Monterey, California was first settled in 1770 around a Franciscan mission, and it was a Spanish colonial capital for much of the time from 1774 to 1846. This historic city and the scenic Monterey Peninsula attract many tourists to the area. For those of us fortunate to be natives of this town, it always draws us back like a magnet.

Photo by James B. Toy, edited by Ivan de la Garza

In this charming city of Monterey, there stands a beautiful 1926 theatre, designed by the Reid Brothers of San Francisco. The semi-atmospheric State Theatre opened in August of 1926 as the Golden State Theatre. In the mid-1930s it became known as the State Theatre.

The theatre opened with a 2/8 standard Wurlitzer style F, Opus 1334. Its theatrical life ended in the late 1940s or early 50s when a huge leak in the roof over the Solo chamber caused major water damage. The instrument was inoperative until late 1953 when it was purchased and subsequently installed in a number of private homes.

The State Theatre, now owned by United Artists, remained without a Wurlitzer for almost 40 years. Through an interesting series of circumstances, the "new" two-manual, 13-rank organ was installed in 1992. This organ is Opus 1887 from the San Francisco Parkside Theatre, where it was housed from 1928 to 1938.

When Opus 1887 was removed from the Parkside Theatre, it was "rebuilt" and christened as a "Hope-Jones Concert Organ" and sold to a church for $3000 in May 1938. The organ was stripped of all percussions except the chimes and chrysoglott. The backrail and all second-touch stops and second-touch key springs were removed. Fortunately, none of the pipework, chests, regulators, or tremulants were changed.

The organ was installed in a small Presbyterian Church in Salinas, California where it must have truly rattled the timbers of this old church. When the congregation relocated in 1950 to a much larger edifice, it was felt the old organ would be more than adequate. Wrong! The new installation was a physical disaster with air conditioning ducts and concrete beams directly in front of the swell shutters. The effective opening for each of the four sets of shutters was a mere 2-1/2 by 3 feet. The 16' pedal Tuba Profunda was all that carried the congregational singing. Even though it was horribly buried, the organ had a magnificent sonority.

Two ornately decorated windows in the lobby offer views directly into the auditorium

With musical tastes changing as rapidly as they did in the 70s and 80s, it is amazing that this organ remained in church use until 1989. This writer then purchased the instrument through a long-standing right of first refusal.

The organ languished in storage for three long years until a very fortunate series of circumstances allowed it to be installed in the United Artists State Theatre. It is the only theatre organ in a UA theatre anywhere in the United States.

In January 1992, the State Theatre organ chambers and blower room were found to be in fair condition. The biggest surprise was that the original 1926 organ console had been installed on a hydraulic lift. Several old boards were removed from the floor of the State's orchestra pit and the lift platform came into view. The mechanism was frozen solid. Broken free from a rusted guide rail, the lift was hand-elevated to its height of four feet. Water was then heard gurgling as the lift was lowered. Close inspection revealed that the lift was sitting in about four inches of smelly salt water. Most parts were salvaged and the lift was fully repaired and is in use today.

The organ became playable in December 1993. The organ was broadcast live over a local jazz radio station on Sunday morning, January 16. The actual opening concert took place in September 1994. It is astounding how the instrument reacts with the hard-surfaced walls of the auditorium. The organ bursts forth from chamber openings that measure 12 by 10 feet. No drapes or fabric cover the theatre's organ grillwork. The house acoustics are very live.

The entire project has been a labor of love, with no expense to United Artists or the State Theatre. The organ project has led to restoration efforts throughout the venerable old theatre. All of the original architectural elements remain intact except for the dividing of the balcony into two small theatres in 1976.

The organ has been used for several concerts by Monterey native Tom Hazleton, Stan Kann, Ron Rhode, and Jonas Nordwall. Several silent film programs were performed by Dennis James. In the very near future, it is expected that the Monterey State Theatre will be purchased and restored as a community center for music and educational arts.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION: During the summer of 1992, the console was fully restored to Wurlitzer standards. The backrail was built from scratch with a channeled pneumatic rail for 33 stops. No portion of the organ utilizes solid state. The console and relay are fully restored original electro-pneumatic units. All regulators and swell shade actions were also rebuilt. The huge relays were restored in 1993, prior to being hoisted up eight feet onto a platform backstage. This organ was factory prepared for what Wurlitzer called an 88-98 concert roll organ player.

Photos by Ivan de la Garza
Copyright © 1994 The American Theatre Organ Society, Inc. All rights reserved.