Christ Church United Methodist
Thursday, September 09, 2010
A Community of Faith, Hope & Love...
  
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The Organs Of Christ Church The Holtkamp Organ - 1975
40 ranks, 31 stops, 2145 pipes
Mechanical Action
 The Holtkamp Organ was installed in the Centrum of Christ Church during the summer of 1975. Formal dedication was held on Sunday, October 12, 1975 with Donald Sutherland and Phyllis Bryn-Julson presenting the dedicatory recital.
This mechanical action instrument is spread over three manuals and pedals and is considered to be in the "American Classic" design. Acoustical renovations to the Centrum of Christ Church in 1996 greatly enhanced the sound of the organ.
SPECIFICATIONS
*Proposed addition mounted high in the organ but playable from the positive manual.
The Proposed Centrum Antiphonal Organ-
"Our Future Acclaims our Past"
13 ranks, 22 stops, 832 pipes
Electro-pneumatic Action
The History Behind the
Antiphonal Organ Project
Our story begins in 1903...
State Street Methodist Episcopal Church, early 20th c.
 In 1903, the ancestors of this congregation purchased their first pipe organ, Moller Organ; Opus 477 (pictured above, 1908). The organ was installed in the State Street Methodist Episcopal Church in February, 1904. Andrew Carnegie donated $600 toward the purchase of this organ. In 1908 when property was purchased to build a larger church, the congregation met from 1908-1910 at the YMCA. The organ was moved to the stage of the auditorium at the YMCA and used in that location for 2 years until the congregation moved into their new church home.
 When the congregation occupied their new church home at the corner of Quarrier and Morris Streets, the 1903 Moller Organ was sold and moved to Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church (now known as Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church, photo above 1945.) In 1965 the organ was electrified and enlarged.
In 2005, the Trustees of Simpson were discussing the fate of the organ since it had fallen into disrepair and was in need of renovations totalling $50K. After months of debate, Simpson decided to sell the organ back to us. The original Moller sales contract from 1903 containing the original stoplist was found in the Christ Church archives. Upon further investigation of the organ, we found that 12 of the original 14 ranks of pipes from the original 1903 organ survived the 1965 rebuild and were still intact. Thanks to an anonymous donor, Christ Church purchased these 12 ranks of historic pipes associated with the original 1903 organ and were placed in storage at Christ Church.
In January, 2006, Chris Hotkamp of the Holtkamp Organ Company (the builders of the Centrum Organ) came to Christ Church and inspected the 1904 pipework and found them to be in excellent condition. The preliminary plans call for the creation and installation of an antiphonal organ (not just an antiphonal division, but a full organ) using these 12 ranks of pipes. The current Holtkamp Organ console would be updated and enlarged in order to play both instruments from one location. After the necessary updates, the current organ would remain a mechanical action instrument, but electro-pneumatic action would be used in the antiphonal organ.
In January 2007, the church signed a contract with the Holtkamp Organ Company of Cleveland, OH for the design of the antiphonal organ. The antiphonal organ case will compliment the case of the current Centrum Organ. At the signing of the contract, an organ committee was established to review the design of the antiphonal organ/additions to the current organ before presentation to the congregation. The preliminary designs were approved on Monday, April 23 and presented at the 2nd Annual Music Ministries Jubilee Dinner on May 16, 2007. Funds for the design were given by an anonymous donor.
During the winter of 2010, the plans for the antiphonal organ were finalized and await approval of the organ committee. Once approved, funding options will be discussed.
The Estey Chapel Organ - 1904 (Rebuilt 1997)
9 ranks, 14 stops, 841 pipes (Tuning a=435)
Tubular-pneumatic Action
 This organ once graced the stage of Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, WV. Purchased in 1904 with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie, the organ was donated to Christ Church in 1996. After extensive renovations, which maintained the original pneumatic brass tubes, the organ was installed in the Chapel of Christ Church in 1997. (The photo, above, was taken before the hardwood flooring was installed.) The organ was dedicated on Sunday, October 19, 1997 by Director of Music Ministries/Organist David Donathan and members of the West Virginia Symphony. SPECIFICATIONS
 This pen drawing was created by Aaron Crothers. It shows the three pipe organs this congregation of Christ Church has used over the years. The organ on the bottom, left is the Moller Pipe Organ, Opus 477 from the State Street Church. The organ in the upper right is the Hann-Wangerin-Weickhardt Pipe organ installed in 1911 and updated and enlarged by the Hillgreen & Lane Organ Company in 1958, destroyed by fire in 1969. The organ in the center is the current Holtkamp pipe organ located in the Centrum. Information about this instruments can be found on the Music Ministry Historical Timeline page or the History of Christ Church page. |
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