Paul Woelbing, the president of Carma Labs, Inc. (the makers of Carmex lip balm), is on a mission to reintroduce the theater pipe organ to the 21st Century. And he's well on his way.
Anyone who’s been to Organ Piper Pizza in Greenfield is familiar with the massive instrument that’s able to produce the sound of a full orchestra or band. And just 10 miles away, surrounded by boxes of lip balm, is Woelbing’s organ, the largest theater pipe organ in the world.
The center of the instrument – called the console and holds the keyboards, pedals and stop controls – is a 4/90 Wurlitzer organ that was originally installed in Chicago’s Nortown Theatre.
The organ contains 6,500 pipes, a concert grand Steinway Piano, many percussion instruments like marimbas, zylaphones, drums, gongs and a set of handbells – which is a rare feature in pipe organs. Everything is playable from the console.
The instrument spans from floor to ceiling, wraps around the warehouse and has separate rooms for extra pipes of different sizes and the blower, which generates compressed air that ultimately creates the sound.
“It’s a hybrid, constructed from the best of each company had to offer - Wurlitzer, Kimball, Moller, Austin and so forth,” says Woelbing.
By June 1, however, the Carma Labs warehouse and administrative offices will relocate to a new building, and the 20,000-square-foot space will become solely the home of the organ and a fleet of vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Woelbing's other passion.
The organ, built from scratch, took 15 years to construct. Woelbing, who is not a musician, hired out for most of the work, but has a natural interest and aptitude for mechanics.
“Basically, I like futzing with old mechanical things that I have to swear at,” he says. “But no, I didn’t build (the organ). I got the best of the best and I wrote out checks.”
Twenty years ago, Woelbing knew from the moment he walked into the building that the acoustics were ideal for music.
“I noticed the three-second echo and I thought, ‘I can do something with that,” says Woelbing. “I said to my dad, ‘how about we build a pipe organ?’”
Woelbing’s father, Donald, introduced him to the pipe organ when Woelbing was a kid. The two attended concerts at The Capitol Theatre in Racine that featured a Wurlitzer pipe organ. They also listened to organ music at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater and Avalon Theater.
This summer, The Dairyland Theatre Organ Society will host the American Theatre Organ Society’s annual convention, July 21-27, and the Carmex organ and new venue space will be the center of activity. The convention will bring 350-500 theater organ enthusiasts to Metro Milwaukee from around the world.
“We are incredibly lucky in Milwaukee to have so many younger people active in the group,” says Woelbing.
In past years, Woelbing hosted free, public organ concerts and participated in Doors Open Milwaukee, but he looks forward to having more space and a permanent venue.
"It will have a much richer sound once everything is moved out of here," says Woelbing. "And for the first time, I'll hear the organ the way it is supposed to be heard."
Sharing the organ with the community is extremely important to Woelbing. He plans to host four free concerts a year, along with other community events and celebrations. His dream is for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to perform in the space.
“I didn’t build this just for myself,” says Woelbing. “That would be pointless.”
To read the story of locally made and internationally used Carmex lip balm, go here.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
