Organ Grinder Restaurant facts for kids

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The Organ Grinder Restaurant was a super popular pizza place in Portland, Oregon. It was open from 1973 to 1996. This restaurant was famous for having the biggest theater pipe organ of its kind anywhere!

History of the Organ Grinder Pizza Place

The Organ Grinder first opened its doors on August 26, 1973. It was located at 5015 Southeast 82nd Avenue in Portland. Two brothers, the Forchuks, teamed up with Dennis Hedberg to start it. The Forchuks helped with money, and Dennis Hedberg was the expert on organs.

The restaurant first opened for members of the American Theatre Organ Society. Then, on September 27, 1973, it opened to everyone. It was a huge hit right away! They made about $8,000 every night. Being in the middle of Portland made it easy for people to visit.

In 1979, a second Organ Grinder opened in Denver, Colorado. Dennis Hedberg used parts from other organs to make the Portland organ even better. By April 1985, Dennis Hedberg owned the entire restaurant.

The Organ Grinder closed in 1996. When it shut down, parts of the giant organ were sold. Some pipes went to Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, Arizona. The main control panel, called the console, moved to a center in Groton, Massachusetts.

The Amazing Organ and Its Shows

Dennis Hedberg wanted to build an organ with every type of pipe and sound from the famous Wurlitzer organ company. He also wanted to learn more about how organ sounds vibrate. The main part of the organ came from a Wurlitzer organ in Portland's Oriental Theatre.

Many other organ parts were added over time. These included giant pipes from Portland's Liberty Theatre. There were also parts from organs in Chicago, Cleveland, and other cities. Eventually, the organ grew to have nearly 4,000 pipes!

By 1988, it was the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ in the world. It even had a special "dive alarm" from a real submarine! The original control panel moved to another pizza place in Vancouver, Washington. A bigger, four-manual control panel from Boston was put in its place.

During shows, a mechanical monkey played cymbals with the organist. They often played Sousa's Washington Post March. A real monkey named Pizza Pete also entertained guests. He would roam around with a hurdy-gurdy player. Pizza Pete would ask for tips to fill his tin can.

Silent movies were shown every hour, with the organ playing along. A costumed "Mitzi Mouse" character was also part of the fun. Bubble machines in the ceiling blew bubbles everywhere, which kids loved!

The organ was a big draw for organ fans. It was featured at the 1973 convention of the American Theatre Organ Society. In 1985, the restaurant started playing "Old-Time Gospel Music" on Sunday afternoons.

The Unique Building Design

The Organ Grinder building looked like a giant organ pipe. Will Martin was the architect who designed it. The huge organ was placed right in the middle of the dining room. The restaurant could seat 450 people on three levels, including a balcony.

The walls were made of natural cedar wood. Bright lights like those on a theater marquee lit up the ceiling. Today, the building is still used as a Chinese buffet.

The organ was kept in glass rooms. You could see these rooms from inside and outside the restaurant. To keep the organ in tune, a huge cooling system was installed. This system weighed twenty tons and kept the rooms at a steady temperature.

Food at the Organ Grinder

The Organ Grinder was known for serving better pizza than most "pizza and pipes" places. However, their dough-making machines were old. They couldn't make enough dough for all the customers. So, they had to buy frozen dough. This made the pizza taste not as good. Even after they fixed the problem, some people still remembered the lower quality.

One special pizza was called Percussion Pizza. It was a taco pizza! They also served yummy onion rings.

Music Recorded at the Organ Grinder

Many recordings were made using the amazing organ at the Organ Grinder. Here are some of them:

• The Organ Grinder's Wurlitzer was one of three organs used for Symphonic Suite for Three Organs by Richard Purvis.
• (1975) Jonas – Jonas Nordwall, organist
• (1976) At the Organ Grinder – David Lee, Jonas Nordwall, Paul Quarino, Don Simmons organists.
• (1976) David Lee – David Lee, organist.
• (1977) Omnibus – Jonas Nordwall, organist
• (1979) At the Organ Grinder Volume 2 – Russ Chilson, Jack Coxon, Jonas Nordwall, Paul Quarino, Don Simmons organists
• (1979) At the Organ Grinder (Denver) – Jonas Nordwall, Patti Simon organists
• (1979) Space Organ – Crystal Clear – Jonas Nordwall, organist
• (unknown) Don Simmons Plays The Organ Grinder Wurlitzer Pipe Organ – Don Simmons organist
• (1985) Power Pipes - Dan Bellomy, organist.
• (unknown) Ho Ho Ho – James Nordwall, organist
• (unknown) Omnificent – Jonas Nordwall, organist
• (unknown) Bits, Bytes & Pipes – James Nordwall, organist
• (unknown) Bits, Bytes & Pipes volume 2 – James Nordwall, organist