Fiesta’s historic pipe organ back with piping hot pizza

Friday, April 6, 2001 | 7:42 a.m.

Organist David Wickerham recently returned to his gig at the Fiesta after a three-month layoff.

Roxy's Pipe Organ Pizzeria was closed in December due to construction and remodeling that was undertaken by Station Casinos, which bought Fiesta last year.

For a time during the remodeling phase it was uncertain whether the 74-year-old organ, which is three-stories tall and has nearly 3,000 pipes, would fit into the plans of Station Casinos.

The old Kimball organ once stood in the Roxy Theater in New York City. When the theater was torn down in the 1950s the organ was rescued by the American Theater Organ Society. Former Fiesta owner Phil Maloof bought the organ in the 1970s and put it in the pizzeria two years ago.

Called simply Roxy's these days, the venue has reopened and now serves as a nightclub/pizza joint. And the organ is again up and running.

Fiesta general manager Bob Finch said officials were initially concerned that the organ would keep the hotel from bringing Roxy's up to the new owner's technical standards.

"Actually, the previous owners canceled the organ before we took over. So on Dec. 1 (when Station Casinos took control of the property) the organ wasn't running," Finch said.

At the time, he said, the company wasn't sure what to do about the organ because it wanted to expand the use of the room.

"When we were doing an inventory we thought about taking it out," Finch said.

He said the organ is popular with many people. He received calls, letters and e-mail messages when people thought the instrument would be taken away. "It's a family attraction."

The company decided to spend the extra money -- about $25,000 -- it required to work around the organ during the three months of remodeling.

Station Casinos spent nearly $500,000 on new sound and lighting equipment. Roxy's stage was enlarged and other improvements were made.

"They made it more multipurpose," Finch said. "They've tried to appeal to all potential users of the room."

Wickerham, who has been back on the job for about three weeks, said, "There was a lot of community interest in what to do with the organ. Customers really appreciate it. People were saddened to think it might go away."

Wickerham, 39, has been a professional organist most of his life. His first professional performance -- when he was 11 years old -- was at the Pipes and Pizza restaurant in Reseda, Calif. He's been playing in pizza parlors ever since.

During his three-month hiatus from Roxy's, Wickerham performed a number of pipe organ concerts in the northeastern part of the country, and at old movies palaces that have pipe organs.

In addition to performing at the Fiesta, 5-9 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays, Wickerham will continue performing around the country and will go on a five-week concert tour of Australia later this year.