FORMER
2/? Johnson |
Sveden House 
Moorhead, Minnesota

History of the Johnson (Composite) Theatre Pipe Organ at the Sveden House

 

After the Red River Theatre Organ Society was organized in 1965 and began its work spreading awareness and public interest in the theatre pipe organ, several small theatre pipe organs sprang up in the Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN communities that were not original leftovers from the instrument's heyday in the 1920s. One of these such "new arrivals" was a small composite organ installed in the Sveden House in Moorhead, MN. This organ was built by Lance Johnson, a charter member of RRTOS and President of Johnson Organ Company, Inc.

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Not much is known about this organ except for the approximate date range of being at the Sveden House from from at least June-September 1968. It may have been there earlier/later than 1968, but there is no documentation of this instrument outside of newspaper clippings. RRTOS member Ralph Kratzer, a Rodgers Organ dealer and Johnson Organ Co. employee, played the organ nightly for classy ambiance while patrons dined at the Sveden House.

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As a Johnson composite theatre pipe organ was installed in the Rex Cafe around 1971, it is presumed that this was the old Sveden House organ.

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Here is some additional information about the Sveden House: The original location was opened at 1022 8th St S in Moorhead in October 1965. It was one of 40 restaurants in a chain that originated in Duluth, MN, and eventually expanded to several states.

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By June 1968, a second F-M location was opened at the Graver Hotel in Fargo, and by the end of 1968, the Moorhead location was closed. The Fargo location seems to have closed by 1975 as an auction sale for the building contents was held in June 1975.