Page Organ Company

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Console of the 4-manual, 16 rank Page Theatre Organ at the Catalina Casino, in Avalon, California. Avalon Theater organ.jpg
Console of the 4-manual, 16 rank Page Theatre Organ at the Catalina Casino, in Avalon, California.

The Page Organ Company was an American manufacturer of theater pipe organs, located in Lima, Ohio. [1]

Theatre organ type of pipe organ

A theatre organ is a distinct type of pipe organ originally developed to provide music and sound effects to accompany silent films during the first 3 decades of the 20th century.

Lima, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately 72 miles (116 km) north of Dayton, 78 miles (126 km) south-southwest of Toledo, and 63 mi (101 km) east-southeast of Fort Wayne.

Contents

The Page Company started very small, with a home-built organ in 1922. However, the company experienced much growth over the following decade, with a steady demand for theatre organs. [2]

The company experienced a decline in the early 1930s with the introduction of sound films, coupled with the onset of the Depression. The company was sold to an employee named Ellsworth Beilharz in 1930, who initially assembled instruments from components purchased from the defunct Page Company. [3]

Sound film Motion picture with synchronized sound

A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before sound motion pictures were made commercially practical. Reliable synchronization was difficult to achieve with the early sound-on-disc systems, and amplification and recording quality were also inadequate. Innovations in sound-on-film led to the first commercial screening of short motion pictures using the technology, which took place in 1923.

Great Depression 20th-century worldwide economic depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries, it started in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how intensely the world's economy can decline.

In 1984, Beilharz sold the company to two employees, who remain in business under the name Lima Pipe Organ Company, Inc.

Current organ installations

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Catalina Casino movie theater, ballroom and former museum in Avalon, Los Angeles, California

The Catalina Casino is located in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles in California. It is the most visible landmark in Avalon Bay and when approaching the island from the mainland.

Avalon, California City in California, United States

Avalon is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands, and the southernmost city in Los Angeles County. The city is a resort community with the waterfront dominated by tourism-oriented businesses. The older parts of the town on the valley floor consist primarily of small houses and two and three-story buildings in various traditional architectural styles.

Embassy Theatre (Fort Wayne) United States historic place

The Embassy Theatre is a 2,471-seat performing arts theater in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. It was built in 1928 as a movie palace and today it is the home of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra.

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References

  1. "ATOS Website" . Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  2. "The Organ Forum" . Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  3. "Lima Pipe Organ Company" . Retrieved 24 October 2013.