1928 Spillman Carousel & 1908 Wurlitzer Band Organ Grand Rapids, MI

[cossack207]

thank you! i remember riding this on Russian Days !!!!!!!!

[charrmmee]

beautiful - thanks

[lauraandcalin]

It has found a wonderful home, and it enjoyed by many!

[markelram]

I was raised in Barnesville, PA and would ride that carousel every day for two weeks straight during the Bavarian Festival. I remember when they they came and dismantled it to move it out. At the time I didn't know where it was going. Looks like it found a nice home.

[SuperPowerStudios]

The carousel looks like Griffith Park

[anglerfly]

@SuperPowerStudios same maker.

[Wurlitzer157]

@SuperPowerStudios

It does if not almost identical, but unlike that carousel it's smaller and only has 3 rows compared to griffith park's 4 row carousel.

[DAD606]

I was there June 26 2010. The lovely restored organ was silent again! They had ugly canned band organ music on it. What a shame..

[Wurlitzer157]

@DAD606

It's obvious, it's because they turn off the organ after every ride.

[Wurlitzer157]

@DAD606

Well, it depends on the operators, I'm sure the organ worked, but if you wanted to hear it, I would've asked.

[lauraandcalin]

@DAD606

Last I went there, the organ was running again. I'm always disappointed when it's out. 

[anglerfly]

This is griffeth park

[mikrod5360]

I rode this Carousel when I was a Child at The Lakewood Amusement Park in Barnesville, Pa. back in the 1960's. It was a small Park with just a few rides. There was the shell of an Old roller coaster that had fallen down. In later years they held the Bavarian Beer Festivals there in the 70's The Park Closed years ago. Great to see they saved the Carousel! We lived in Saint Clair Pa. and it's nice to see it in Michigan where my Father was born and raised.

[KawhackitaRag]

Thanks for the nice video of the carousel and building! I think it works really well in this setting!

[anglerfly]

YOu sure it was the 157 or the stinson

[darvozz]

Thanks for posting this! I visited the museum in 1997 but the organ wasn't playing then. The tunes are "Spain" and "Memory Lane" from 165 roll 6626.

[brp12000]

There is currently only three Style 157's that are in public view. Two of them are not playable, being the the ones at Kiings Island and Knotts Berry Farm. The latter one has the modified facade to fit in the center of the four abreast Spillman machine at Griffith Park (there is a North Tonawanda 188 in that location now, not to be confused with the Stinson in the former 165 alcove).

[koasterkav]

I did not know that the Spillman at Griffith Park had the Wurlitzer 157 that sits dormat on the outside loft at Knott's Berry Farm! I took a photo of it recently, and noticed the drum flaps or fronts are at angles. That organ is in MAJOR need of repair and restoration.

[anglerfly]

A stinson band organ plays

[koasterkav]

Looks like the Griffith Park Merry Go Round in Los Angeles, and the one that burned down at Lincoln Park in Los Angeles back in 1976. The Wurlitzer 157 is a very rare find!

[Wurlitzer157]

Finally a Wurlitzer 157 on Youtube!!!(There's been short clips though)

[wurlitzer153duplex]

Nice carousel and organ. There are not many Wurlitzer style 157s still on public display and this one sounds pretty good. I do have to question the year of the organ, as the roll style it plays was not issued until the early 'teens.

It is more likely 1928, according to the NCA census:

"Music:Band Organ: 1928 Wurl 157"

nca-usa (dot) org / census / census-CLA (dot) html

[lauraandcalin]

The sign at the museum said the organ is from 1908, but I doubt the curators are infallible. The organ was gone the greater part of last year to have some work done on it, and I'm glad it's finally back-it sure beats the CD they were using!

[KawhackitaRag]

Yeah I'm sure the sign is just a misprint. Wurlitzer did not introduce the 157 model until 1922. In fact, almost all the organs Wurlitzer was making in 1908 were brass-horn organs with no automatic registers.

They didn't introduce their first 165-roll model until about 1914, and this was the 165. [the 157 plays style 165 rolls]

The 165 was based upon a German Gebruder Bruder design, while the 157 was based upon a French Gavioli design.