Jean O’Brien has been appointed vice president at Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Bellwood, Illinois. Prior to this appointment, she acted as the office manager for six years.
After completing her degree at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, she held positions in multiple industries, including industrial/organizational psychology, IT, and manufacturing. O’Brien’s new responsibilities include focusing on marketing and business development while keeping an eye on operations and personnel.
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders,
Bellwood, Illinois
St. Benedict’s Catholic Church,
Chesapeake, Virginia
From the builder
As most organ projects go, Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders’ instrument for St. Benedict’s Catholic Church proceeded at a rapid pace. The organ was completed just two years and one week after organist, conductor, author, and consultant to the parish Peggy Kelley Reinburg made initial contact with us in June 2012. From our very first meeting in which creative ideas were freely shared, our firm was enthusiastic about collaborating with Ms. Reinburg. Her insight into pipe organs, and in particular her thoughts on tonal design, proved to be invaluable resources. After long conversations with her and consulting her book, Arp Schnitger, Organ Builder: Catalyst for the Centuries (1982, Indiana University Press), we were confident that we could present an instrument with a heart of simplicity and clarity, rooted in North German tradition, that also possessed a distinctive voice, as our company has provided to clients for many years.
Following the signing of the contract in the fall of 2013, construction was executed over a six-month period, and the organ components were delivered to Chesapeake the day after Easter, 2014.Installation of the organ commenced over a five-week period, and tonal finishing took place over one month.
Our initial site visit revealed an existing south organ chamber that would eventually contain the Hauptwerk. For engineering and site preparation, the church contracted with Spiegel Zamecnik & Shah Inc. of Washington, D.C., to engineer the design and with Sussex Development Corp. of Virginia Beach, Virginia, to penetrate a tone opening for the existing chamber and create a second chamber on the other side of the rose window for the Schwellwerk and Pedal. Berghaus designer Michal Leutsch planned façade pipes and screens to complement the church architecture while hiding the dual enclosures. Initially, we intended to create a cloth screen barrier above the three pipe towers on each side. However, the logistics of creating such a screen prior to the arrival of the organ became impractical, and so its construction became part of the organ installation. Rather than use the ubiquitous grille cloth, we chose stamped metal screening, which would allow for better tonal egress.
Wind pressures are moderately low throughout, measuring 75 mm for the Hauptwerk, and 90 mm for the Schwellwerk and Pedal. This allows for a voicing style on classical lines, and yields pipes that work together with natural, unforced tone. Each chamber is equipped with a single horsepower Ventus blower, which provides ample and steady wind to all chests while keeping a simple yet effective winding plan for the entire instrument. Manual stops are primarily located on Berghaus slider and pallet windchests, which are controlled by Heuss electric pulldown magnets. Within each main chest is a large schwimmer, which provides stable wind. Pedal and unit ranks are located on electro-pneumatic windchests, also constructed by the Berghaus firm.Expression boxes are constructed from 1-3/4″ thick tongue and groove poplar, which allows for a wide range of dynamic possibility.
Both chambers are adorned by rift-cut red oak casework with accented trim, stained to match the church furnishings.The organ is played from a custom-built console of red oak and burled walnut. Keyboards are constructed of maple and walnut, and manuals utilize tracker touch. The combination action is controlled by the ICS-4000 system by Peterson Electro-Musical Products, and contains many features, including a piston sequencer and record/playback.
In the Hauptwerk, the principal chorus is moderately scaled and voiced without gimmicks to improve presence or warmth. Façade pipes are made of 75% tin and continue as such throughout the compass of the stop. The elevated position of the slider chest allowed us to treat pipes without fear that the choir would be offended by full registration, and at the same time, individual voices seem to bloom from within the chambers. The 8′ Hohlflöte is designed to act as a chameleon in registration, and is made from three distinct types of pipe construction: the bass octave is constructed as a stopped flute, the tenor octave is constructed as a Koppelflöte, and the upper octaves are constructed as a Hohlflöte. Deliberate voicing with attention to blending construction types was necessary to the successful finishing of this stop. The result is a flute that morphs well with many registrations. The Hauptwerk mutations are scaled to match the Mixtur IV–V and provide the light clarity of a Sesquialtera, thus providing a Germanic cornet décomposée for the division. In our shop, Berghaus constructed a Bourdon of poplar as our manual 16′ tone, and provided an 8′ Trumpet, which is voiced as a blending reed. Shallots are tapered German and provide warmth and fullness.
Schwellwerk flues are voiced full to support the generosity of the large scale mutations. Strings are made from 75% tin, and are generously scaled to provide adequate foundation tone, while also giving a satisfying sizzle that clarifies homophonic passages found in many pieces of Romantic and 20th-century repertoire. The 8′ Rohrflöte is scaled with large diameter chimneys, which are fully 1/3 of the diameter of the pipe.Together, these foundation stops provide remarkably solid grounding to the division. Once again, the substantial scaling of the mutations provides a powerful and nasal French-sounding Cornet. The Krummhorn is scaled generously to provide fullness to the mutations and is also available in the Pedal at 4′ pitch. The Oboe is designed with a French parallel shallot and is voiced moderately to blend well with the mutations. The Cromorne is scaled and voiced to provide fullness throughout the register.
As is often the case, available space made the luxury of a full and independent Pedal out of the question, and we therefore chose to unify the major principal and flute of the division. The pipes of the 16′-8′-4′ Principal wander back and forth between the Schwellwerk chamber and façade, which contains notes of the 8′ Octave. The bottom twelve notes are made from zinc and use interior Haskell tuners. The façade portion and above are made from 75% tin, as is the Pedal Mixtur. The 16′ Subbass is generously scaled, and was constructed of poplar by Berghaus craftsmen. The 16′ Fagott is made with pine resonators and used an historic Schnitger shallot with very wide reed tongues. The sound of this stop seems to have equal parts fundamental and harmonic development, and so it lends itself well to a broad spectrum of repertoire.
