Chicago Stadium Barton Organ Removal - 1 of 3

[@Eltamir]

Sure miss that sound. You people in Chicago who went to games in the old stadium must have great memories!

[@spbjr82]

Want to cry ! I miss the old stadium with this organ . I remember being a kid in the 80s at games and the organ would make the floor shake . Loved hockey games there. Wish I could go back in time to see and hear the roar once more . The new united center is not the same , they should have bulit the organ into the united center .

[@oggemeister1238]

Why did ther remove the organ?

[@lawrencekeesler7369]

The old stadium was scheduled to be torn down.

[@818Dimples]

I miss the 7 manuel Barton theater pipe organ

[@stepheneggert7388]

Im glad i was able to bring my son to the last playoff games..to see hockey..he is 29 yrs old now..he still remembers being in there.to this day..i wanted him to experience old time hockey..as it was then..and the feel of the barton..as the bld..vib..when it was played..

[@jgroend]

@miloni I grew up in the Chicago area and heard "Mel" many times. I've always wondered what was the name of the song he played at the start and finish of every performance. I also ha d the surprise of my life in 1980 when I was working in my store, and a man came in to buy some materials. we got to talking a little bit, and it turned out he was one of the builders of the mighty organ. It was an amazing sounding organ, nothing else like it.

[@forgedtofight]

Paying my respects to this truly wonderful organ

[@furrypeanut1]

@keyboardjeff its called Save The Organ. they have a section appropriately named Stoplists. There are several things of the barton, but all but one are just chamber analyisis. The one closest to the top of the page includes a lot of information. including the stoplist

[@matts.6904]

Someone needs to rebuild an organ like this in a big stadium again so everyone can experience it.

[@C-ROY57]

UNITED CENTER!

[@KingdaToro]

That console looks incredibly similar to that of the Boardwalk Hall Midmer-Losh, just with one fewer manual and about half as many rows of stop tabs.

[@TastyOther]

@3dwurli Surely the comment is saying that they sampled the organ BEFORE dismantling it, and then used those samples in an electronic replacement?

[@topper2142]

So sad the see such an awesome organ torn apart,its a piece of history!I wish they could have saved most of it and used it in the new building.

[@pipeorganest]

Plot Twist: The organ melted and burned compleatly in a warehouse fire a few years later. The Console Survived, Which was located in a Trailer next to the warehouse. Cause of fire was a propane tank explosion. I believe another Barton and a Wurlitzer were also lost in the fire. The console is owned by Phill (Uncle) Maloof, the owner of the NFL or NBA something like that and is located in Las vegas, and hooked up to pipes of a kimbal if my memory is correct.

[@lindastoever4683]

PipeOrganist Bobby just happened to be up in Chicago when that happened.

[@shiningarmor2838]

They had to rename the stop tabs

[@angelsone-five7912]

+Shining Armor This sort of thing happens so often I can`t help wondering if there isn`t a "helping" hand behind it.

[@JRaymondT]

I think it is largely a Hauptwerk (or similar) virtual pipe organ today. Maybe some Kimball pipes.

[@TheBaritoneCrooner]

Man-o-man! I love the sound of blower start up!

[@JonasClark]

So, this is playing in Phil Maloof's home now - playing a Barton, too - anyone know if Maloof still has the Roxy Kimball console (and I have no clue what organ the pipes it controlled came from) that was in Roxy's Pizzeria at the Fiesta in LV for a short time?

[@Ken_Weber_organist]

Sadly, I learned that the remainder of the organ was stored in Arizona and was destroyed in a fire

[@KCMDButcher42]

Could you post some of the songs on youtube? Where can I find such a CD?

[@JJJJay]

Was any of the organ ever sent to the HHOF? It'd make sense if it was and I HOPE it was.

[@andyt1424]

I read on the tribute website to this organ was that it had 6 bass drums 12 snare drums and about 12 cymbals? Does anyone have any pictures of them?

[@rdadal]

Some body put the entire recordings of Al Melgard at the Chicago Stadium organ on cds. I was lucky and picked it up at Ebay. There are eight albums in the pack. My very favorite song he played, I attended hockey games at The Stadium, was "Stormy Weather," with the thunder.

[@benwiersum]

I have that CD set. I just bought it on eBay myself, it arrived today. 5/4/2020. Do you remember which track or which CD Stormy Weather is on? I'll find it eventually by listening to them all, but if you know I'll start there.

[@rdadal]

Can't do it. Gave set away.

[@Tombo5150]

Is that Frank Pellico at the beginning?

[@RefrigeratedWaffles2]

Yes that was Pellico.

[@EmeraldPixelGamingEPG]

No I'm pretty sure that was Bob Roppolo as I saw him playing elsewhere and it looks exactly the same. He is also the one involved in removing it as he purchased the organ when the stadium shut down.

[@tommytimp]

@topper2142 I believe they actually took digital copies of every key and every stop and fed them to the new organ, which is one reason they sound so similar. But it is a shame they couldn't salvage the whole instrument or the pipes.

