2024-04-17 - This entry represents the installation of a used organ. The Wicks was originally built for the Alladin Theatre in Denver. From the Dedication Program: When the Aladdin Theater on East Colfax Avenue in Denver was demolished in 1984, the Aladdin/Wicks Theatre Organ was first donated to a church in Boulder. After a change in plans, the Friends of the Mayan purchased the organ and donated the Wicks Theatre Organ to the Denver Public Schools for installation at East High School. In 1987 the Friends of the Wicks Committee accepted responsibility for the installation and maintenance of the Wicks. The Denver Public schools would provide public access to the auditorium and the organ. After working diligently for the past 14 years, progress slowed, then came to a halt. In June, 2000 the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (RMCATOS) assumed responsibility for the resolution of the project. Three independent professional organ builders were asked to price completion of the project. Estimates ranged up to $197,000. All recommended the pipe organ project be abandoned. RMCATOS decided that a new state of the art theatre organ was needed to replace the Wicks. A three-manual Allen Master Designer Series 312 digital instrument was purchased. Installation was completed by RMCATOS with tonal finishing and balancing by Church Organs, Inc. of Denver. The new instrument is unique because it is two separate instruments in one console: a complete theatre organ and with the touch of a tab, the organ becomes a total classical instrument. -Jim Stettner
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