| Our Concert Artist: | ||
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2007 ATOS Grand Organ Tour
Paramount Theatre - Middletown, New York |
 Donnie Rankin |
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  With
Rapp & Rapp as architects, The Paramount was built
in 1930 by the Paramount-Publix group. The theatre
was the home of first-run movies in Middletown until
1978 when it was forced to close. In 1979, the City
of Middletown took ownership of the Paramount and
the Arts Council of Orange County subsequently
bought the theater from the city of Middletown. The
Paramount was restored and converted into a first
rate performing arts center, reopening in 1985. |
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The present organ was originally from the Clairidge Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey. It was built in 1922 as a 2/10 Style H Wurlitzer. NYTOS restored the instrument and added a Wurlitzer Salicional and English post horn rank. They replaced the badly damaged original 2-manual console with the 3-manual Wurlitzer French console from the Shea's Bailey theatre in Buffalo, New York. This console was previously installed in the Oak Park Roller Rink in Chicago. |
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The
original 3/12 Wurlitzer was removed in the late
1950's by Leroy Lewis, but the New York Theatre
Organ Society has installed a nearly identical
instrument that is played at many of the theatre's
shows.
