Austin Organs
Austin Organs, Inc. is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is one of the oldest continuously-operating organ manufacturers in the United States. The first instruments were built in 1893 with the Austin Patent Airchest, and many remain in fine playing condition to this day.
Austin Organ Company was founded in 1898 by John Turnell Austin in Boston, Massachusetts. Austin was from England and had come to the United States in 1889. Prior to founding the company, Austin worked for Farrand & Votey Organ Company in Detroit, Michigan. His first organs were manufactured in Detroit, but later established his operation in Boston.
Austin developed the Universal Air Chest System. This was an airtight chamber with the chest action on the ceiling of the chamber. A feature of this system was that the chest could be entered from below while the organ was turned on; this allowed for fine adjustments of the organ keying action. The modern chest design was further developed in 1913, and has been refined over the years. In 1905 the company began building electric consoles; these have also been refined over the years.
The company became Austin Organs, Inc. in 1937. That year the company moved from its original location in Boston, MA to Hartford, CT. The company still builds instruments at the four-story edifice located at 156 Woodland Street. During the Second World War, the company contributed to the war effort by constructing gliders.
In March 2005 the company closed when annual revenue fell below $150K per year after a payment dispute regarding an installation. Weeks later a business partnership was formed by the owner of a organ service and repair company and a long-time Austin employee. They purchased the company, restructured its operations, and recalled several company veterans.
As of 2020 president of the company is Michael B. Fazio; the CEO is Richard G. Taylor. Marilyn H. Austin, wife of former president Donald B. Austin, remains with the company as "Executive Consultant" and CEO-Emeritus. Over 2700 organs have been built with the Austin nameplate. As of 2019 Austin was building eight new instruments per year.
Selected installations
- Opus 2 - Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church, 1894. The oldest Austin in existence. As of 2018 its condition was listed as unknown.
- Opus 167 -St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, 1906.
- Opus 265 - The Lodge at the Regency Center, San Francisco, 1909. Originally built for the Scottish Rite Freemasons, the facility is now an event space. In 2009 the two manual, 24 rank organ was listed as available for use but in July 2020 the status of the organ was not listed.
- Opus 301 - Immanuel Baptist Church, 1910. Now the Houlihan-McLean Center at the University of Scranton. In 2005 the four manual, 45 rank instrument was restored and the console modernized.
- Opus 323 - Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, Portland City Hall Auditorium,, Portland, Maine, 1912. Restored 2012-2014.
- Opus 453 - Balboa Park - The organ is housed in the open-air Spreckels Organ Pavilion, and is open to the elements when in use.
- Opus 591 - Calvinistic Congregational Church Hamden, Connecticut.
- Opus 770 - University United Methodist Church, Salina, Kansas
- Opus 844 - Trinity United Methodist Church, Kansas City, Missouri.
- Opus 913 - Bohemian Grove, a campground near Monte Rio, California.
- Opus 1019 - First Presbyterian Church Wyandotte, Michigan. Built in 1922, this organ has three manuals and 33 ranks. In 1983, the organ received a new console was rebuilt by the Muller Organ Company. In 2015 the organ become non-functional due to an electrical malfunction with the blower motor that caused the instrument to short-circuit. In September 2017 the church closed after 161 years of service. The building was sold and is now a complex offering worship, wellness, and event rental space. As of June 2020 the organ was still listed as unplayable.
- Opus 1028 St. Joseph of the Holy Family - Harlem, New York City. Two manuals, 13 ranks. Condition unknown as of 2018.
- Opus 1206 - Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Installed in 1924 at a cost of $50,000 in Memorial Auditorium, the organ contains 81 ranks and originally had 5,261 pipes. It was restored over a 21 years long process by the Chattanooga Music Club from 1986 to 2007 and was first played in its restored form on July 2, 2007. The organ is the only Austin-manufactured one remaining in the Southeast.
- Opus 1215 - Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Hanover, Pennsylvania. Organ has four manuals, 231 ranks, and is among the world's largest.
- Opus 1267 - First United Methodist Church, Elgin, Illinois - Restored by Rogers Instruments Corp. in 2004. Now uses a Rogers console and several ranks have been added.
- Opus 1416 - Curtis Organ in the Irvine Auditorium of the University of Pennsylvania, with 10,719 pipes/162 ranks. It was restored along strict historical guidelines by Austin in 2002 and modified to be MIDI programmable.
- Opus No. 1526 St. Florian Church. The organ, with 3 manuals and 26 ranks, dating from 1928, was renovated and rededicated April 13, 2008.
- Opus 1712 & 1713 - Scranton Cultural Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Both are operable but are in need of restoration to be fully playable. 1713 is housed in the main theatre, 1712 in the larger lodge hall.
- Opus 1717 - Aetna Inc Headquarters, Hartford, Connecticut. Built in 1929, this organ has 3 manuals and 33 stops. It is the only Austin Quadruplex organ of its kind that is still in its original installation and still remains playable. It is housed in the auditorium.
- Opus 1865 - Bard College, Annandale on Hudson, NY, Chapel of the Holy Innocents. 3 manuals, 47 stops.
- Opus 2180 - Third Presbyterian Church, sanctuary, Rochester, New York. Built 1952; new console & revisions 1991, with 79 ranks and 4 manuals. Features multi-level SSL combination action with piston sequencer - 40 generals per level + divisionals - 5 each.
- Opus 2199 - , Menlo Park, California. The organ was built in 1955 and installed at St. Joseph's College in Mountain View, California. Moved and rebuilt after 1989 after the Loma Prieta earthquake heavily damaged the original building.
- Opus 2237 - Bridgewater COGIC, Cheshire, Connecticut. An organ of 7 ranks, it was purchased from St. John's Episcopal Church, West Hartford, Connecticut, in 1995.
- Opus 2369 - First Congregational Church, Stratford, Connecticut. One of the oldest continuously operating congregations in America. The organ, with 3 manuals and 48 ranks, is installed in their fifth sanctuary that was originally built in 1859.
- Opus 2465 - St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Charleston, South Carolina. It has 3 manuals, 47 stops, 61 ranks and electropneumatic action.
- Opus 2613 - Church of the Good Shepherd
- Opus 2616 - Christ Church of Oak Brook, sanctuary, Oak Brook, IL. 4-manual Allen console, 80 ranks with 40 additional digital ranks, 4440 pipes.
- Opus 2754 - First Presbyterian Church, Lakeland, Florida, with 70 stops, 60 ranks, built in 1994, the firm's 100th anniversary year.
- Opus 2761 - St. John's Episcopal Church, West Hartford, Connecticut, with 51 stops, 64 ranks, and 3,721 pipes. Pipework from Austin Opus 2123 which survived a 1992 fire was incorporated into the new instrument.
- Opus 2782 - Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Opus 2785 - Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament,
- Opus 2800 - Connelly Chapel of the Sacred Heart, DeSales University, Center Valley, Pennsylvania