In the fall of 1929, The Loew’s Corporation opened 5 astonishing movie palaces that quickly became to be known as “Wonder Theaters” due to their size and beauty. They truly were a wonder to behold with the most magnificent and elaborate ornamentation of any theaters in the region. Four of the theaters were located in New York City and the fifth right here in Journal Square – The Loew’s Jersey Theatre.

No expense was spared on the buildings or the patrons’s experience. Before every show, the audiences’ journey to the magic realm of the movies began when the Loew’s Jersey organ rose from below the stage and rotated around to reveal the console and organist. Thousands of pipes thundered out as the organists’s hands and feet danced across the keyboards. The moviegoers sat entranced as the opening song of the evening flowed from that magical white and gold leaf-covered box, washing over them.

Night after night, long after the rest of the area theatres gave up using their organs because of increased cost cutting, the music continued at The Loew’s Jersey. But eventually, when the movie industry fell on hard times and theaters started to close, the organ was removed and the Loew’s Jersey went dark.