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Piece of Dayton history gets new home

Contributed photo by Erik Jacobs Broken cymbal mallets waiting to be repaired in storage at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford, Mass. May 2, 2009.

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Contributed photo by Erik Jacobs The main console of a Wurlitzer theatre organ at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford, Mass. May 2, 2009.

A theater near Boston will use the restored Wurlitzer organ from demolished downtown movie palace.

By Tom Beyerlein, Staff Writer Updated 8:29 AM Tuesday, May 12, 2009

DAYTON — More than 40 years have passed since the wrecking ball claimed one of Dayton’s most magnificent buildings, the RKO Keith’s Theatre at Fourth and Ludlow streets downtown. But next year, the Mighty Wurlitzer organ from the old movie palace may be making music again — in a town 850 miles away.

Volunteers in Medford, Mass., near Boston, have been working since 2003 to restore the 1922-vintage instrument. The Wurlitzer’s new home will be the Chevalier Theatre, a restored art deco auditorium built in 1939.

The organ was worth $25,000 in 1922 when it was part of the original equipment at Keith’s. It accompanied vaudeville shows and silent movies in the theatre’s early years.

The 2,700-seat RKO Keith’s was Dayton’s largest and grandest movie house before it was demolished in 1967 to make way for the high-rise Grant-Deneau Tower, now called 40 West 4th Centre.

“It was the No. 1 place to go,” said Curt Dalton, author of “When Dayton Went to the Movies.”

“It was sort of the Schuster Center of its day.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2264 or  tbeyerlein@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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