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Cellpic Sunday – The World’s Largest Wurlitzer Pipe Organ and Pizza?

The mighty Wurlitzer at Organ Stop Pizza.

Organ Stop Pizza isn’t your typical pizza place. It was founded in 1972 by William P. Brown, a real estate developer passionate about theater organs. The concept was unique: pizza and live music from a massive Wurlitzer organ. Brown’s first restaurant opened in Phoenix.

The organ in the Phoenix restaurant originally belonged to Grauman’s Hollywood Egyptian Theater, adding a touch of Hollywood history to that restaurant. The success of the Phoenix location led to the opening of a second Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa in 1975. This Mesa location boasted a Wurlitzer organ from the Denver Theater, which was expanded to 23 ranks for its new home.

When William Brown retired, the Phoenix location was sold, the organ purchased by a couple who put it in their own home in Illinois, and the building demolished. The Mesa Organ Stop also changed hands. Longtime employee and manager Mike Everitt and his business partner Brad Bishop took ownership. One of their top priorities was to enhance the restaurant’s famous pipe organ. Over the years, they meticulously acquired rare pipes and percussion instruments. This dedication transformed the Mesa Organ Stop into the home of the world’s largest Wurlitzer pipe organ. You can find more history about the unusual pizza shop and its magnificent Wurlitzer on their website here.

Music from the beautiful Wurlitzer.

The website linked above has a complete history of the organ and its ongoing modifications. The restaurant is popular not only for the entertainment but also for the food. Their website notes that 300,000 visitors enjoy a varied menu of both food and music. We ordered a large pizza and drinks for less than $40 US; the entertainment was free.

Phantom of the Opera.

I would be remiss not to provide a link to a video of this musical wonder in action. Several YouTube videos feature the large theater organ, including this one featuring The Phantom of the Opera. We enjoyed various musical genres during our meal, including motion picture themes, oldies, and more current tunes. The place was crowded with family-style seating at long tables. We couldn’t find any open seats on the main floor, but plenty of seating was available upstairs.

We were given a numbered receipt after ordering and paying for our food and drinks. Number boards in the main seating area lit up when each numbered order was ready. It was a bit of a wait for our order, but the time went fast while we listened to the music. We had no complaints about the quality of our pizza. We will visit again before leaving Arizona and return to Fargo in a few weeks.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s also acceptable. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

44 comments

  2. What a wonderful place to have a pizza. I loved the music.
    I was in the Combined High Schools Choir, around 100 kids all performing in a major concert for the NSW Government and Education Dept.
    My place was beside the Sydney Town Hall pipe organ so I could see the organist a bit and had these huge pipes behind me. A most wonderful experience.’
    The pipe organ and 100 voices singing Jesu Son of Mans Desiring by Bach was one of the most memorable parts of my schooling.
    A bit about the organ “When it was installed in 1890, the grand organ was the largest in the world”
    https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/things-to-see-and-do/grand-organ-sydney-town-hall

    Reply

    • I was surprised to hear of it as well. The lighting changed throughout each performance mostly upon the change of songs. The theatrical lighting system there is a fit accompaniment to the organ.

      Reply

  12. […] The process of selecting a subject for a weekly post can be somewhat unpredictable, and this particular week presented a unique challenge with fewer photo opportunities. However, in situations like these, it’s always helpful to have a reliable and beloved subject to feature, such as our charming and endearing little cat Tinka. Despite the limited number of photos taken, the warmth and affection that Tinka brings to our lives is always a worthy focus for CellPic Sunday. […]

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  18. This brings back so many memories. My family moved to Mesa in the early 70s. We drove past Organ Stop pizza and planned to go. We did, it was much different then as you can imagine, but I’ll never forget that huge organ playing while we ate. Thanks for a glimpse back to a unique and memorable experience.

    Reply

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