Knight Auditorium,
Babson College
4/18 Wurlitzer
The 3/13 Wurlitzer 235 Special, Opus 1349, was first installed in 1926 in Boston's Loew's State Theatre to serve as a background "orchestra" for silent films - a role that ended abruptly in 1929 with the advent of "talking pictures." It was then used infrequently for intermissions, sing-alongs and other special occasions – and gradually fell into a state of disrepair. Finally it sat, abandoned, in the orchestra pit until 1968 , when the theatre was closed and slated for demolition. Soon thereafter, "in the shadow of the wrecking ball," a devoted crew of 25 EMCATOS members dismantled and removed the "old gal" to safer quarters – all within 23 hours. She was then lovingly restored by EMCATOS members and re-installed in her present home.
Originally a 3 manual instrument with 13 ranks of pipes, in the mid-90's she was enhanced by a 4 manual console (built to Wurlitzer specifications in 1996), a "live" piano, and 5 additional ranks.
