12/03/2026
As we transition to a new organ, one question that keeps popping up is "will it control the pipes"? Excellent question! The only good answer at this point is maybe. I apologize for the length of the following explanation, but it should explain my answer.
Now, the new console certainly could control our pipes. It has all the necessary controls on board. It would need extensive wiring to do so, and that would have added approximately $20,000 to the cost of the job. But, due to the problems with the pipe organ, this would not be money well spent at this time.
Our 1927 Estey organ, at 99 years old, is tired and worn out. The pipes are still in really good shape overall, but the wind system under them isn't. The windchests and the systems controlling them are leaking, and the magnets controlling all the valves are worn out. The leather on the reservoir, or bellows, is torn and being held together by duct tape. There are also cracks in the sound board. All of this means we have leaky notes, and a sloppy playing action.
Now, all of this could be repaired if parts were available. But the way Estey built these chests, a full rebuild of them is extremely difficult, and expensive. This style of chests went out of favor shortly after this organ was built, and replaced with a style of chest that is much simpler and easier to repair.
That being said, the least expensive route to getting our pipes speaking would be to put all new chests and wind system under our pipes. This would give us an organ that shouldn't need any major repairs for the next 100 years.
Even though this is the least expensive route, it is still very pricey. The lowest estimate we received for this project, was in the neighborhood of $380,000. That is a lot of money, and there are other projects much more pressing.
I have looked into grants, but because this isn't a historical instrument, and has been heavily altered over the years, we don't qualify. Estey Organs were inexpensive, mass produced instruments for churches of modest means. Our organ is special to us, because it has been there for so many moments in the history of the parish. But in the organ world, it doesn't really hold any value unfortunately.
I said before that we could get the pipes speaking in their current state. And they would sound good. But they would still leak, and all the wiring we would put into it would be unusable when and if the wind system was replaced. It doesn't seem to me to be a prudent use of funds.
So, yes, in the future, should we be able to raise the appropriate funds, we could get our pipes to speak. And it might be that we scale the project down and only get a few ranks, or sets of pipes working. But in the meantime, our new Rodgers should really be all we need. The only reason we might consider getting our pipe organ rebuilt is to honor our past, and all those who sacrificed over the years to keep it going.
I plan on an open house showing off the new Rodgers after Easter. At that point, I will gladly show anyone who is interested what this all looks like. I can also share inspection reports, and quotes for the rebuild. Stay tuned for this!