Overall, the organ’s resources create a myriad of tonal combinations, each at home announcing or complementing chant during High Mass, or in performing repertoire from Bach to Distler, from Couperin to Alain. Having both chambers enclosed further enhances the tonal palette and increases its flexibility as an accompanying instrument.
The organ was blessed on August 22 by Msgr. Walter Barrett, followed by Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with Rev. Neal A. Nichols, FSSP, presiding. Peggy Kelley Reinburg served as organist and Jeanne Dart, director of music, led the choir. A dedicatory recital will be performed on November 22 at 3:00 p.m. by Crista Miller, director of music and organist at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas.
The entire team at Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders is extremely grateful for the collaborative efforts of everyone involved in the organ project. In particular, we appreciate the support we received from Fr. Nichols, Jeanne Dart, members of the choir, and parishioners who assisted in the unloading and various stages of installation. Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders’ sincerest gratitude goes out to all who helped make this a truly exciting and rewarding project. Soli Deo Gloria!
—Jonathan Oblander, Tonal Designer & Kelly Monette, Head Tonal Finisher, on behalf of the entire Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders team
From the consultant
After accepting the challenges of serving as organ consultant for a project with the all-too-common and severe limitations of the potential funding base, of being engaged after a new church structure was beyond any major architectural changes, and of having the responsibility of educating the clergy, the musicians, and the congregation regarding the advantages of committing to a pipe organ, I began to become aware of the positive realities of the project at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Chesapeake, Virginia.
First, it was revealed that the pastor, the Rev. Neal A. Nichols, FSSP, and the director of music, Jeanne Dart are both from Richmond, Virginia, my own hometown; and then we discovered we all had been educated, though for different lengths of time, at St. Benedict’s Elementary School! As we began to converse and to follow the natural order of organ consulting, I began to learn of the freedom I was being offered to guide my ninth organ project through its total evolution with no artistic constraints. Financial constraints can cause you apoplexy, but creative hamstringing can damage your soul!
The goals of this project were:
1) An organ built by a distinctive builder without financially drowning the parish
2) An organ that could support the numerous schools of organ and choral literature while underpinning the rich liturgical heritage of the Latin Mass
3) The creation of an instrument with its own identity, possessing the silvery sheen of a Baroque North German instrument yet supported by an enveloping warmth capable of bringing the worshippers and listeners to the depths of faith and to the heights of emotion
4) A Hauptwerk Prinzipal chorus that would make the congregation want
to sing
5) Provision of four primary reed stops: Krummhorn 8′, Hautbois 8′, Trompete 8′, and Fagott 16′, and of two Cornets décomposé, one scaled and voiced in the French manner and one in the German
6) Consistent nomenclature for the instrument
7) A beautiful encasement and console, which also would be visual works of art
8) Key and stop actions that would enable a marriage of the instrument and musician and also provide a comfortable playing and conducting situation. Mechanical action was desired, but eventually that preference had to be abandoned due to existing gallery design and spatial limitations.
After preliminary visits onsite with five major American mechanical-action builders and two builders known primarily for their other actions, the fact of a too-shallow gallery for an independent encasement and inadequate space for any future choir growth, coupled with cost comparisons, eventually were the deciding factors. The selection of a builder was also made difficult because of my personal acquaintances and friendships with all but one of the builders represented! Ironically, Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders was the only firm with which I had not had a previous connection; and after performing a recital on their instrument for St. John’s Episcopal Church, Norwood Parish, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, for the Northern Virginia and Potomac AGO chapters, I was convinced that the firm should be considered.
Every memo I wrote based on involvement with organs and organ building throughout my career and every wish included on my organ “bucket list” has been a consideration in consulting on this particular instrument. The lack of funding for three manual divisions resulted in enclosing both manual divisions and allowing console space for a third, a Rückpositiv, which it is hoped may be added someday. If it is not, the disposition of the organ as it stands has already created the illusion of the presence of a third manual division.
The opportunity of meeting at the workshop the majority of craftsmen who participated in this project and the pleasure of building a working relationship with them during the installation have been added delights. I have enormous respect for so many, especially those who have added to my deeper understanding and enjoyment of this facet of our beloved profession. I have only the utmost respect for the director of engineering and operations, Michal Leutsch, and for the tonal gurus, Kelly Monette, head tonal finisher, Jonathan Oblander, tonal designer, and Steven Hoover, tonal finisher and reed specialist. The gorgeous console with its burled walnut music desk and stop jambs is the exquisite work of console artist Jordan Smoots. Transformation of thousands of components into the organ as an entity was due also to the skilled work of Joe Poland, Ron Skibbe, Mitch Blum, Eric Hobbs, Kurt Linstead, and Casey Robertson. The administrative coordinator, Dawn Beuten, is embracing her new role in the company with enthusiasm; the firm’s office manager for six years and newly named vice president, Jean O’Brien, is the epitome of organization, efficiency and graciousness; and Brian Berghaus, president, leads the firm with admirable business acumen and a firm hand, peppered with a calming sense of humor, in his journey to maintain the integrity of the history of organ building while introducing the best of new technological developments to this art.
—Peggy Kelley Reinburg
Organ Consultant
All photos credit Deborah P. Spidle except as noted
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Bellwood, Illinois
St. Jerome Catholic Parish, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders has built a new pipe organ for the people of St. Jerome Catholic Parish in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Opus 226 contains 53 ranks, 42 stops, and 3,019 pipes. The project was made possible by the generosity of the people of St. Jerome Catholic Parish, as well as other benefactors and contributors from the community.
