Points of Interest

Now, here is something most people have not seen - simply because there are not a lot of them around: by one estimate, there were 164 carillons in the USA. Many "bell towers" produce their tunes through electronic means (amplifiers and speakers), so many think they've heard a carillon. Here's where the electronic versions got the idea.

Covenant Presbyterain - III/52 C.B. Fisk (2009)
Gallatin First Presbyterian Church - II/31 Brad Rule (2008)
Second Presbyterian Church - II/27 Juget-Sinclair (2007)
Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Laura Turner Hall - III/64 Schoenstein (2007) (Most of the organ was installed in 2006, but voicing, the installation of the console and tonal completion took place in the summer of 2007. The organ was inaugurated in the fall of 2007.)
St. Henry's Catholic Church - III/50 Schantz (2006)
Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) - Gallery Organ - III/60 Lively-Fulcher (2003)

Tulip Street United Methodist Church - II/26 Geo. Jardine & Son (1894)

West End United Methodist Church - V/136 Moller (1983)

A brief explanation of what most organists already know.

Blair School of Music, Turner Recital Hall - II/22 Reuter - rebuild Milnar
Fisk University, Memorial Chapel - III/40 Holtkamp
Edgefield Baptist Church - II/18 Garvin Daniel (c. 1906); Rebuild Milnar
St. George's Episcopal Church - Sanctuary - III/85 Casavant (1985)
First Baptist Church, Bowling Green - III/57 Casavant (1994)
Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Episcopal) - IV/ Aeolian-Skinner
Chapel of the Resurrection, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN - IV/101 Schlicker - Dobson

Downtown Presbyterian Church -
III/46 Austin; Aeolian-Skinner console; Milnar additions & rebuild
(Click here to view photos taken during the 2001 sanctuary renovation/restoration)

First Presbyterian Church, Bowling Green KY - II/29 Aeolian-Skinner (1973)
This instrument is the final one with a Aeolian-Skinner nameplate on it, built by Sipe.

Examples of distinctive consoles and cases in which the background has been colorized

This is a colorized version of a photo that was taken after a recital; the camera was placed at the front edge of the organ bench!

St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church - These are photos of the Aeolian-Skinner console. A new console has since replaced this one. V/225 Aeolian-Skinner

I've played two afternoon recitals on this instrument as part of their summer organ recital series.
National City Christian Church, Washington D.C. V/141 M.P. Moller

Christ Episcopal Church, Bowling Green - II/30 Holtkamp (tracker action) (1992)

Plymouth Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Fort Wayne, IN -
IV/72 Aeolian-Skinner rebuild
Belle Meade United Methodist Church - III/37 Schantz (1962, 1979)

Plymouth United Church of Christ, Fort Wayne, IN - IV/72 Aeolian-Skinner rebuild
St. Mary's Catholic Church, Fort Wayne, IN - III/ Kilgen (destroyed by fire 1993)
First Presbyterian Church, Gallatin (destroyed by fire) II/21 Milnar (1982)

Progress photos of the rebuild of a II/11 Kilgen organ from the early 1900s - rebuilt by Milnar Organ Co. in 2000 (around its 100th birthday!) Another work in progress, though the pictorial record of it is not complete, is the re-installation of the organ at Vestavia Hills Lutheran Church, on the southern part of Birmingham. Click here for a series of progress shots showing the organ be re-assembled after the church sanctuary expansion.

... including the last and largest surviving instrument built by Reubke (Julius Reubke's father)

The stunning stained glass of Miller Chapel, Evanston IL - IV/100 Aeolian-Skinner (1964)

The unique stained glass of All Saints Chapel, University of the South, Sewannee TN

Sometimes, the utility companies do not cooperate with the photographer. A number of churches have beautiful exteriors marred by the maze of utility lines that runs in front of them. One option is to stand closer to the church and use a very wide-angle lens (which I have done), but this distorts the perspective. The more natural-looking option is to stand across the street and photograph the church, power-lines and all, then spend quality time (instead of sleeping) "erasing" the lines. Sometimes, people are "in the way" and they get erased. Here are a few examples of "before" and "after" shots.

As of this writing, there are about 2300 photos of churches/buildings and the organs that live in them. So, if you'd like to see only what I've added since your last visit, click here for a list of links and the dates when they've been added.

Well, believe it or not, pipe organs and churches aren't the only things I shoot! Here are a few pages of miscellaneous photos that have nothing to do with pipe organs, but I post them for my friends and family....