Some Pipe Organs I've Helped Build
I worked for Visser-Rowland Associates, Inc. in Houston, TX for 6
years.
While there, I was involved with the building of nearly thirty
instruments.
These instruments varied in size considerably:
The smallest can be carried in the back of a Suburban.
The largest has a case 52 feet high and 26 feet wide
and has pipes nearly 40 feet long.
Below are photos of some of the more interesting ones.
Here are some more photos of other organs I find interesting.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Peoria, IL.
This organ sits at an angle to the main axis of the church in a small
protrusion built off of the front-left corner of the building. This
newly-constructed church is of otherwise traditional pattern, although very
fresh and imaginative in its presentation and details.
St. Mary's Cathedral, Cheyenne, WY.
This is a fairly large organ - about 38 stops. The stained glass window behind
the organ had to have some of its panels rearranged in order for the
figures to be visible over the top of the Swell division.
The Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie, MN.
This is the largest Visser-Rowland organ to date. It has 74 stops and 113
ranks over five manuals. That is a 32' Prinzipal on the facade. There is
also a four-manual moveable console that operates via electric pallet
pull-downs.
First Presbyterian Church 'The Fish Church', Stamford, CT.
This organ has 52 stops over four manuals. The Fish Church was designed by
Wallace K. Harrison and was built in the late 1950s. The church is
constructed entirely of concrete and glass. The shape of the church
resembles a surfacing whale, hence the name.
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Austin, TX.
This is a smallish four-manual organ. There are about 36 stops. The fourth
manual only plays the Trompette en chemade.
First Presbyterian Church, St. Joseph, MO.
This organ has electric action via pull-down magnets on the slider chests. The
organ console is on a 'hovercraft' platform: using a blower in the console,
the platformed is raised on a cushion of air, allowing the console to be
moved effortlessly without marring the nice wooden flooring. The window
above the Positiv division is of Tiffany design and manufacture.