Pipe Organs in WA
 
 
 
 
 

Ambassador's Theatre, Perth
The pipe organs of Western Australia



Perth Ambassador's Theratre
Stanfield Holliday at the Ambassador's console

Perth Ambassadors

Perth Ambassadors

console

Property
Name of institution   Ambassador's Theatre
Type of institution0   Cinema
Street Address   Hay Street
City   Perth
State   Western Australia
Postcode   6000
Country   Australia
Name of building   Ambassador's Theatre
Name of room   Theatre
Dates of the building   1928
Register of Heritage Places  
Heritage Place number  
Architect   Bohringer, Taylor and Johnson
Builder  

Special architectural features and fittings   The Ambassador’s theatre with a wide frontage in Hay Street, Perth was built for Union Theatres Ltd, opening on 29th September 1928. In 1938 Union Theatres withdrew from participation in cinemas in Western Australia, and Greater Union did not make a return to that state until the 1970s. Hoyts Theatres Ltd took over the management of the Ambassador’s, selling the lease it had on Perth’s Regent theatre. Hoyts carried out some refurbishment, employing architect William Leighton (who had worked with the Bohringer firm) - he stripped “much of the flamboyant air from the interior”, and provided a more modern streetscape façade.

The theatre finally closed on 4th February 1972 and was then demolished.

The theatre was another in the “atmospheric style” with the theme of a Florentine garden, similar to but smaller than the Capitol theatre in Sydney, New South Wales. Parochial debates took place as to which was the better.

Other location information  

Name of contact  
Mailing Address  
Telephone  
Email  
Other contact information  

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Previous organ(s)
Date of previous organ   None
Detail of previous organ  
Dates when key work has been undertaken  
Dates of any moves that have taken place  
Variations from original design of organ  
Information on previous organ  
Information about comparable instruments to previous organ  
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Present organ
Type of installation   Organ chambers

Case description  

Placement in room   Front chambers

Builder's name   Wurlitzer Co., Tonawanda, N.Y., USA.

Opus number   1902

Date of completion/installation   1928

Construction materials  

Number of manuals   Three (3)

Key compasses   CC-ccc

Number of keys   61

Key material  

Pedal compass   CC-g

Number of pedals   32

Pedalboard type   radiating concave

Pedalboard material  

Type of chests  

Type of key action   Electro-pneumatic

Type of stop action   Electro-pneumatic

Couplers  

Tremulants  

Accessories   

Console type   Remote horse-shoe style stopkey console

Stop label material  

Placement  

General design  

Playing aids  

Divisions   Main, Solo

Wind pressures  

Stop list  
MAIN
Tuba Horn
Diapason
Clarinet
Viol
Celeste
Flute
Vox Humana
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SOLO
Brass Trumpet
Tibia Clausa
String
Orchestral Oboe
Kinura
Oboe Horn
Quintadena
Brass Saxophone
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Total number of stops  

Total number of ranks   15

Total number of pipes  

Dates when key work has been undertaken on current organ  

Dates of any moves that have taken place to current organ   Removed 1946 to Regent Theatre, Melbourne, and incorporated into 4 manual organ reconstructed by Lancelot Smith.

Information on current organ  
paper

When the Ambassador's opened in 1928 it was equipped with WurliTzer theatre pipe organ, opus No. 1902, style 260, of 3 manuals and 15 ranks.

In all there were six style 260 WurliTzer organs came to be installed in Australia. The organ was opened by Les Waldron. Other organists who performed at the theatre included Jack Laing, Bernie Randall, Jimmie Miller , Reubert Hayes and Stanfield Holliday.

In 1945 a disastrous fire gutted the prestigious Regent theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, completely destroying its 4 manual 21 ranks WurliTzer theatre organ (opus 2009). Hoyts reconstructed the Regent and removed the Ambassador's organ, reinstalling it in the Regent with a rebuilt console and 4 added ranks from the Paramount theatre (Melbourne) WurliTzer opus 359, as an organ of 4 manuals and 19 ranks. The organ remained in the Regent until 1969 when it was sold.

The purchaser, organist Alan Tranter, placed the organ in storage and it has not been heard of again.

Comparable instruments to current organ  

Assessment of organ and current status   No longer in this location

Other organs by this builder   There are several organs by Wurlitzer Co in Western Australia. Please refer to Western Australian Organs Builders Index

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Document control Original entries J R Elms, OAM, Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999, 2003 and 2004.
This entry D B Duncan 07 January 2009.
Historical photograph of the organ console from the Australian Theatre Organs web site.
Photograps of the theatre exterior and stage from Theatre Organs under the Southern Cross.
Information about the theatre and organ from Rod Blackmore.
Additional article on the renown organist Les Waldron was written by John Fuhrmann in April 2011, link added 22 May 2011.
Newspaper clip and photo of console sourced by Andrew Gardner 16 April 2020.