PPAC’s Rare “Mighty Wurlitzer” Organ to Undergo First Ever Complete Restoration
Providence, RI - Alan J. Chille, President and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), announced today that the Theatre’s historic “Mighty Wurlitzer” Organ will be completely restored by the Herman Organ Company of California. The two-year project will begin this summer and will culminate with the organ’s return to PPAC in the summer of 2028.
“Although we have maintained this rare organ since we purchased it in 1982, a complete restoration of the Wurlitzer has never been done before,” Chille said. “We are looking forward to this ongoing restoration partnership with the Herman Organ Company and to welcoming the Mighty Wurlitzer back, just in time for the Theatre’s 100th anniversary, in 2028.”
Although we have maintained this rare organ since we purchased it in 1982, a complete restoration of the Wurlitzer has never been done before, we are looking forward to this ongoing restoration partnership with the Herman Organ Company and to welcoming the Mighty Wurlitzer back, just in time for the Theatre’s 100th anniversary, in 2028.”
Alan Chille, PPAC President & CEO
Mark Herman, President of the Herman Organ Company, said, “Wurlitzer Opus 1587 is a rare instrument in every sense. With only three five-manual Wurlitzers ever built, and this being the most complete and original example, it represents something we simply cannot recreate today. That makes careful, thoughtful preservation all the more important.” Herman continued, “There is nothing quite like hearing a great theatre organ in a venue with incredible acoustics like PPAC. When this instrument is fully restored and everything is working together the way it should, it will be a listening experience that will surprise a lot of people. We are grateful for the trust that the leadership of PPAC has placed in us in restoring this beautiful instrument.”
The Wurlitzer will be removed with great care from its home at PPAC and transported to the Herman Organ Company’s headquarters in California for restoration. The first phase of the de-installation will take place on May 11 and 12, beginning with the removal of the console.
One more chance to hear PPAC’s Wurlitzer at KIMBERLY AKIMBO
House Organist Peter Edwin Krasinski will play the Wurlitzer prior to curtain time for performances of KIMBERLY AKIMBO, running May 5–10, 2026, with the exception of the evening performance on Friday, May 8 and the matinee on Saturday, May 9.
These early May pre-show concerts, held just prior to the Wurlitzer’s departure, honor a long-standing tradition at PPAC while Lincoln W.N. Pratt was House Organist: welcoming audiences to the Theatre with the sounds of the Mighty Wurlitzer before Broadway shows.
“I’m truly delighted to play these pre-show concerts before we send the Mighty Wurlitzer on its way to the Herman Organ Company. I will be playing music that spans the last hundred years in honor of the fact that our Wurlitzer will be 100 years old in 2027,” said Krasinski. “While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye for now, it feels especially meaningful to do so in a way that honors and continues the legacy of Lincoln W.N. Pratt, who welcomed so many people with this remarkable instrument. I’m very much looking forward to the Wurlitzer’s return and to hearing—and playing—it in its fully restored state.”
Fundraising efforts for the preservation of the Wurlitzer
The restoration of the Wurlitzer will cost $1.4 million. The project is made possible through the Save America’s Treasures grant, which is awarding PPAC $650,000.
As part of the grant, PPAC must raise a matching amount through donations. People who wish to support the restoration project may make a gift by visiting ppac.evenue.net/give
A brief history of the Wurlitzer
The Mighty Wurlitzer is a five-manual, 21-Rank (5/21) pipe organ built by The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company in 1927. Also known as Wurlitzer Opus 1587, it was originally housed in the 4,000 seat Marbro Theatre in Chicago. After the theatre closed in 1963, the organ became privately owned, thankfully being spared from the Marbro Theatre’s demolition the following year.
While the organ’s origins are rooted in Chicago, its modern history is deeply tied to Providence. In Providence, RI, the Loew’s Theatre Building, which is the historic home of PPAC, originally owned a Morton organ. The instrument was damaged beyond repair during Hurricane Carol in 1954 and was subsequently removed from the venue. In 1982, House Organist Lincoln W.N. Pratt assisted a small team of PPAC Trustees in finding the privately-owned 5/21 Wurlitzer organ. PPAC purchased the instrument that year, and it has remained a treasured part of the Theatre ever since.
Lincoln W.N. Pratt was PPAC’s House Organist from 1982 until his passing in 1998. He played the organ prior to many Broadway shows and helped create the first, free Wednesdays at the Wurlitzer concert series which has now evolved into the Wonders of the Wurlitzer series. This legacy continues today. Since 2020, Peter Edwin Krasinski, a renowned organist and silent film accompanist, has served as PPAC’s House Organist. These concerts remain free and open to the public. In recent seasons, PPAC has collaborated with local cultural organizations, including Juneteenth RI, Mixed Magic Theatre, Kevin Doyle’s Roscommon Soles and the Eastern Medicine Singers, in presenting these concerts to the community.
Learn more about PPAC’s Mighty Wurlitzer at ppacri.org/Wurlitzer
