There are some roll operated pipe organs around yet.  In the San
Francisco area there are two dead transplanted Aeolians in churches
that quite likely can be had for a clean removal.

The doctor in the Sacramento area apparently never sold his ex-Speckles
Aeolian, beautifully restored and installed in his home.  A 2/22(?)
Murray M. Harris with additions and an Estey player is still here.

There are/were two small Wurlitzer residence organs which none of the
local experts ever seem to have heard were even around.  A small Robert
Morton was in an apartment in San Francisco.

The Jackling 4/56 Aeolian-Kilgen has been almost destroyed by the
estate's owner.  Pipes are missing, roll library stolen, lots of water
damage, but it's still in the mansion.

In Los Angeles, the Harold Lloyd Aeolian organ is still there.  The
Eagle estate probably has the Welte still, another one that no one
seems to know about.

There were quite a few Aeolians in Los Angeles area and around the
Santa Barbara area that sources say are dead now but still in the
mansions.  I think I counted up 44 Aeolians in those areas, let alone
some other Welte organs that may or may not be around yet.  Too much
trouble to have the organ removed, so the fuses were pulled and the
console used to put vases and photographs on.  There were a few Skinners
there too.

Scotty's Castle in Death Valley still has the Welte player organ,
as supposedly does the ex-Liberace residence.  There were a few more
Robert Morton residence player organs around there too.

The movie "The Carpet Baggers" shows one really gaudy Robert Morton
console that was supposedly in the mansion the studio rented for some
of the shots, so I was told by some friends at the studio.

The Dodge's Meadowbrook Hall big Aeolian is still there and most
likely is playable.  There are a few more in and around the Detroit
and surrounding areas.  The Fisher brothers, etc., Long Island, still
has a few left.

The Aeolian, Estey, Wurlitzer, shipping lists are available, providing
someone has the time to go search out the organs, but who has the
complete Welte, Kilgen, Robert Morton residence organ shipping list?
Dave Junction's fine theater organ books had some of them if they were
theater type organs, but what about all the rest?

However, even if one finds a nice big Aeolian, what are you going to
do about it?  Buy it and take it home to restore it, or what?  You have
no idea of the fun and games of restoring an Aeolian duplex chest and
then getting both sides to play at the same time.

Saving the music on the huge roll libraries is what is important and
is the focus of the writers interest.  This story was in the AMICA
Bulletin, Vol. 47, #1.  Anyone wanting a copy who does not belong to
AMICA can e-mail me and I'll send it and the Welte-Mignon recording
story too, if you want.

The music _can_ once again be heard if you have an Allen Quantum
theater organ like the Lyn Larson three manual and are willing to
change three of the suites to play the rolls.  I know: "Hiss-hiss,
boo, digital, Oh the horror of it all!"  Well, they are good organs
now when carefully regulated and voiced.

But what's important now?  Is it saving and enjoying the fine music on
these rolls, or is it restoring a roll player and pipe organ that you
can't easily get rolls for anymore and will not fit in your house
anyhow and sound very good?  Those organs were intended to play into
big rooms, not the modern cloths closets that pass as "great rooms"
today.

Good hunting,
Jim Crank