Showing off its pipes: Organ makes Heights Theater one of a kind in the Twin Cities
Organ at Heights Theater changes movie-going experience
The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights has pipes, organ pipes to be exact. FOX 9's Maury's Glover has the story.
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A local theater is reviving the golden age of cinema with live pipe organ performances before classic movies.
A classic movie night with a twist at the Heights Theater
What we know:
The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights stands out for its classic movie nights, where audiences are treated to a live pipe organ performance before the film begins. Head organist Ed Copeland welcomes moviegoers and brings a piece of old Hollywood to the modern audience.
Copeland said, "I love that we're keeping history alive." He also shared, "It's a beautiful theater. Yes, it's only one screen, but it's an experience that you don't get anywhere else."
On select nights, Copeland takes center stage to play the theater’s mighty Wurlitzer organ, setting the mood before the movie starts. He said, "You don't see these every day and people haven't seen them very often."
Copeland’s passion for the pipe organ began 50 years ago after seeing one at Cicero's, a popular pizza place in the 1970s.
"To me, it's the most expressive instrument ever created. I can make it make just about any sound, and if there's something I don't have, I can make that sound too," said Copeland.
The Heights Theater originally had a smaller pipe organ when it opened in 1926, which was removed after movies switched to sound in the 1930s. In the late 1990s, a previous owner discovered the organ chambers had been plastered over and worked with the Land O Lakes Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society to restore an old pipe organ from a local radio station.
The restored organ has 1,100 pipes and can mimic a wide range of instruments and sound effects. Copeland said, "There are strings. There are tubas and trumpets." He added, "There are also things such as a cymbal roll. And the birds. And uh, streetcar bell whoop that's the train whistle where is the streetcar bell here it is um and various other things."
The magic of the mighty Wurlitzer and its impact on audiences
Why you should care:
The Heights Theater’s live organ performances offer a rare and immersive experience, especially in an era dominated by streaming.
Jeremy Marder, general manager of the Heights Theater, said, "I think it adds to the majesty of the experience of going to the movies. When you walk into the space, you see the glorious red curtain. You're about to watch something on the silver screen, right? We have this old Hollywood feeling."
Marder believes that having a pipe organ makes movie-going feel more like an event and helps preserve a piece of cinematic history.
"I love historic spaces and I love using these spaces the way that they were meant to be used," said Marder.
Not every audience member is always a fan of the organ’s volume.
Copeland recalled, "I have had an experience where a gentleman came up and got my attention and said, I really like what you're doing, but could you play more softly? I'm trying to talk to my wife. And there's the answer in the head, and then there's the answer that you give the customer, which is, I'll do my best, sir."
Celebrating a century
What they're saying:
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Heights Theater, and Copeland hopes the tradition will continue far into the future.
"I hope it will be around for another 100 years, but who knows what movie going in 100 years is going to be like. Yeah, maybe we'll have chips in our heads," said Copeland.