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The inception of this project began when David Bottom and Bill Johnson placed the Kentucky Theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer console, removed from the theater in April 1977, on display in the Lost Lexington Exhibition at the Lexington Public Library in June 1993. There it was discovered by Lexington architect and Historic Preservation Commissioner, Steve Brown who would become a founder and first President of Kentucky’s Mighty Wurlitzer-Theatre Organ Project, Inc. This exhibition of some of Lexington’s historical artifacts and memorabilia instilled a justifiable and rightful purpose to return this wondrous musical instrument, long silent from the Golden Age, to its original Kentucky Theater home.

The Wurlitzer Restoration Committee was established in August 1993 to investigate the feasibility of returning this theatre organ back to its original Kentucky Theater home. This Committee, consisting of private citizens and representatives from the University of Kentucky, Lexington Fayette Urban-County Government and Historic Commission explored many options to develop a viable proposal to restore, preserve and operate the 3/14 Wurlitzer, three manual fourteen rank (sets of pipes) theatre organ in the theater. Several proposals were developed and presented to Mayor Pam Miller for review, approval and selection. This project is based upon the auditorium side chamber locations approved by the mayor.

Kentucky’s Mighty Wurlitzer - Theatre Organ Project, Inc. (KMW-TOP, Inc), a "not for profit" corporation, was established April 1994 to accomplish this project without cost to the taxpayers, the LFUCG or the University. The Internal Revenue Service approved 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt status for donations to this project in July 1995.

The Kentucky Theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ was designated as an official "Save America’s Treasures" project by the Whitehouse Millennium Committee and the National Trust for Historic Preservation on June 25, 1999. To date, this theatre pipe organ is the only instrument of this type to receive this project designation.

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