Plans to relocate St. Jerome Parish began in the fall of 1997 as it became clear that the parish was expanding beyond the physical limitations of their historic downtown church. By August 1998, the parish had purchased 37 acres of land and begun planning for a parish-wide campaign. The school was constructed first, and was dedicated on September 11, 2004. A second parish-wide campaign began in January 2005, resulting in the dedication of the church on November 15, 2008. The new 1,000-seat nave nearly tripled the previous sanctuary’s capacity of 350, and provided the parish with a bright, modern worship space with a more favorable acoustical signature.
From the onset of the project, it was clear the existing 1918 Kimball organ would need to be incorporated into the new instrument to minimize new pipe costs. The two-manual, 15-rank organ, located in the center of the rear balcony, was entirely installed in a case against the rear wall. Despite additions in the early 1980s, the organ was of typical early twentieth-century liturgical design. The stoplist incorporated six stops at 8′ pitch, two stops at 4′, and a 16′ Bourdon in the Pedal. Added ranks included a 22⁄3′ Quinte, 2′ Octave, and Mixture IV in the Great. Original voicing and pressures were retained on the Kimball pipes at the time when the organ was augmented, which did little to bridge the gap between the old and new pipes. Thankfully, the new pipes were under-voiced, which would give Berghaus ample latitude in tonal finishing. Additionally, the bottom octave of the 4′ Flute d’Amour was abandoned, and the pipes were shifted down to create a 2′ Flute in the Swell.
In the new church, the organ was planned to occupy both ends of the nave. Great, Swell, and Pedal divisions would be entirely new, and located in the rear gallery. The Antiphonal division would be installed in one chamber, above and to the left side of the chancel. We chose not to divide the resources of the Kimball, but rather use them to create the new Antiphonal division. Furthermore, the Antiphonal chamber would be situated at the same height as the gallery organ to promote tuning stability.
Special consideration was taken in planning pipe scales for the gallery instrument, with the intent that the Antiphonal organ would not be a dark distraction to the new organ. Our present tonal philosophy reflects an eclectic approach, which is conducive to blending early twentieth-century voicing styles. We took our cues from the best elements of late nineteenth-century English organs, tempered somewhat by elements of romantic French and early romantic German organbuilding. All flue scales in the gallery are variable, changing throughout the compass for acoustic and practical reasons. The result is an instrument that, while separated by distance, successfully works as a whole tonal concept, which in turn is able to effectively provide the combinations necessary for liturgical music and beyond. Differing foundation and flute resources are available for cantorial accompaniment, projecting close to the lectern. The Antiphonal also contains the softest string sounds for tonal effects in anthems and voluntaries. When the full resources of the Antiphonal are coupled to the gallery organ, the Antiphonal “carries” the sound of the gallery organ forward down the nave, while at the same time seamlessly blending with the gallery without detracting from its timbre.
Great
The Great division consists of 15 stops, 16 ranks, and is divided between one large slider chest and one electro-pneumatic chest. The division is located directly above the Swell enclosure, and is based on the 8′ Principal, which is located primarily in the façade and constructed of 75% tin, with spotted metal in the treble. The 8′ Principal is scaled near Normalmensur plus two, which on 80mm wind pressure fills the nave with a warm yet gentle tone. It is voiced full in the bass, and has clarity in the treble to reinforce the melody line. The Principal chorus is complete through a four-rank mixture, and includes mutations that are meant to reinforce the plenum. Flues are primarily in spotted metal with the intent to add warmth to the overall tone, yet allow for brightness in finishing.
Additional 8′ stops (Flute Harmonique, Bourdon, Gemshorn, and Gemshorn Celeste t.c.) complete the standard fonds d’orgue, as well as add the unique flexibility of a third, unenclosed celeste. Tonal considerations were made to allow the scaling of this hybrid pair to be generous, yet with a low cut-up to provide clarity of tone. The 8′ Trumpet is designed with German shallots to provide a blending quality, which is meant to enhance the plenum. By contrast, the horizontal Trompette en Chamade, which is mounted on the front of the case, is scaled and voiced to blend with full organ registration, and can be used as a solo stop for processionals and fanfares. Both reeds are voiced on 100mm pressure.
Swell
The Swell division consists of 17 stops, 15 ranks, and is also divided between one large slider and one electro-pneumatic chest. The division is based on the 8′ Diapason of spotted metal, which provides foundation to a complete principal chorus through the Plein Jeu. The scale of the Swell Diapason is three steps smaller and completely different in tone than the Great Principal. The Swell contains a wide variety of stops, ranging from French-style strings to a liquid 8′ Rohrflöte, which is unified at 16′ and made of wood. Mutations are broadly scaled to provide for a rich Cornet decomposée. We elected to use English construction for the 8′ Trompette in the Swell in order to provide a contrast in tone to the Great Trumpet.
Antiphonal
Restoration of the Kimball pipework involved restoration of each pipe in one form or another. While minor repair and remedial voicing work was necessary, the general pipe-making was excellent. Few pipes had been physically altered in previous rebuild efforts, which allowed for maximum flexibility in finishing. We replaced the leather on the stoppers of all wood pipes, and in the spirit of the original Kimball, we provided twelve bass pipes to the Flute d’ Amour, and returned it to 4′ pitch. We also replaced the low twelve pipes of the Open Diapason, which replaced the badly damaged pipes of the original façade. All spotted metal pipes were dunked in a restorative solution, and fitted with new stainless steel sleeves. Finally, an 8′ Vox Humana was provided by Dr. Lee Erickson, friend to the project.
The 8′ Open Diapason of this division provides the organist with yet another Diapason tone. Made from a high-lead alloy, these pipes provide the tone one would expect from a Diapason of this vintage. The pipes are cut dead-length and scrolled. Undoubtedly they would have been originally over-length and slotted. Deep nicks in the languid and lower lip allow for open-toe voicing, which allows this stop to truly enhance the gallery instrument.
