One of the most iconic instruments in American sports history has a new home in Phoenix. The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) has received the historic console of the legendary Chicago Stadium pipe organ as a generous gift from the Maloof Foundation, and it is now on public display in the museum’s United States / Canada Gallery — the first time it has been seen by the public in more than 30 years.
Installed in Chicago Stadium in 1929, the organ played during thousands of Bulls basketball games, Blackhawks hockey games, boxing matches and countless other events over 65 years. It was the largest instrument ever built by the Maxcy-Barton Organ Co. — six manuals, more than 800 stop tabs controlling 51 ranks of pipes — and the very first organ installed in a sports arena. Its thunderous sound helped earn the stadium the nickname “the Madhouse on Madison,” and legend says longtime organist Al Melgard once calmed a rowdy crowd just by leaning on the keys.
After the stadium was demolished, collector Phil Maloof preserved the magnificent red-and-gold console in his home. In June it joined MIM’s permanent collection, and theater organ specialists carefully disassembled, transported and reassembled it at the museum. Now visitors can stand right beside this living piece of sports and music history — a perfect reason to plan a family visit to one of Phoenix’s most beloved museums.
Photo: MIM
