Castro Organ Devotees Association

[1] The theater is a popular San Francisco movie palace, built in the 1920s, which gained Historic Landmark status in 1976.

"[6] Once the installation is complete CODA hopes to; have students intern and practice playing the large instrument, set up tours and special events, and act as an attraction for people who seek out the music of the large pipe organs including concert organists.

Located at 429 Castro Street, in the Castro district, it was built in 1922 with a Spanish Colonial Baroque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window surmounted by a scrolling pediment framing a niche—to the recently rebuilt basilica of Mission Dolores nearby.

The interior is luxurious and ornate, with subtly convex and concave walls and ceiling and the dramatic Mighty Wurlitzer Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra pipe organ that is played before films and events.

[4] Today, the Castro Theatre hosts repertory movies, film festivals, and special events, including gay and multicultural focus.

In recent years, the Castro has been the site for gala tributes to many legendary Hollywood stars making appearances with a showing of one of their movies, including Tony Curtis, Ann-Margret, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Russell, and Sandra Dee—many of the events produced by local impresario Marc Huestis.

[11] The theater can project modern digital formats such as DCP with 5.1 Dolby sound[12] and can accurately reproduce the classic silent film experience by projecting custom frame rates anywhere between 12 and 30 frames per second, including the ability to speed up or slow down during a film.

[15] Ray Taylor and his sons began "assembling the all-Wurlitzer pipe organ in 1979", getting parts from many sources, like the console from a Detroit theater.

[4] The assembled Mighty Wurlitzer Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra console and organ were leased to the Castro Theatre in 1978, the deal taking four years to culminate in an agreement.

Hegarty formed a non-profit group CODA, and they secured a grant to buy the remaining parts of the present organ set-up minus the console and a fourth of the pipes.

[1] The current owners of the Castro Theatre are very supportive of the effort as the refurbishment fits in with their plans to offer more special and performing arts events instead of relying on movie sales.

[1] CODA is using outreach techniques including concerts, facility tours, lectures, and organ conventions and events.

[16] It is usually lowered right before the stage show unfolds and commonly in conjunction with the chorus of "Theme from San Francisco" with the audience clapping along.

The Castro Theatre in San Francisco, anchors The Castro business district and is home to the Mighty Wurlitzer Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra pipe organ .
The original Castro Theatre was located down the street from the present location at 479 Castro Street
The Mighty Wurlitzer Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra console, from the Nethercutt Collection , showing four manuals and colour-coded stop tabs. The configuration of the Castro Theatre's current hybrid organ is similar. The new console will have seven manuals which is designed so that every key can be reached while performing. The Castro Theatre's pipe ranks are split on either side of the stage and hidden by large organ grills.