Pedal
Consisting of 19 stops, 8 ranks, the Pedal provides a solid foundation to this full instrument. Through calculated borrowing and tonal finishing, this division provides an ample variety of timbres and volumes. The 16′ Principal in the Pedal division (façade) is made from a combination of zinc and 70% tin pipes, and is finished with a silver-tone patina. The Pedal is further supported by an impressive unit 32′ Kontra Posaune, which is voiced full in order to provide an equal blend of harmonics and fundamental. We used tin-faced German shallots throughout the compass of this reed, which provides unique overtones required to enhance the pedal plenum, particularly when considering this stop will be used in part in cantus firmus.
Chests and wind system
Flue pipes of the Great, Swell and Antiphonal sit on Berghaus slider and pallet chests. Reeds and offset chests are electro-pneumatic action. The entire organ is supported by an interior steel structure, which provides stability while allowing unimpeded access to interior parts of the mechanism. Wind to the pipes is supplied by two blowers—one blower for the gallery organ, and one for the Antiphonal. Our wind system provides absolutely steady wind through a balance of schwimmers and reservoirs. Wooden wind conductors help eradicate turbulence and are effective in eliminating noise. Slider chest wind pressures are 80 and 75mm, while reeds and Pedal are on 100mm.
The gallery organ case and organ console are constructed of maple, and are designed to incorporate architectural elements found throughout the worship space. Keyboards are in bone and rosewood, with African Kewazinga Bubinga stop jambs and coupler rail.
The construction of the organ at St. Jerome Parish was achieved through the dedication and teamwork of the entire Berghaus organization, which extends its sincerest gratitude to the people of St. Jerome Parish for enabling us to contribute to the life of their parish:
President: Brian Berghaus
Director of sales and marketing: David McCleary
Tonal design: Jonathan Oblander, tonal designer; Kelly Monette, head tonal finisher
Reed specialist: Steven Hoover
Structural and visual design: Steven Protzman
Shop foreman: Jeff Hubbard
Office manager: Jean O’Brien
Service coordinator: Joseph Poland
Construction/assembly/installation: Stan Bujak, Chris Czopek, Steve Drexler, Jeff Hubbard, Trevor Kahlbaugh, Kurt Linstead, Kelly Monette, David Mueller, Jonathan Oblander, Joseph Poland, Daniel Roberts, Tim Roney, Paul Serresseque, Ron Skibbe, Jordan Smoots, Paul Szymkowski, Mark Ber, Randy Watkins.
In addition, Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders gratefully acknowledges the invaluable assistance of Scott R. Riedel & Associates, Ltd. in the project, as well as the expertise and leadership of Fr. John Yockey, pastor, and Tom Koester, past organist of St. Jerome Parish.
—Kelly Monette & Jonathan Oblander
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders,
Bellwood, Illinois, was established as Berghaus Organ
Company in 1967 in Melrose Park, Illinois.
Cover photos, top: La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Arizona (2008); middle: O’Fallon United Church of Christ, O’Fallon, Illinois (1973); Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corners, Wisconsin (1990); First United Methodist Church, South Bend, Indiana (1988); bottom: St. Benedict’s Parish, Chesapeake, Virginia (2015).
From the Founder
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, I was encouraged to leave home to seek my education at Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University Chicago) in River Forest, Illinois. After graduation, I married and worked for several years as a parochial school teacher and church organist/choir director. My unexpected decision to enter the organ-building trade was chiefly influenced by two instruments and two men.
Before I left Ohio, Trinity Lutheran Church in Cleveland began installing a four-manual and pedal mechanical-action organ from the Beckerath company of Hamburg, Germany, which was completed in 1956. The church was near my house, and my curiosity, for some unknown reason, led me to make frequent visits during its installation and voicing. I had no earthly idea that this organ would lay the groundwork for my organbuilding philosophy!
While still enrolled at Concordia, my informal apprenticeship for organbuilding began as I started to repair the slider chests on an 1888 Jackson Organ Company (Chester, Illinois) tracker at St. Matthew Lutheran Church on the south side of Chicago. Slowly, the organ came back to life as I repaired badly damaged pipes, broken trackers, and cracked rollerboards. We found a second-hand pedalboard to replace the original and installed key extensions to accept mechanical connections to the pedal chests and couplers. By repairing an ancient blower and wind system, a somewhat compromised new life to the organ was born. By 1961 the organ was again used for services. Subsequently, the congregation authorized Berghaus Organ Company to extensively rebuild the organ with new slider chests, pipework, action, and wind system. Since 1972 the organ remains as rebuilt.
Why devote time to these two churches and their organs? These were my mind and eye openers! I had a gnawing curiosity to tear into the old Jackson organ, find out what went wrong, and fix it! In the Beckerath, I had a “new” organ for comparison.
Sometime in 1967 while a fifth and sixth grade teacher, I was approached by John F. Shawhan, the Midwest service and sales representative of Casavant Frères of Canada, to take over a dozen or so contracts to provide semiannual service and maintenance for new Casavants located from Des Moines to Fort Wayne. I still had no plans on becoming an organbuilder, but November 1967 was my final month as a teacher. John paired me up with his assistant, Paul Jochum, who spent time in the Beckerath shop as a general apprentice. When I first met Paul, I assumed that I would be the tuner and he would be the key holder. But that is not how he had it planned! He insisted that he tune and I sit at the console. And that was the arrangement for all the years we worked together. His disciplined tuning was impeccable and went so far as to check the tuning of higher-pitched mixtures by listening through the entire stop without the tuning stop on!
As the service and tuning business grew, the opportunity came along to build an instrument. The O’Fallon United Church of Christ in southern Illinois was planning an extensive renovation of its church. The original Kilgen tracker was entombed behind the altar and was in serious need of repair. Casavant turned down the project and asked Berghaus to consider it. I, too, turned down the opportunity to renovate the old Kilgen.
