Preservation Trust Seeks Donations –

Meeting House Organ Restoration Complete

By Tanjua Damon

It is a wonderful thing to make something old and worn out like new again. And that is exactly what has been done to the 1924 Hall Pipe Organ in Newtown’s historic Meeting House. The town can now add music to the many charms of its Main Street.

Hurricane Floyd, which raked the east coast in September 1999, left the nearly 80-year-old organ water damaged and unplayable and provided the impetus for a long-overdue drive to fund and effect needed repairs. The Heritage Preservation Trust of Newtown, which maintains and administers the town-owned facility, is asking for help from the community to pay for the work.

The cost to repair the pipe organ was $75,000, according to trust president Donald Studley. The trust has money that it uses to maintain The Meeting House, but is conducting this fund drive specifically to help with the repairs to the pipe organ.

The Meeting House is a favorite venue for local events since it is open for public and private use, according to Sherry Paisley facility administrator for the trust. It is used for various events including weddings, church groups and civic clubs. The organ just adds to the value and utility of the historic building.

“In the first place, it’s a marvelous community center to be used for all sorts of things. The public is always welcomed,” Mrs Paisley said. “This kind of a setup is very rare. It’s a rare gem. To have an organ in it is absolutely rare. That’s what is so special about this organ.”

 The 1924 Hall Pipe Organ has four sets of pipes totaling 325 pipes with 61 keys on the console and 61 notes. The higher the note the smaller the pipe.

Pipes are as small as pens and can be as large as 32 feet in length, but the largest pipes at the Meeting House are just eight feet tall.

Foley-Baker Inc of Bolton did the repairs to the organ over a ten-week period. Workers spent several days putting the organ back and making sure it was in working order.

“The real reason for doing this is that the leather fails. After 40 to 50 years of dirt sitting there, the leather was rotted,” explained Philip Carpenter, director of field operations for Foley-Baker. “It’s aged and gotten old and started breaking down.”

Now there is a fabric above the organ and a flexible drainage pipe to help protect against similar water damage in the future, according to Mrs Paisley. The organ is available for people to use. There are six authorized organists who can play it, she said.

Leonard Manz has played the organ at The Meeting House, formerly the Congregational Church, for 50 years. He retired as Organist Emeritus in 1993. He has had a chance to try out the restored organ and thinks it is just like new.

“It’s great. What’s there is like new,” Mr Manz said. “It’s small compared to the original. But it’s like new. It’s in top shape.”

Seeing him play the organ is like watching a child with a new toy. The notes just ripple of the tips of his fingertips as he plays tunes like “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.” Mr Manz also played at several skating rinks in Bridgeport where he grew up.

Having access to a pipe organ is not any everyday thing in most communities.

“You can’t go anywhere where there is an organ anymore,” she said. “People have this warm, fuzzy feeling about an organ. There isn’t anything else like it in the state,” Mrs Paisley said. She does not play the organ, for her affection for the instrument is evident.

“It’s got a perfectly gorgeous oak console. It has lovely sound. The acoustics are perfect,” she said. “The acoustics are absolutely fabulous. You can hear a pin drop in the balcony. It’s just nifty. There is this romance with a pipe organ.”

Mr Studley sees the restoration of the organ as a great accomplishment for the community.

“It’s part of what makes Newtown, Newtown,” Mr Studley said. “I guess we can classify it as an antique. Beautiful gold pipes can be seen from the outside.”

Mr Studley and the other members of the trust hope that the community will respond enthusiastically to the trust’s call for donations.

“The [Meeting House] is basically self supporting. Operating the organ helps use to raise funds,” Mr Studley said. “It’s expensive to keep everything maintained.”

A donation envelope is included in this week’s edition of The Bee for those who are interested in helping to pay for the restoration of the organ. For information about using The Meeting House call 426-1767 or email at newtown_mtghse@excite.com.