Organ Stop celebrates 40th anniversary

Organ Stop Pizza kicks off a month-long celebration of its 40th anniversary today. The pizzeria features the world’s largest Wurlitzer organ, which has nearly 6,000 pipes, more than 1,000 buttons, knobs and switches, and two fulltime organists.

The original Organ Stop Pizza opened at Seventh Street and Missouri in Phoenix in 1972. A second location opened at Southern and Dobson in Mesa in 1975, and moved to its present location at Southern and Stapley in 1995.

For the Mesa location, the Organ Stop owners purchased and restored the historic Wurlitzer that had been installed at the Denver Theatre in 1927. (The Phoenix location had an organ from Grauman’s Hollywood Egyptian Theater.)

Although organ-equipped pizzerias were popular in the U.S. in the 1970s and ’80s, Organ Stop is one of only two such concepts that survives. Two things that haven’t changed: Organ Stop still doesn’t accept reservations or credit cards.

To mark its 40th anniversary, Organ Stop is offering a $40 special: two appetizers, two pizzas and two pitchers of soda. The deal is available today through June 30.