Greek Hall at Macy's Center City

The John Wanamaker Department Store was opened on March 12, 1877, with a totally new store replacing it on the same site and which opened in 1911. The huge 7-story Grand Court on the first floor was equipped with a 5 manual pipe organ which had been used at the 1904 St Louis Worlds Fair and installed in the Wanamaker store in 1909, and first played on June 22, 1911. Expanded greatly over the years, it is the largest playable organ in the world and was played daily during store opening hours.

Also in the building, on the 3rd floor, is the 128-seat Greek Hall which was originally equipped with an Austin organ. Since 2007 it has housed a Wurlitzer 2 manual organ. This instrument was originally installed in 1929 in the Fox Theatre, Appleton, WI. (later renamed Rio Theatre, it has its own page on Cinema Treasures). The Wurlitzer organ has been used to accompany silent movies screened in the Greek Hall.

Also in the Wanamaker Building was the Egyptian Hall which was also home to a 4-manual Austin organ, but that instrument has been removed from the building. The Egyptian Hall has been converted into administration office space and space for the Christmas holiday display of the Dickens Village.

In 2006 the Wanamaker Department Store became a Macy’s Center City Store, which closed on March 23, 2025. The organ in the Grand Court, is heritage listed and will be retained in the building when it eventually and hopefully will be repurposed, but the fate of the Wurlitzer in the Greek Hall is uncertain. Now used for occasional special events. In the last week of October 2025, a ‘silent horror series’ was curated by local movie critic Carrie Rickey. On October 27, 2025 the classic 1926 German silent movie “Faust” was screened with the Wurlitzer organ played by organist Ian Fraser. On October 28, the Swedish classic “The Phantom Carriage” (1921) with organ played by Don Kinnier. Head Wannamaker organist Peter Richard Conte played the organ for the German classic “Nosferatu” (1922) and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920) on October 29 & October 30. Don Kinnier played the organ for the Swedish classic “Haxan” (1922)) on Halloween, October 31. On November 10, 2025 Peter Richard Conte played the Grand Court Organ with “Phantom of the Opera (1925). The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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