Top Left and right: Workers carefully remove part of the pipe organ earlier this year. Bottom Left: First Presbyterian's pipe organ is undergoing restoration work. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Strough)
From page 15 organ and its supporting structures, in the hope that it won’t need repairs for another 60 or 70 years. “The damage has occurred over a period of years. It’s not just the damage from the storm,” she said. “That just aggravated it. There have been small leaks like all old churches have over the years. Nothing bad, but it just took its toll over a period of years.” The renovation is careful work, as the pipes and structures themselves are functional, providing music for the congregation, but they’re also historical works of art. “There are components from 1935 to 1937,” Strunk said. “This Aeolian-Skinner was finally finished in 1949. It’s highly trained technicians that do this (renovation work). Some of them are organists, some of them enjoy the technical aspect of it. They have to have a good ear because they have to tune them.” The scale of the organ is immense, taking up a large portion of the building, and technicians could be seen working in three or four different rooms on a variety of tasks: carefully storing pipes and components to avoid damage, using hide glue and handiwork to execute delicate repairs, piece by piece. “It’s hard for me to imagine how, when I depress a key, that stop sounds and that pipe sounds, because of all the wiring and all of the things that allow the air to come through the pipe and then shut it off when I take my finger off the key,” Strunk said. 16 Etcetera | August/September 2021
