George Cardinal Mundelein Auditorium Theatre Organ

At The Seminary of University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Il

Photo scanned from Post Card and supplied by Jon C. Habermaas

This 4/20 Howell-WurliTzer Organ is located in the auditorium of the seminary at University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Il. The University web page lists the auditorium as having a fully equipped stage, projection equipmentand a theatre pipe organ. The organ was originally a 14 rank Pete Howell organ when installed in the Al Carney radio studio in Chicago. Pete Howell acquired a 4 manual Wurlitzer console considered surplus by the Chicago Theatre, had the Geneva Organ Company of Geneva, IL, construct a relay/switchboard to control the organ made up of Pete Howell unit chests and Gottfried pipe work. After Carney's death, the organ was acquired at the request of Cardinal Mundelein in 1934 for installation in the new seminary auditorium. The Kilgen Organ Company of St. Louis installed the organ in the seminary auditorium making some Kilgen additions as part of the installation. The 4m Ebony WurliTzer console is from the Chicago Theatre and was the console which rode on the orchestra's lift and was played by Jesse Crawford when performing duets with his wife Helen. The organ is now 20 ranks, 13 ranks of WurliTzer pipework, 7 ranks recently added through the addition of most of the WGN organ, recently donated to the seminary by the Tribune Company. The remaining pipework is from Kimball, Gottfried, Trivo and Schopps. The organ is maintained for the seminary by CATOE and is used for student programs and is heard publicly several times a year for shows presented by CATOE and JATOE.  For any possible program information check out the Current Theatre Organ Installation Database and type in:"IL" in state block and "Mundelein" in City block and click on Search Icon.

CARDINAL GEORGE MUNDELEIN MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM

University St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein,  Illinois

MUNDELEIN CHAMBER ANALYSIS

SOLO MAIN BRASS TRUMPET* ........... Wurlitzer ORCHESTRAL OBOE........ Schopps (copy of Wurlitzer)  TIBIA CLAUSA ...................Gottfried (original)* tc LIEBLICT GEDACKT (small scale Wurlitzer residence Tibia) SAXAPHONE.......................Trivo  POSTHORN.........................Bob Schopps   VIOLIN DIAPASON......................... Kilgen VOX HUMANA .................Wurlitzer* * 16 ft, Hinners Tibia (12 note extension of Tibia) 16' CONCERT FLUTE* ................Wurlitzer KRUMET....................................... Bob Schopps 16' VIOLIN...................................  Wurlitzer VIOL CELESTE............................ Wurlitzer TIBIA CLAUSA* ...........................Wurlitzer FOUNDATION     PERCUSSION (UNEXPRESSED) 16' DIAPASON ................................Wurlitzer ** QUINTADENA ...........................Gottfried (original) OBOE HORN .................................Wurlitzer' CLARINET..................................... Wurlitzer 16' TUBA HORN * .........................Wurlitzer  16' VIOLIN*  .................................Wurlitzer VIOLIN  CELESTE* ......................Wurlitzer ** 16' Octave Wurlitzer Metal Diaphone (12 notes) WOOD BAR HARP  DEAGAN VIBRA-HARP*  XYLOPHONE GLOCKENSPIEL  CHIMES TAMBOURINE CASTANETS SNARE DRUM I SNARE DRUM 11 BASS DRUM WOOD BLOCK SLEIGH BELLS TAP CYMBAL BRUSH CYMBAL CRASH CYMBAL BALWIN GRAND PIANO**  (IN ORCHESTRA PIT Played by a custom built vacuum powered Vorsetzer unit)  16' Wurlitzer Wooden Diaphone (18 notes) in pedal ( unexpressed / installed in stage area)

  NOTES: (*) denotes the WurliTzer portion which was in the WGN studios and donated
                      by the Tribune Company to the seminary. Originally as  2/7 (OPUS 2025)
                      it was installed in the WGN studio located in the DRAKE HOTEL. When the
                      WGN building was built the organ was enlarged to a 3/10 by the W.W.Kimball
                      with 3 additional Kimball ranks. The Kimball portion  of the organ was not
                      retained for the auditorium installation.
                (**) The Baldwin Grand piano playable from the organ console was donated by
                       WLS-TV to the seminary.

Only 2 of the original Gottfried ranks remain from the Carney organ.

9 ranks of pipes were stolen in the '60s which required replacement ranks .

                16' Diaphone, Clarinet & Dog house are electronic pedal extensions with
                speakers located in the Foundation chamber.

The organ is, as it has always been, a reflection of the late Cardinal Mundelein's interest in the theatre pipe organ.

CATOE remains dedicated to the maintenance of this instrument as the finest possible example of the "Golden Age"

of the theatre pipe organ.

Updated 17 August 2012

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