#Lyon healy harp bench with queen anne leg movie
The interior of the Byrd Theatre, a 1928 movie palace in Richmond, Virginia, shown in 2021.Īs a result of its longevity, the Byrd Theatre was designated as a Virginia Historic Landmark in 1978, followed in 1979 by listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Wurlitzer is still played Saturday nights by current house organist Bob Gulledge. In the 1950s, Dick Leibert made recordings playing the organ. Newberry, Slim Mathis, Bill Dalton, Harold Warner, Eddie Weaver, Art Brown, James Hughes, Lin Lunde, and Bob Lent. House organists have been Carl Rhond, Wilma Beck, Waldo S. In the left box there is a Wurlitzer grand piano which can be played from the organ console or its own keyboard and a 37-note xylophone that plays from the console. There is a Lyon and Healy harp which is purely ornamental and does not play, along with a marimba that does play from the organ console in the right box. As the sound level of the pipes themselves cannot be changed, the sound levels in the actual auditorium are controlled by large slats called swell shades that open and close to control the volume and a tone chute that carries the sound from the fourth floor. There is an electrical and pneumatic switching system that aids the organist in choosing which pipes and other devices to use (all of the pipe work, bells, drums, and other effects are acoustic and not electronic). The basement also houses a vacuum blower for the piano and an elevator room which raises the organ console to stage level for performances. The Wurlitzer organ of the Byrd Theatre is housed in four rooms on the fourth floor above the stage. Because at the time there was uncertainty whether "talkies" would continue to be popular and a significant number of the films distributed were still silent, the Byrd also included a Wurlitzer Theatre organ. The other original sound system was from Western Electric. " The Jazz Singer," generally acknowledged as the first talking film, was recorded using this system. One of these was Vitaphone, a relatively new sound synchronization system using phonograph records that was commercially developed by Warner Brothers. More unusual features included a central vacuum system and a natural spring which used to supply water to the air conditioning system.īuilt during the transition between silent and talking pictures, the designers outfitted the theatre with two sound systems. In addition to eleven Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers, including an 18-foot, two-and-a-half ton chandelier suspended over the auditorium (with over 5,000 crystals illuminated by 500 red, blue, green and amber lights), the interior features imported Italian and Turkish marble, hand-sewn velvet drapes, and oil on canvas murals of Greek mythology. The interior features a lavish design by the Arthur Brunet Studios of New York. The balcony is open whenever attendance requires and occasionally at other times by making a donation to the Byrd Theatre Foundation. Inside, the theatre contains orchestra seating (main) for 916 and balcony seating for 476. The theatre's architect and contractor was Fred Bishop, and is considered to be of a French Empire style design. The original Brenkert Master Brenograph (F7 Model) is still used to project the Byrd Theater logo on the curtain (along with other effects). In 1953, the original 35mm Simplex standards were replaced by Simplex XL 35mm projectors and the theater now mainly uses a Barco digital projector (although both 35mm Projectors are maintained and still used from time to time) as seen on a Historic Richmond 2015 tour of the projection room. In addition, the manager at the time was Robert Coulter, who remained the manager until his retirement in 1971, and is rumored to haunt the theatre. The first movie was the film " Waterfront", a First National film starring Dorothy Mackaill and Jack Mulhall. At the time, adult tickets were 50 cents for evening shows and 25 cents for matinees, while a child's tickets was only 10 cents. The Byrd Theatre opened for the first time on December 24, 1928. It was then named after William Byrd II, founder of the city of Richmond. The original name for the theater was the State Theater, but by the completion of the construction the name was already taken. The builders were Charles Somma and Walter Coulter. Built in 1928, the theater cost $900,000 (inflation adjusted equivalent $12,430,000 in 2014) to construct.