A truly unique musical entertainment experience. Dennis and Mary Lou Ammann of Highland, IL welcome you and your group to enjoy their residence‑60 seat “PALACE THEATRE”. It isMR INS complete with a restored 1928 Barton 12 rank theatre pipe organ Unlike the classical church pipe organs, the theatre organs were built to perform popular music and accompany the silent movies of the1920’s. The “unit orchestras”, as they were called, utilized unusual shaped organ pipes that produced orchestral sounds. The organs also
came equipped with a real piano, chimes, glockenspiel, xylophone, harp, tuned musical sleigh bells, drums, cymbals, and the sound effects used to accompany silent movies. Everything was playable fi7om the console and was under he control of one person, the organist. These instruments were then, and still are today, truly a delight to see and hear. Other than the 4‑manual Wurlitzer at the Fabulous Fox in St. Louis and the custom built organ at the historic Lincoln Theatre in Belleville, M, this marvelous theatre pipe organ is the only one in the entire metro area that is
available to experience. It is installed so that all of the percussion, such as the piano, chimes, glockenspiel, etc., and the mechanisms that make them play are visible to the audience.
. Artist in residence Dennis Ammann is currently the Vice President of the St. Louis chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, a non‑profit corporation with local chapters all over the world whose goals are restoration, education and public awareness of these totally American musical machines. In real life, he is in the insurance business. He performs regularly in the lobby of the Fox Theatre on the 2‑manual 11 rank Wurlitzer and the 3 ‑manual 15 rank organ in the Lincoln Theatre. He has also performed on the
4 manual Wurlitzer in the Fox auditorium. A popular performing artist, he has composed his own organ scores and accompaniments for feature length silent films, such as: “The Phantom of the Opera” staffing Lon Chaney and “The General” starring Buster Keaton. These and others can be shown in the Palace Theatre.