Downtown in Fargo in Cass County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Wurlitzer

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2023

1. The Wurlitzer Marker

Inscription. In 1926, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of New York installed a new pipe organ in the Fargo Theatre to provide musical accompaniment for silent film. It consisted of a console with two keyboards and seven sets of pipes. The chambers included a complete percussion division with every effect needed for concert or film score performances, including bass and snare drums, piano, tambourine, cymbals, horns, sirens, a bird call, and many other sounds.

Films arrived with very little music, and the organist improvised live music to fit every scene, making each performance unique.

With the advent of talking pictures, the organ was needed less and less as film accompaniment, but was featured in concerts, sing-a-longs and other entertainment.

During the 1998-99 theatre renovation, the Wurlitzer was expanded to 20 ranks (sets of pipes), playable from a new, state-of-the-art, 4-manual (keyboards) console. Weekend and special event organ performances continue to delight audiences of all ages.

Sources: Daniel Cornejo,
Encore at the Fargo Theatre

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music •

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Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1926.

Location. 46° 52.8′ N, 96° 47.248′ W. Marker is in Fargo, North Dakota, in Cass County. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of 4th Avenue North and Broadway North, on the left when traveling west on 4th Avenue North. The marker is located along the sidewalk near the southeast corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 325 Broadway North, Fargo ND 58102, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Dakota’s Red River Valley.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Changing Faces of Entertainment (a few steps from this marker); Theaters of Fargo (within shouting distance of this marker); ROCO & Powers Hotel (within shouting distance

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2023

2. The Wurlitzer Marker

Looking north across 4th Avenue North.

of this marker); Eddie and Hildegarde Kraus (within shouting distance of this marker); Ford Building & BNSF Railroad (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Black Building & Fargo Theatre (about 700 feet away); Red River Valley (about 700 feet away); Steamboats on the Red River (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fargo.

Also see . . .
1. 4/32 Wurlitzer, Fargo Theatre. Excerpt:

The current Wurlitzer at the Fargo Theatre was built around a 1926 Style E Wurlitzer - a two-manual, seven-rank instrument. It was built in North Tonawanda, New York and was installed in the theatre in February 1926. However, in 1927, the new technology of "talkies" emerged, and the organ was rarely used. Occasionally in the 1930s, Hildegarde Kraus, the house organist at the Fargo Theatre and at WDAY radio, would use it for the radio show "Lady of the Evening." It was last used in 1948 for Easter services. The organ lay dormant for the next 25 years.

(Submitted on January 30, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Rudolph Wurlitzer Company (Wikipedia). Excerpts:

Franz Rudolph Wurlitzer
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2023

3. The Wurlitzer Marker
Looking northwest; Broadway and 4th Avenue North intersection is in the background.
(1831–1914), an immigrant from Schöneck, Saxony, founded the Wurlitzer Company in Cincinnati in 1853. In 1880, the company began manufacturing pianos and eventually relocated to North Tonawanda, New York. It quickly expanded to make band organs, orchestrions, player pianos and pipe or theatre organs popular in theatres during the days of silent movies. His sons Howard, Rudolph and Farny successively directed the company after his death. Perhaps the most famous instruments Wurlitzer built were its pipe organs (from 1914 until 1943), which were installed in theatres, homes, churches, and other venues. These were marketed as The Mighty Wurlitzers. Wurlitzer built over 2,243 pipe organs, more theatre organs than the rest of the theatre organ manufacturers combined.

(Submitted on January 30, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 30, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.