II-6 Pipe Organ Rebuilding & Enhancement
St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church
Richmond, Virginia

The organ at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, though a relatively small organ, presented challenges to us every step of the way. We were tasked with getting the most flexibility for the organist while expanding the organ by only one rank (for a total of six ranks). Also, to stay within budget we were asked to restore the existing pipework, some of which was so damaged they were no longer playable. Our third challenge was the extremely limited space in which to fit the enclosed part of the organ (referred to as the Swell Organ) and the precarious position in the rafters where the unenclosed Great Organ was to be installed.

We’re happy to report those challenges were met and we were honored to play a role in the growing music program at St. Bartholomew’s. By installing an updated solid-state relay system (the system which transfers information from the keyboard up to the pipe chamber) the instrument now allows the organist to maximize the use and range of all six ranks of pipes, creating as many sounds as possible. All pipework was successfully restored and in some cases rebuilt, with one additional rank (the Great Principal) being added. The physical installation of the organ was accomplished by a new “split chest” design within the Swell chamber and the rebuilding of the central Great chest attached to the rafters. A true Swell organ was created when the Swell chamber was closed off with pinioning swell shutters. To free space in the Swell, the large Bourdons were placed on custom designed triangular chests to either side of the Great chest.