Back in September, we visited the Basement Bijou, otherwise known as the house that Fred Hermes, Sr. built in the 1950s in Racine WI.
Inside this unassuming three-bedroom home on the shore of Lake Michigan, is a 18ft-deep basement, built to house a very rare 5-manual Wurlitzer pipe organ – Wurlitzer only built three organs with five-manual consoles, and this was the largest specification of those three, at 28 ranks of pipes. (There were larger overall instruments built, but with four manual consoles.) Fred used some clever negotiating skills to purchase the instrument from Detroit’s Michigan Theatre, where it had been walled up and was no longer in use.
The installation grew over time, with the organ growing to 34 ranks, and the basement becoming a mini movie palace, complete with chandeliers, theatre seats, balcony, and projection booth – made up of plasterwork, components and fixtures salvaged from multiple venues.
(The plasterwork and fixtures include many items from the Venetian Theatre in Racine – the demise of which was captured on 8mm motion picture film by Douglas Wick, who has kindly provided his footage to the documentary.)
But, good things can’t last forever. With Fred Sr.’s passing in April, 2018, the extended family living in multiple states, and the house and instrument in a state of decline, the Basement Bijou was in peril.
When we interviewed Fred Hermes, Jr., back in September, the main focus of the interview was the early collectors and rescuers of theatre pipe organs, like his father, who saved many instruments from being lost, and found creative new uses for them. The Bijou was a fitting backdrop for this discussion, because it’s one of the earliest, largest, and most unusual home installations of a major, transplanted theatre pipe organ.
But we also discussed the possibility of the property being sold intact – organ, chandeliers, plaster and all – to a group that would repair and sustain the property for the education and entertainment of future generations. Unfortunately, this ultimately did not come to fruition.
However, all is not lost. The American Theatre Organ Society, a nonprofit, recently secured the rights to the instrument, and has arranged for the safe disassembly, packing, and storage of the organ. (The ATOS is accepting contributions to support this effort.)
Separately, a group from the Kenosha Theatre, which we’ve covered in its own mini-documentary, is removing some of the plasterwork and lighting fixtures for use in their own movie palace restoration efforts. (Sadly, only a fraction of all of the theatre memorabilia was able to be saved. Another party is taking the seats, but much of the plasterwork will likely be demolished.)
By chance, no less than five of our previous interview subjects are involved in the disassembly of the Bijou, some who had not previously met, and one who had never visited the Bijou before.
It was just too much for a documentary filmmaker to resist, and thanks to a generous backer (who wishes to remain anonymous) who provided airfare, lodging, and about 1,000 miles of driving services over the course of a week, the final days of the Basement Bijou have been extensively filmed, and will be part of the documentary, as well as a planned stand-alone piece.
Filmmaker’s note: During the deconstruction, one of our cameras decided to take a leap from the balcony, and is taking pictures no more. If you would like to contribute toward the documentary’s production, now would be a very opportune time!
You can help support the project by purchasing from the Crowdfunding Shop.
