Thanks to Dean Smith for bringing attention to the current plight of
Joe Patton of Atlanta Fox fame.  In the mid-1970's the fabulous Fox
building had been closed and was about to be razed in order to build a
new building for Southern Bell (now Bellsouth).  There was a huge
groundswell of support to save the Moorish-style building which houses
the theatre.  Atlanta Landmarks was formed to push this effort forward
and thankfully was successful in working out a plan to save the Fox
with Southern Bell building on property behind the Fox on West
Peachtree Street.  Subsequently, the Fox Theatre was faithfully
restored to its former grandeur at the cost of millions of dollars by
Atlanta Landmarks, and has become one of the most successful performing
arts centers in the country.

The Fox, which opened Christmas Day, 1929, contained a 4-manual, 42-rank
Moller pipe organ which is now the crown jewel of the beautifully
restored theater.  Originally intended as the Yaarab Temple Shrine
Mosque, the headquarters for a 5,000-member Shriners organization, the
$2.75 million project was completed only with funding and a 21-year
lease by movie mogul William Fox, who was building theaters around the
country at the time.

Joe Patten and a group of theater organ enthusiasts received permission
to work on the organ and started in January, 1963.  At that time the
organ was practically unplayable, but by November of that year it was
ready to be re-introduced to the public.  Originally, the organ was to
be played for the first time in many years by Bob Van Camp (of WSB
radio station fame) on Saturday, November 23, 1963, the day after
Kennedy was shot in Dallas.  It was decided to postpone the organ
opening for a week in order that it not be associated with Kennedy's
assassination.  Joe Patten led the group and did most of the work on
the organ himself.  The "Mighty Mo" as the organ is affectionately know
has been used regularly since that time and is still maintained in
pristine condition.

After the theater's restoration in 1979, the Atlanta Landmarks trustees
offered Joe the opportunity to become the building's technical director
and convert a rather large unused space into an apartment where he
would live.  He was given a life-time lease that actually would extend
four months past his death.  Of course the Atlanta Landmarks guard has
changed many times in the ensuing years, and now the powers-that-be are
trying to renege on the agreement with him and move him out of the
building.  Not only did Joe help save the Fox in 1974, he also saved
the building from what could have been a catastrophic fire in 1996,
when during the night he smelled smoke and called the fire department.

His apartment does contain a reproducing piano, a Chickering Ampico, I 
think.

Bobby Clark
Raleigh, NC

P.S.  The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga has a
4-manual, 78-rank Austin pipe organ, that has been recently restored.
In July, 2007, the Chattanooga Music Club, responsible for acquiring
the organ in 1925, celebrated the organ's restoration with a concert
featuring Peter Richard Conte, the organist of the famed Wanamaker (now
Macy's) store organ in Philadelphia.  The beautiful Tivoli Theatre in
Chattanooga has a fine 3-manual, 13-rank Wurlitzer pipe organ.