’s Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ Project ( KMW-TOP, Inc.) president Steve Brown. He says that the group is shooting to have the project completed and the Wurlitzer installed in the Kentucky Theatre in time for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  Brown says the group is currently identifying sources of funding and has done significant fund raising since we first wrote about this project.  He says the group has worked  for the past few years to obtain an $180,000 federal earmark along with an $180,000 local match, which will provide $360,000 in total funds for construction  and  will again seek an earmark in the 2009 federal budget.  In addition, the group is working on sources for state funding. In 2007, the group received the Rochester Area Community Foundation - Lloyd Klos Historic Fund grant award of $5,000.

  To learn more, visit http://www.kywurlitzer.com/ 

Linda Niemi

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