Time to Restore the CHS pipe organ! archived

I went to school with the organist Paul Jacobs (http://www.concertartists.com/PJ.html) and know him well. I'll email him and see if he has any suggestions or contacts. If the organ is restored maybe he'll play the rededication concert! He can attract a BIG crowd!

What company gave the estimate to restore the organ?

The last time I looked, one of the not-yet-funded SOMEF (South Orange Maplewood Education Foundation) grant projects was for this restoration. I believe that individuals can donate to SOMEF and designate their gifts toward particular projects on their list. At least, that was the case about a year ago when they were running a fund drive.

Hopefully organ restoration will spark proper restoration of the auditorium as a whole, which is a patchy, crumbly mess. This is what it used to look like:

Hi Folks- Let me try to answer some public and whispered questions at all once, because they were all good!

From what I've heard, SOMEF just launched fundraising for the restoration of the auditorium. (Previous fundraising was for new curtains) I don't know the scope of this restoration, but as Steve mentioned, some of the plaster work in crumbling, but there is also a need for seats, better lighting, and climate control (the windows don't open and I think anyone who has been in there knows how hot it can be). The organ is a separate matter! SOMEF did do some fundraising for the organ in the 1980's, and it was (sorta) running in 1994, but when Wayne Fenstermacher died he literally took the organ keys with him and it was not even turned on again until fairly recently.

Right now, through the Business Administration Office of the BOE, the BOE is raising funding for the restoration of the organ directly. There is already a line account open for organ restoration donations with the school board. Either you can donate online with a credit card at chsorgan.org and I'll forward your donation, or you send it directly. Details of both are on the website. I believe they are still in discussions with SOMEF and others about helping towards this project, so I wouldn't be surprised if they came on board.

There are four people most interested in this restoration: Karla Milanette, Board Secretary, Nick Santoro, Director of Fine Arts, and Matthew Russell, Choir Director (and organist), plus myself. Accomplishments so far include the citation from the Organ Historical Society, publicity through Matters Magazine, creating the grant proposal to the Bradley Foundation, creation of the website, collection of all Skinner factory paperwork letters and blueprints on the organ from the American Organ Archive, and now starting to raise some cash.

The Bradley Foundation sole reason for existance is to pay half the cost of restoring Skinner pipe organs. They've distributed literally millions of dollars to that end. In earlier years they would pay for 100% of the cost of restoration, like they did for Skinner at the San Francisco Legion of Honor, but most of the time they give about half as they did for the Toledo Museum, and organs at various churches. To qualify for a foundation grant, you need to do a certain type of restoration, along the lines of a conservation approach. You can't modify the organ, and frankly few have proposed doing so (although if you take your Dusenberg to a hotrod shop, they will recommend making a hotrod). Speaking with the consultants and main trustee of the Bradley Foundation makes me extremely confident a grant in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars will be awarded at some point. They stressed however the importance of community involvement in fundraising. Basically, show them some money and they'll show you some more.

There are a few firms the Bradley Foundation has worked with: A. Thompson Allen, Spencer Organ, Nelson Barden Associates, and a gentleman named Edward Millington Stout's Superior Organ Service. All four offer a similiar approach in conserving Skinner organs. Additionally, the foundation retains Jack Bethards of the Schoenstien Company as a consultant. We have had direct input from Thompson-Allen, Spencer, and Jack Bethards who called CHS's organ "Ideal in every way". Schantz Organ recently completed a tour of the instrument and will be presenting an overview as well. There is another local firm that has been involved also, but it was more of a patch-it-up approach than a restoration. Additionally, some long conversations with the director of conservation that over saw the restoration of the Skinner at the Toledo Museum has proved invaluable. The $400,000 estimate is a composite of the input we've received.

So to summarize... the stage we are in now is fundraising! Aside from working the grant end, and the "organ community" , we need to see what the committment of Maplewood/South Orange is. The task of engaging existing local groups still remains. If someone is interested in working as the man on the ground, obviously all the help we can get is appreciated.

I can be contacted at 603-714-5031 if you have any questions.

Thanks,

John

I think there should be no problem calling her at work. I'm a customer and learned about her background while chatting at the store. It is not often you meet someone who talks about restoring organs! Her framing studio and gallery has been a great addition to Maplewood village. If I recall correctly, she or her husband may have grown up around here.

Here's the phone number and an email address that I got off the web: (973) 762-5588 krista@monalisaframing.com

Is it in any kind of shape to do a fund raising concert? That would net a lot of publicity, the press releases could really go flying. If it is in acceptable shape, perhaps some of the notable area organists could be invited to participate, which would tend to draw their own congregations/audiences in.

Zero tax dollars shoud go to this.

Posted By: upthecreekZero tax dollars shoud go to this.

Merry Christmas to you, too! Somebody throw a turd in your punch bowl at the office party?

If you had carefully read the posts before yours, you might have noticed that not one word suggested using tax money. Foundations raise funds through donations; they can't tax citizens. Feel better now?

Now go to sleep early, so Santa can sneak the coal into your stocking.

No sir, I work at a place where a Christmas party was eliminated to save funds. I know noone suggested using taxpayer funds. I felt it appropriate for someone to suggest that they NOT be used.

Happy holidays to you sir.