[@slapshot1343]

The sound still sends beautiful chills through my spine

[@furrypeanut1]

@keyboardjeff This organ has 884 stops. It wouldn't fit in the description.

[@rparry82]

couple questions, Where is that organ today...and Second how long did it take to remove the entire organ and pieces(pipes, valves, etc)

[@dairylandsportswi]

The organ console is in the residence of the late Phil Maloof. The actual pipes were destroyed in a storage fire.

[@docpj72]

One of a kind-a shame since that music at Hawks games at the Stadium was a thing of beauty!

[@karlcooper7016]

This is really sad this is like saying good bye to an old friend after he or she passes away and I'm from Detroit I remember the old Olympia.

[@KCMDButcher42]

We'll Meet Again. How ironic.

[@praestant8]

The technology didn't exist to sample the Barton in any sort of completeness. Sadly it appears after seeing this and reading the related articles they were "bought out" by Allen and in so doing condemned a piece of theater organ history. An all too typical American tragedy.

[@bombarde1701a]

I'm glad I have the "last recording" made on this organ prior to the removal..

[@manga12]

a shame it no longer exests but at least the organ was not destroyed outright like they used to do just tear the place down and the organ with it, they took it out but a fire destroyed the parts of the organ except for the consol, sad but did you say the united center has an organ? I would find it rare for a new stadium like that to have one even.

[@connorfiddle]

manga12 The United Center has an electric organ.

[@mrnasty02106]

@@connorfiddle Not sure what kind, but I heard it's a (then) newer one (not a shitty ass Hammond or something).

[@bigbadredsox]

The new place is a big fancy toilet. Won't ever go back. I miss the Madhouse.

[@Karlfalcon]

It seems to be somewhat of a tradition when removing organs.

[@EmeraldPixelGamingEPG]

Beginning song anyone?

[@matts.6904]

"We'll Meet Again"

[@EmeraldPixelGamingEPG]

Thank you

[@mrnasty02106]

The one at 6:15 (which is appropriate) is "Toccata and Fuege in D." I skipped past that, and picked up at 8:05. On another note, nice to hear PA-300's (and not Federal Q shit), as a siren buff.

[@EmeraldPixelGamingEPG]

@@mrnasty02106 Yes indeed, though a very bizarre slowed version, very much like it was improvised to a certain extent.

[@TouchMeKnott]

@rdadal My Dad put his records on CD, but we don't have Stormy Weather. My Vision is incomparable. I play it by ear, and try to repeat every nuance. Melgard was the best I've heard on that organ. It was sin to dismantle it. My Mom and Dad were there for the days when they called "Hey Al, Stormy Weather." I was there in the 60's when Melgard was at his finest. No one could touch Melgard in commanding that organ.

[@818Dimples]

😢😮😢😮😢😮😢😮

[@karlcooper7016]

How in hell did the Blackhawks lose to the Canadians in game 7 of the 1971 Stanley cup finals with that organ and that tradition and that Chicago stadium crowd?

[@benmadison2349]

It must have been breath taking to be in one of those chambers, its a pity that it was decided to store this treasure next to "Propane Tanks" what were these people thinking? and decided to take a electronic substitute, lovely.

[@bobroppolo1986]

Hi Ben, You don't have the story exactly right, There was a motor home parked next to the warehouse building, the motor home caught fire due to some kind of an electrical problem. Once the motor home caught fire the propane tank in the motor home exploded and the fire started. Thanks, Bob Roppolo, I was the person that bought the organ. [e-mail]

[@benmadison2349]

Oh, i stand corrected then but still, instead maybe they would investigated the area or let someone who knew more about pipe organs and where to store it in a better place. I just wish it was here I would loved to here it myself.

[@benmadison2349]

oh i stand corrected then, but sigh, i wish they would have investigated the place before storing it, if they had maybe Chicago and this native VA would have been able to see history for itself. sigh a treasure now lost.

[@stepheneggert1551]

Mr Rocky w...pls bring home our old Barton console...to the uc. not in a booth..that's so 1995..out with the old..before mr.moloff..in vagas sell it the the new hockey venue out there...it needs to be out in the crowd u can do this for the best hockey fan in the world.. go to Tampa Bay ...they got the best organ in the NHL.

[@Sthunderrocker]

This makes me sick... S

[@danielmurphy4415]

WHY DID THEY TAKE DOWN SUCH A FABOULAS ORGAN!!!!!

[@benwallace2158]

the staduim was bulit in the 20s

[@bobroppolo1986]

They tried to move the organ across the Street to the United Center, however the United Center was already designed and the building was not designed for the weight of the organ in the ceiling. Thanks, Bob Roppolo I was the person that bought it. As far as the fire, there was a motor home parked next to the building that caught fire and the building was a metal building with the wood pipe stacked inside against the walls and the heat from the fire caught the pipe on fire, once that happened the whole building went up in flames. The console was in my home on display, that why it was saved. [e-mail]