Ode to Joy Skinner Organ Restoration Campaign

"ode to joy" skinner organ restoration

Westminster Church is the home of an E.M. Skinner pipe organ (Opus 579), installed in 1926. Almost 100 years old, this magnificent instrument is played weekly for Sunday worship services, as well as for funerals, weddings, baptisms, holiday services, and community concerts. Although faithfully maintained by the congregation throughout the years, the organ is showing its age and is need of extensive repairs and restoration.

em skinner and his craft

Westminster’s organ is considered a rare example of E.M. Skinner’s craft. Ernest Martin Skinner (1866-1960) was one of America’s premier organ builders in the early 1900s, using a new and innovative electro-pneumatic system to power organs. Skinner was both an artistic and mechanical engineering genius. He strived to increase the expressive sounds of his organs, and his instruments are known for simulating the sounds of an entire orchestra. Skinner was at his peak in both quality and popularity in the 1920s, and his organs were (and still are) considered the best money could buy.

Westminster’s organ is unique in several ways. The outer structures or casings (support structures, expression chamber walls, windchest shells, console shell, windlines) are in excellent condition, and are almost entirely original. This is highly unusual, as many other churches altered their organs over the years for ease of repair, financial reasons, or to accommodate changing musical preferences. The structural integrity of our organ makes it worthy of restoration. Another unique feature is how this massive instrument is “shoe horned” into a relatively small space. The 2,069 pipes are stacked closely together behind the ornamental façade in the choir loft, making access to the pipes difficult.

work to be completed

(A) Releather all pneumatic components to “as originally installed” condition; (B) clean, repair and regulate all pipes; (C) repair and restore bellows that had been previously rebuilt; (D) rebuild the organ’s harp and chimes actions; (E) recover the three manual ivory keyboards; (F) replace and rebuild the manual and pedal keyboards; (G) refinish the console casework; (H) build and install replacement pipes for two swell ranks to restore them to original pitch and sound and (I) tune organ on completion.

The renovation of the organ will take one year. Kerner & Merchant Pipe Organ Builders will completely remove the entire instrument in December 2020, transport it to its Syracuse warehouse, complete necessary repairs, restoration, and rebuilding there, and then transport it back to the church and reinstall it at the end of 2021. During the time the organ is out, the church will also need to do work on the room in which the organ is housed, improving ventilation, repairing woodwork, and making acoustical improvements. We are estimating an additional $50,000 to do this work, making the cost of the entire project $400,000.

More information here:
Ode to Joy brochure
Ode to Joy pledge card

problems and needs

While the outer structure of the organ belies its age, the internal mechanisms are failing. All of the experts who have evaluated our organ have remarked that the working parts of the organ have functioned well beyond their expected lifespan and that we are fortunate to have had as many years of service as we have. Most of problems are a result of age, use, and environment—leather valves drying out and 1920s electrical and mechanical components becoming unreliable.

Regular tuning and maintenance have been included annually in the church’s budget and property schedule. Since 1983, Kerner & Merchant of Syracuse has performed regular maintenance, tuning, and repairs. The fact that the organ has served us so well and so long is testament to its quality craftsmanship and careful stewardship.

In 2014, the organ began to experience problems with ciphers, tonal issues, and sound quality. As we’ve attempted to repair problems as they have arisen, it has become apparent that all the internal mechanisms of the organ are in need of restoration. Because the organ is compacted into such a small space, it is virtually impossible to perform major work on specific divisions without removing the entire organ.

funding goals

We plan to fund the organ restoration work as follows:

3-year capital campaign with a goal of $150,000 in congregational and community support; 10% of this will be tithed to mission (Dec 2020 update! We have reached our goal, but we still encourage and welcome donations and pledges!)
Pursue grants from several foundations with a total goal of $100,000 (Dec 2020 update! The Emerson Foundation has awarded us a $25,000 grant!)
Take out a loan for the balance, to be repaid over 5-10 years using annual income from a bequest which supports property maintenance and repairs.

how to give

Donations and pledges can be made in several ways:

Make out a check to "Westminster Presbyterian Church" with "organ restoration" on the memo line, and mail it to the church at 17 William St, Auburn, NY 13021.
Pledge to make payments toward the campaign over a 3-year period. Your payments can be annual, biannual, or monthly, and can be paid by check, bank transfer, or online.
Contact your bank to set up automatic bank transfers from your account to the church's.
Give online on the "Give" page of the church's website