They asked, “Who do you recommend to do the renovation?” I said that I would build a new mechanical-action organ for them instead. What did I have to show? Nothing! But they chose Berghaus despite our lack of experience. The contract was signed and construction took place in a 24′ by 27′ garage with an extremely limited number of tools and space. Today, this organ stands as built in 1973. A few years ago, we thoroughly cleaned it and set it back on course for another 40-plus years of faithful service.
After O’Fallon, four contracts were negotiated in fairly rapid succession for 2-manual and pedal mechanical-action organs. As these were being built, a noticeable change in design requests followed: namely, to retain the mechanical key action, but to abandon the mechanical stop action and utilize a more user-friendly stop control system. This was an acceptable alternative to me, as it did not affect the key action or the windchest design. I was firmly convinced that slider windchests were the best chests in the world! The most striking change came with the detached, moveable console, requiring the separation of the direct key action from the windchests, which we accommodated by installing electric pull-down magnets outside the pallet box.
Our stay in a house basement and two-car garage lasted a very short time. By 1973 we moved to Bellwood into a facility of approximately 4,000 square feet and a ceiling height of only 13 feet. A number of organs exceeding that height were built in this low-ceiling room. In 1984, a two-story erecting room and design and fabrication spaces were added to facilitate construction of larger instruments.
Time passed so fast that it became unnoticeable. My wife, Judy, worked many years as the office manager. Both of our sons, Todd and Brian, served us well in service projects, organ construction, and installations. It would be Brian whom I would entrust with continuing my work by taking the leadership of the company into the second generation. Along the way, he would build a team around him.
—Leonard G. Berghaus
From the Tonal Director
When I joined Berghaus in 2006, the company was in a period of transition. While the hallmarks of slider chests, open-toe voicing, and Werkprinzip were still present in many instruments, a few others were examples of a more eclectic approach to tonal design. The 2003 four-manual instrument created for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, combined new resources with many ranks from the Aeolian-Skinner organ built in the 1950s. The result was decidedly more American Classic in sound, and it has enjoyed great success in live performance as well as several recordings. Subsequent years saw the installation of more eclectic organs at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Bloomington, Illinois (3 manuals, 46 ranks), and Queen of All Saints Basilica, Chicago, Illinois (3 manuals, 60 ranks).
My own background in pipe organs began at the age of 13, when I first took organ lessons and began playing church services some months later. I had always been fascinated with the pipe organ; I used to spend many hours listening to recordings of instruments from all over the world, conjuring up stoplists, and occasionally attempting to design casework and façades. Little did I know then that this would ultimately become my career! I completed organ studies at Valparaiso University and The Juilliard School; these institutions educated me with a solid foundation of organ performance in both concert and church settings. My many opportunities to perform around the country allowed me first-hand experience with the great wealth of pipe organs in this nation, and I began to formulate my thoughts of what my own personal tonal signature would be.
In 2007, the Berghaus-built organ for St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chevy Chase, Maryland, would be my first opportunity to make my mark. With a stoplist that leans more into the French Romantic realm (complete with a sumptuous Cavaillé-Coll-style drawknob console), this instrument of 3 manuals and 63 ranks began a new era for our company. The organ, both in its stoplist and tonal approach, is a synthesis of classical and romantic styles. As a result, it emphasizes a clear and singing sound in the individual stops, while at the same time providing warmth and depth when stops are used in combination. Each division contains a complete principal chorus, characteristic flute stops, and reeds both fiery and more subdued. Decidedly different from previous instruments is the treatment of string and reed tone. The Grand-Orgue and Récit contain Salicionals with more harmonic prominence, which aid in carrying accompaniment lines found in homophonic music. While our past instruments accentuated the build-up of the Tutti through upperwork and mixtures, this organ places reed tone in the several Trompette and Bombarde ranks at the fore, paying homage to the symphonic style.
These principles were also carried out in the instruments of 2007–08: St. Jerome Catholic Church in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (3 manuals, 53 ranks), built in collaboration with Scott R. Riedel & Associates as the organ consultant/acoustician, and First Lutheran Church, Manitowoc, Wisconsin (3 manuals, 41 ranks).
2008 brought an extraordinary opportunity to construct our magnum opus for La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. Taking cues from the American Classic and Romantic traditions, our tonal approach was to design an eclectic instrument that would handle a wide range of repertoire, capable of a vast amount of both dynamic and tonal expression. To that end, there are no less than five manual 8′ Principals, ten different 8′ and 4′ flutes, and strings and hybrid (tapered) stops, which are of varying tone and construction. The versatility of this instrument is the result of our ability to finish every stop as its own beautifully unique voice and also as a worthy contributor in combination.
Given the challenge of designing a 92-rank organ with only one division under expression, it became clear from the beginning that great care would need to be taken in the tonal finishing process to ensure the success of a seamless crescendo and equally balanced manual divisions. The ranks of the Positiv division are designed and voiced so as to provide a remarkable degree of expressiveness for an unenclosed division. The overall effect in the crescendo is that of a continuous transition from ppp to fff without any staggering dynamic or color steps.
In recent years, because of economic challenges, many churches have elected not to build entirely new instruments, but to retain as much as they could from their current organ or investigate viable options of transplanting a vintage instrument. One of our unique endeavors was creating an instrument for First Presbyterian Church, Johnson City, Tennessee, by combining resources from two organs in need of a new home: a 1930 Casavant from Our Lady of Grace, Chicago, and the Berghaus from Christ Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Ohio. On paper, these two disparate tonal concepts would not necessarily work well by merely placing stops together. To achieve good blend within and among the divisions, and to provide appropriate combinations for musical performance, we decided to keep the Great and Swell divisions of the Berghaus together, but reassign them and enhance the 8′ tone to be adequately scaled for the new space. The new Great and Pedal divisions would combine new pipework and vintage stops that were fully restored or changed to blend with the overall tonal concept. We have also successfully installed instruments of this type with the help of consultant Wayne Wagner at Zion Lutheran Church, Columbus, Wisconsin (2 manuals, 24 ranks) and in partnership with Edward Meyer at Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wisconsin (2 manuals, 35 ranks).
