April 2012
3 posts
1 tag
1 tag
Paramount Theatre Restoration News →
The Gazette published updates on the Paramount Theatre restoration efforts. The work continues, getting closer each day to completion and re-opening!
February 2012
4 posts
9 tags
As we were saying!
Sorry about the delays in updating the website and Facebook but a lot of neat stuff has been happening!
At the Paramount:
A new console was found. The Paramount’s organ (Opus 1907) shipped from Wurlitzer 7/16/28 and the new console (from Opus 1908) shipped 7/17/28.
The console is a three manual plain console and it will be rebuilt and redecorated to match the destroyed original...
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Paramount Theatre Restoration Approved
CRATOS is pleased to be able to report that the Cedar Rapids City Council, on Feb 4, 2009, voted to restore the flood-damaged Paramount Theatre. The restoration funding is inclusive of the theatre and the organ. The Cedar Rapids Gazette provided the update on this monumental decision.
More updates will be provided as details are released.
December 2008
1 post
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Paramount Theatre Floods Again
Just over 6 months since sustaining flooding from the Cedar River, the Paramount Theatre has flooded once again. This time a broken water pipe, apparently left unchecked, caused the building’s sub-basement, basement and orchestra pit to fill with water.
Fortunately this time the water was clean, but still damaging to an already flooded and closed building. The City of Cedar Rapids has not yet...
August 2008
1 post
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Roomates for the First Time in 80 Years
On August 2, 2008, the strangest thing since the Great Flood of 2008 happened in Cedar Rapids, IA. CRATOS members, assisted by the Rockwell Retiree Volunteers, and The History Center, moved the Wurlitzer and Barton consoles into the new organ restoration room. For the first time in the history of Cedar Rapids, two completely unique theatre organ consoles sat face to face, sharing in the same...
July 2008
2 posts
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The Rhinestone Barton Console Removed
Just shy of 1 month following the dramatic removal of the Paramount’s 1928 Wurlitzer Balaban 1A theatre organ console, CRATOS and CRBI coordinated another rescue effort. This time it was the 1928 Rhinestone Barton console from Theatre Cedar Rapids (formerly the Iowa Theatre).
The Barton console was damaged by the floodwaters, but the impact to the organ was not as visible and dramatic as the...
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CRATOS Speaks at ATOS 2008 National Convention
Members of the CRATOS Board of Directors made the journey to Indianapolis over the July 4th weekend to help raise worldwide awareness to the impact of the June 2008 flooding in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Ferreter, Kelzenberg and Marple attended the July 6, 2008 annual membership meeting at the request of Ken Double, ATOS President and CEO. At the start of the meeting, attended by an estimated 200 members...
June 2008
7 posts
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Our Wurlitzer’s Story In the News
In the midst of all of the activity over the past many days, we have been fortunate to have a significant amount of media interest in the story of the Paramount, and our Mighty Wurlitzer.
Local, state and national news organizations were onsite to spread the word of the danger the organ was in due to the flooding, and the efforts to pull the console from the theatre at the last minute as the...
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Cedar Rapids Flood Update – June 18 – The...
CRATOS members were summoned to the Paramount Theatre at 11:30am, Wednesday, June 18th at the behest of theatre management. Of concern was, and still is, the stability of the heavily damaged main stage. Based on the June 17th photos by The Gazette, the condition of the console was documented, but the condition of the pipe chambers was as-yet unkown.
We are deeply saddened to report that the...
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Cedar Rapids Flood Update – June 17 – First Entry...
We’re keeping this update brief as it’s been a long day. We gained entry into both theatres late today and took detailed photos of both the Paramount’s Wurlitzer and Iowa (TCR’s) Barton.
The Paramount is difficult to look at, the organ console off the lift and on its back and heavily damaged. We’re holding out for good news from the two pipe chambers once the building is a bit safer to get...
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Flood Update- Cedar Rapids, IA, June 14, 2008 8:30...
The Cedar River crested at 3:30pm on Friday, June 13, 2008, at roughly 20 ft above flood stage, and nearly 12 feet above the previous record of 20ft set in 1929.As CRATOS watches local news broadcasts we are holding out hope for the pipe chambers in both the Paramount and Iowa Theatres. Based upon news footage of the downtown, the water levels at the Paramount Theatre came within 1 foot of the...
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Flood Update – Cedar Rapids, IA 10:00pm June 15,...
A note from CRATOS President, Darren Ferreter:
I would like to begin by thanking everyone who has taken a moment to send notes of support to CRATOS after the flooding and organ damage that occurred in Cedar Rapids.
Although the water level is dropping, the Cedar River is not anywhere near being within its banks. The water current is swift and very enraged. CRATOS is days from accessing either...
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Flood Update – Cedar Rapids, IA, June 12, 2008...
The Cedar Rapids Paramount theatre and its 3/12 Wurlitzer:
As of 6:20pm Central time conversation with the theatre Management was that sandbags were breached at 7:00 this morning with water pouring in all doors.� It is believed that the water level is a few feet higher than the stage. This means blower, lift, lift motor, cable, and console are waterlogged. I am told the earliest anyone –...
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Cedar Rapids Flood Update – June 12, 2008 4:42 PM
As you may already be aware, Cedar Rapids, IA and the surrounding communities have been ravaged by record setting floods over the past several days.
CRATOS raised the organ console at the Paramount Theatre to its highest level on Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the flood. On the morning of June 12, 2008, the flood waters were reported to have entered the theatre. We are awaiting further...