American Theatre Organ Society

From an article by Jack L. Sievert in the Summer 1962 issue of Theatre Organ

The Reuter Organ Company is well known as a builder of pipe organs for the church and recital hall. However, few are aware that Reuter also placed its nameplate on some 47 theatre organs in the 1920's.

The Reuter 2/7 organ (Opus 270) in radio station KMA in Shenandoah, Iowa, contained a player attachment.

Of the 47 instruments built by the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas, 30 were credited to Texas, six to Kansas, three to California, two to Illinois, and one each to Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, New Mexico, and Idaho. At no time did production of theatre organs exceed 25% of the total Reuter output.

The company was founded in Trenton, Illinois, under the name "Reuter-Schwarz" in 1917. Of the first 50 or so instruments built under this banner, only two found their way into theatres -- the first being that in the Hippodrome Theatre, Murphysboro, Illinois (Opus 26 installed in 1919), and actually the last organ built in the Reuter-Schwarz Illinois plant prior to their move to Lawrence, Kansas. The Hippodrome organ was a straight two-manual with 14 ranks. Other than minor nomenclature changes, this instrument bore far more resemblance to a church organ than to the distinctive theatre instruments of other builders. The second theatre installation built under the name of Reuter-Schwarz was also a two-manual organ of 15 ranks and design similar to the Hippodrome organ. This instrument was for the Royal Theatre in Little Rock, Arkansas.

It was not until 1925 that the first truly orchestral instrument emerged from Reuter as a 2/5 unit organ for the Iris Theatre in Houston, Texas. During 1925, five small unit organs were sent to Texas theatres, each blossoming a little further until Opus 199 was reached. It was a 2/8 instrument with a fairly complete supply of traps and percussions for the Orpheum Theatre in Topeka, Kansas. However, the installation of this organ was never completed. The organ was removed and reinstalled in the Columbia Theatre in Junction City, Kansas.

The Reuter organ for the Varsity Theatre
in Lawrence, Kansas (Opus 204).

Opus 204 was for the Varsity Theatre of Lawrence, Kansas, home ground for the Reuter Company. This 3/8 unit, equipped with ample accessories, was to be the showpiece for Reuter, which now was seeking to make itself known in the theatre organ world. The installation was completed in 1926 and was expected to be the foundation for greater inroads in the field of orchestral instruments ... but less than two-and-one-half years remained before the last theatre organ was to be built by the firm.

Installation of the Varsity organ drew considerable interest because it was the first in a Lawrence theatre. Its actual cost was approximately $12,600, although it was highly publicized as a $25,000 instrument.

The largest theatre organ built by Reuter was a 4/14 instrument for the Arcadia Theatre in Dallas in 1927.

Reuter Opus 285
Uptown Theatre, Wichita, Kansas

It is interesting to note that although over 60% of the Reuter Theatre Organs were sold in Texas, few of these contained any traps or percussions and rarely were they on greater than 5" to 7" wind pressure. These were nearly all the work of the Reuter representative in Dallas, W. G. Redmond. This may explain their variances from the remainder of the Reuter instruments. Nearly all the Reuter organs in Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and other central states were on 8" to 10" pressure, the latter being the highest pressure utilized by this firm.

No Reuter theatre organs are known to exist in original condition or original locations.

Perhaps partly due to a relatively low dependence on theatre business, the Reuter Company was not severely harmed by the advent of talking pictures. This, coupled with conservative fiscal management, permitted the firm to continue operation throughout the depression, reopen after World War II, and with progressive second generation leadership, develop a healthy business that has survived to the present day.