2014 brought us an opportunity to work with organist and historical author Peggy Kelley Reinburg, who acted as consultant for St. Benedict’s Parish, Chesapeake, Virginia. Her insight into pipe organs and tonal design proved to be an invaluable resource. Together with her, we collaborated to present an instrument with a heart of simplicity and clarity, rooted in North German tradition but also possessing a distinctive voice. This instrument brings our company full circle to its early beginnings—confident in the creation of instruments in a classic style, while tailoring tonal schemes that serve the specific needs of our many different clients.
As Berghaus celebrates 50 years, we can applaud the first instruments of our founder, Leonard Berghaus, and his many successful contributions to organbuilding. Each instrument that has been produced since I started in 2006 is unique in its own right, and I am truly proud of them all. I look forward to what the next years will bring, both in challenges and opportunities.
—Jonathan Oblander
From the President
My apprenticeship at Berghaus began at a very young age. I have fond memories of being pulled out of class at Grace Lutheran School to help assist with organ repairs, or so they thought! Little did I know that this would set the stage for my life’s work. My high school summers were spent working for Berghaus in a variety of roles, and in 1988 I began my full-time position. My training and work experience was primarily in casework, structure, winding, and windchest construction. As time went on, I gradually moved into project management for several years before being appointed vice president in 1999. In 2004, I was named president of the firm.
During the mid-1990s, I began to look to the future of the company and realized that to grow and remain viable, we would have to employ a new business model of separating the new organs from the service side and executing multiple projects at once. A larger facility would be needed to accommodate the change. In 1999, after several years of exploring various options, including construction of a new facility, we located a building. Although it had been vacant for a number of years, the advantages far outweighed the drawbacks. Its location less than a mile from our previous facility meant that the remodeling process and relocation would have a minimum impact on our production schedule and the more than 200 clients for whom the company provided service and maintenance.
The move in 2001 from a 6,700-square-foot building to a 30,000-square-foot plant afforded Berghaus the opportunity to design a more streamlined approach to our processes. A new set-up room with a ceiling height of 38 feet was constructed to accommodate larger instruments. The remodeled service area allowed for a clean and spacious environment to accomplish all aspects of organ service and maintenance. One of the depressed loading docks was filled in to create additional 26′ by 52′ space for managing multiple projects simultaneously. Four separate voicing rooms were created to allow our artisans to excel in their craft. A conference room and spacious office area completed the updated state-of-the-art facility. The building underwent other significant structural updates and improvements, including a new fire/burglar alarm system and surveillance for safety and the protection of our clients’ property.
In addition, the new facility allowed us to install more efficient and larger equipment to the plant floor. A new spray booth, dust collection system, 54-inch-wide belt sander, and multiple TigerStopsTM significantly updated our production process. With four new vacuum press tables, we were able to press up to eight slider chests in one day, something that would have taken us four days to accomplish in the past. Recent additions to our technology include a 3-D printer and planning for the installation of a large CNC machine.
With my father nearing retirement, there was no doubt in my mind that a different business model would be needed to propel the company forward and continue our commitment to excellence. His were big shoes to fill. It is sobering and gratifying when I think of the many former Berghaus employees who were mentored by my father and have prominent positions throughout the industry. Preserving his legacy and continuing his life’s work was a daunting task. To accomplish this, I created a new team approach made up of a variety of artisans with the same dedication to the art of organbuilding that my father instilled in me. The new methodology produced a positive, collaborative working environment and a superior instrument, resulting in a secure future for all.
Berghaus has a history of successfully building both mechanical action and electric slider chest instruments and has continually made improvements to its approach. At the turn of the century, the advances started accelerating as the new Berghaus team began incorporating wooden windlines, 1.75-inch tongue and groove solid hardwood enclosures, European racking, and fastidious wire management into the construction techniques. Today, three-dimensional modeling and design create a realistic representation for new instrument presentation drawings and aid in the efficiency of in-shop construction. The case and console designs are an organic part of the rooms in which they reside. Our tonal finishing is, quite simply, second to none. Along with the aforementioned construction changes, we have an overhauled marketing approach with a new corporate image, website, and brochure.
What did not change was our commitment to maintaining high standards for every task our clients hire us to do, from tuning and service to building new instruments. We take great pride in tuning throughout the Midwest and beyond. From emergency service seven days a week to releathering reservoirs or cleaning instruments, our service business is paramount to our success and we appreciate the trust our clients have in us.
Our company is still devoted to the time-honored tradition of slider chests, low to moderate wind pressures, and pure and natural voicing practices. Our later instruments retain these hallmarks while presenting new colors and possibilities for performance of many schools of organ composition. Celebrating our 50th anniversary gives me the opportunity to reflect on the past and contemplate the honor of leading Berghaus into the future. The tremendous pride and respect I have for my staff and their accomplishments cannot be expressed in words.
—Brian D. Berghaus
Please mark your calendars to celebrate the Berghaus 50th Anniversary with a recital at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Illinois, November 12, 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall.
Juneau, Alaska, is currently accessible only by airplane or boat. The city of 31,000 is the capital of the state, but many Alaskans have never been there because of its remoteness. That could change a little if the state government’s plans for a 65-mile, $281 million highway survives in the federal transportation bill, The New York Times reported.
The highway would connect Juneau to the rest of the state’s highway system through Canada, but some residents vehemently oppose the idea. They like Juneau’s remoteness. If Alaskans wanted a more accessible capital, they could move it to Anchorage or another city, but several attempts over the past 40 years to do just that have failed. Even with the highway, the trip from Juneau to Anchorage would be 800 miles.
