Restoration of the last real Style 216

[Jim Henry]

The restoration of the Wurlitzer Style 216 in the San Bernardino, CA Fox Theatre has been completed. This is the only Style 216 organ that remains in its original home. As far as I know, it is the only Style 216 that is still mostly original. This is Mark Herman's Facebook announcement of this landmark event:

We are THRILLED to share the completion of the restoration and reinstallation of the 1928 Wurlitzer pipe organ, Opus 1850, at the historic California Theatre in San Bernardino.
This remarkable instrument is the last Style 216 Wurlitzer remaining in its original home, and it has been a tremendous privilege for our team to help bring it fully back to life.
Over the past two years, our crew has collectively spent several thousand hours carefully restoring every part of the organ from top to bottom, returning the instrument to A-1 condition. Each component has been meticulously rebuilt and returned to service with the goal of honoring both the original ingenuity of the Wurlitzer Company and the musical integrity of the instrument itself.
I am very grateful to our outstanding team, whose beautiful craftsmanship made this restoration possible: Anthony Snitker, Josh Roebuck, Steve Hansen, Ron Mitchell, Stirling Yearian, Gabriel Montes, Griffin Brock, Marty Walsh, Matthew Morrison, and yours truly. Their care, patience, and pride in their work are evident throughout the instrument.
Hearing the organ now filling the California Theatre’s warm acoustic is a real thrill for us. The instrument sounds wonderful in the space, and I hope to share some recordings soon once I can bring in proper microphones to capture it well. It sounds much larger than its 11 ranks, largely thanks to much improved egress achieved by doubling the amount of swell shutters.
We are grateful to the City of San Bernardino, the San Bernardino Symphony, and the staff of the California Theatre for recognizing the importance of this musical treasure and for their commitment to featuring it as part of the theatre’s programming throughout the year.
It has been an honor for our team to help preserve this remarkable instrument! Here are some photos of the project, including a few before shots — it was a dramatic transformation!

See pictures on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18QbKnLUwE/