The planned highway is a proposal of Gov. Frank Murkowski and U.S. Rep. Don Young, who is influential in transportation policy as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Critics say the road would cost too much and possibly take funding away from other needed infrastructure projects. They also say the proposed alignment would threaten bears and other animals in the Tongass National Forest and would be dangerous in winter because of avalanches.
A draft environmental study is scheduled to be released this month. If the highway is not built, Juneau will remain the only state capital that cannot be reached by car.
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has won the 2004 Telly Award for the multimedia training program it produced this year to help construction-industry workers across the nation get involved in federal legislative advocacy in support of increasing federal transportation investment.
The prestigious award, founded in 1979, annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators and corporate video departments in the world.
More than 10,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents are submitted annually. On average, only about 7% of those entries are selected as winners. The Telly Awards are affiliated with the Center for Creativity, an organization that was founded in 1963 to research and study advertising, design, production and journalism.
ARTBA developed “Mobilize! A Grassroots Legislative Action Program for Transportation Construction Firms,” which includes a 10-minute DVD, CD-ROM, PowerPoint presentation and instructional booklet. It is believed to be the first multimedia package developed by a national transportation association to facilitate grassroots training.
The program provides information about how decisions made by Congress and the White House affect the transportation construction market. It also offers employees tips on how to get involved in helping shape federal policies that will benefit their future livelihoods.
ARTBA engaged Washington, D.C.-based LAI Creative Media for the production work, and the DVD features innovative grassroots techniques that have been used successfully by Harrisburg, Pa.-headquartered Stabler Cos./PSI and by Oldcastle Materials Inc., which is located in Washington, D.C.
The association distributed nearly 1,500 kits to companies throughout the country with the goal of bolstering activities in support of a significant increase in federal transportation investment as part of the TEA-21 reauthorization.
Portland cement demand increased 14.8% in February, followed by a 23.8% increase in March, according to The Monitor, published monthly by the Portland Cement Association (PCA). On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, March’s reading of 125.9 mmt is a single-month record. Year-to-date consumption is tracking 12% above last year.
Blended cement was rather flat in March at -0.3%. Year-to-date consumption is down 12.3%.
Masonry cement consumption increased 28.3%, following significant gains in January and February. Year-to-date consumption is 21.3% above 2003 levels.
Cement and clinker imports continued to grow at 7.9% in February and 11.5% in March. Year-to-date, imports are up 13.7% from the first three months of last year.
PCA’s statistics reflect the latest data from several government-issued reports.
Involving all the interested agencies early allowed the Federal Highway Administration and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) to finish the environmental study of a replacement highway through a sensitive marsh area in just 44 months, according to a “Success Story” on the website of the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials.
The new Louisiana Rte. 1 will provide enhanced access to the vital oil, gas and fishing industries in the gulf area. It also will provide a more reliable evacuation route in case of a severe storm such as a hurricane while preserving the marshes that buffer the area from those gulf storms.
The new four-lane highway will replace an old two-lane structure. Instead of a lift bridge over Bayou Lafourche at Leeville, there will be a new fixed, high-rise bridge. The road will stretch 16 miles from Fourchon to Golden Meadow.
Ronald Ventola, chief of the Regulatory Branch of the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, credited the FHWA and the LADOTD for understanding the sensitivity of the habitat and being willing to adjust the construction plan. He also gave the resource agencies credit for understanding the need for the highway and the lack of good alternatives.
One accommodation to the habitat was the decision to use “end-on” construction except for the high-rise bridge near Leeville. According to the end-on construction method, the heavy equipment working on Rte. 1 will sit on a platform on concrete piles instead of in the marsh. A crane on the platform will drive piles and place segments of the viaduct bridge then move to the next platform and repeat the process.
The FHWA and the LADOTD also undertook a study of the effect on the marsh grasses of the shade from the new structure.
The marshes are already threatened. In the past 50 years, 1,500 square miles of Louisiana’s gulf wetlands have disappeared through erosion and subsidence. In 2000, while FHWA and LADOTD were preparing the Environmental Impact Statement for Rte. 1, another 164 square miles of the salt marsh suffered a severe dieback of marsh grass. With the continuing erosion of the coastal marshes, the existing highway has become increasingly susceptible to flooding during storms.
The agencies that participated in the planning included the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others.
Those involved in the process said the cooperation and mutual respect among the agencies proved the U.S. DOT could streamline the environmental review process with the least effect on the environment.
The new La. Rte. 1 will become part of the National Highway System in view of its intermodal link to the U.S. energy supply.
Many eye injuries on construction sites result from flying wood dust and other debris like paint chips, dirt and concrete particles. Solvents, paints and adhesives used in construction can be toxic to the eyes and skin. Eyewashes and drench showers should be in place to mitigate such hazards at heavy construction sites. Equipment ranging from bottle eyewashes through portable stations to plumbed fixtures is available to meet the unique needs of your work site. And an updated American National Standard for emergency eyewash and shower equipment includes minimum performance requirements and installation, maintenance and training specifications. ANSI Z358.1-2004 may be ordered by contacting ISEA, 1901 N. Moore St., Suite 808, Arlington, VA 22209 or 703/525-1695 or visit www.safetyequipment.org.
JCB Inc., Savannah, Ga., has restructured its North American sales and marketing: Bob Wright will head dealer development, remarketing, governmental sales and business planning; Bruce Narveson has been named vice president of sales for the Northeast region; Jan Nielsen is now general manager for the Central region; David Hahn has been named general manager of the Western region; Ron Fulmer is now general manager for Canada; and Gordon Henderson will continue as vice president of sales for the Southeast region.
Meris Gebhardt has joined the sales staff at Tracker Software Corp., Snowmass Village, Colo.
PBM Concrete, Rochelle, Ill., has merged into J.W. Peters, Burlington, Wis.
JLG Industries Inc., McConnellsburg, Pa., has made a binding offer to purchase Delta Manlift, a Tonneins, France, subsidiary of the Manitowoc Co. Inc. JLG also will acquire certain intellectual property and related assets that will allow it to relaunch selected models of Manitowoc’s recently discontinued Liftlux aerial work platforms at a later date. Scott Brower has been named vice president of marketing and market development at JLG.
Anthony E. Fiorato, president and CEO of Construction Technology Laboratories, Skokie, Ill., has been elected president of the American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.
The American Society of Safety Engineers, Des Plaines, Ill., has been named secretariat of the American National Standards Institute’s A10 Accredited Standards Committee on Safety Requirements for Construction and Demolition Operations, which aims at protecting workers and the public.
Vernon Wehrung, president of Modern Precast Concrete, Ottsville, Pa., has been elected chairman of the board of the National Precast Concrete Association, Indianapolis.
Tim Gillespie of Sika Corp., Lyndhurst, N.J., has been voted a fellow of the International Concrete Repair Institute.
C. Diane Matt has joined Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network as the first executive director.
Arthelius “Trip” Phaup, P.E., is relocating to Ralph Whitehead Associates’ Atlanta office to assume the duties of Transportation Group leader.
James Rowan has been named area manager for the Philadelphia office of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas Inc. Parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed Mary Clayton North Carolina area manager.
HNTB Corp., Kansas City, Mo., has appointed Mary Axetell senior vice president. The firm also has appointed four vice presidents: Uri Avin, Rhett Leary, Jim Riley and Mark Urban.
Ben Berra of Skelly and Loy Inc., Harrisburg, Pa., has been designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as a qualified bog turtle surveyor in Pennsylvania.
Raymond F. Messer, P.E., has been named by Texas A&M University’s Department of Civil Engineering as the recipient of the Friend of the Department 2004 Award. Messer is president and chairman of the board of Walter P. Moore.
Horner & Shifrin Inc., St. Louis, Mo., has named Jamie McVicker, P.E., transportation/civil project manager, as an associate of the firm. Lisa E. Fennewald, P.E., also has been named associate and promoted to assistant project manager.
KS Engineers, Newark, N.J., has added Eugene W. Little and Eileen Della Volle as vice president of business development.
URS Corp., Seattle, has named Dave Alford manager of the company’s Pacific Northwest region.
Michael D. Spitz, P.E., has joined McMahon Associates Inc. as a senior project engineer in the firm’s Cape Coral, Fla., office.
At Carter & Burgess Inc., Kenneth Carper, P.E., CPSWQ, has joined as a vice president and unit manager of the Raleigh, N.C., Transportation Programs Unit, and James “Woody” Woodruff, P.E., has joined as a senior project manager in the Salt Lake City office.
The Reuter Organ Company has built a new manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters at 1220 Timberedge Road in Lawrence, Kansas. Reuter, a fixture in downtown Lawrence since 1919, decided to leave its historic location to build a new structure more suited to production efficiency. The World Company purchased the previous location at 612 New Hampshire, including three buildings, one of which was the site of the former Wilder Bros. shirt factory, dating from the 1880s, one of the oldest manufacturing facilities in the city.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on June 4, marking the official opening of the new facility. The day's festivities included tours of the building from 2:30–4:30, presentations and ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m., and a reception following. Albert Neutel is president of the company; Albert Neutel, Jr., is executive vice president. The ribbon cutting ceremony was organized by the Law-rence Chamber of Commerce and included presentations by the following: Sandy Praeger, state senator; Scot Buxton, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce; Steve Kelly, Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing; and Albert Neutel. Allison Vance Moore of Law-rence was the emcee.
The $4 million project features a 75,000 square-foot building on 7.15 acres. The new facility is more than twice the size of the old one, and all operations now reside on a single level instead of five separate stories in two buildings. Instead of waiting turns for a slow elevator ride, workers can simply walk around the single-level shop to access each department. One of the best improvements to the operation is air conditioning throughout the entire shop.
The move represents a significant milestone in the history of pipe organ building in this country. The last new facility by a large major U.S. organ builder was over 30 years ago.
The planning of the new shop was in the works for over a year, long before an architect and contractor were engaged. Company personnel spent time studying production flow, materials handling, and work stations. The building was de-signed to receive new and raw materials on the north end and send completed organs outbound on the south end. Each instrument works its way from north to south, where it is assembled, tested, dismantled, packed, and loaded through the assembly room and shipping dock.
Visits were made to other organ and pipe shops in the United States and Europe, in order to gain an understanding of what worked best and worst in these manufacturing situations. An "open shop" concept was finally decided upon. Several architects were asked to comment and prepare a conceptual rendering of a shell to house this open shop. After studying these proposals, Architect One of Topeka, Kansas was chosen to develop the plans for the project. A. G. Tollefson of Lecompton, Kansas was chosen as the general contractor.
The new facility boasts many distinctive features. The assembly room measures 72' x 76' with a 48' ceiling. Riding across the ceiling is a five-ton hoist. Materials arrive in a 130' x 45' receiving room. The adjoining lumber storage and mill shop measures 114' x 30'. The zinc and copper pipe metal leave the receiving area to join the 135' x 55' pipe shop. The spotted metal is cast in a special room complete with planer and storage bins. All of these areas are equipped with large overhead doors to allow for movement of materials via forklift.
Reuter's nearly 50 employees now enjoy breaks in the new "cafeteria" area equipped with kitchenette and vending machines. Data drops are installed throughout the building. This facilitates the use of high technology anywhere in the shop as needed. The CNC router is enclosed in its own room, complete with vacuum table, storage, computer platform, telephone and data connection.
Reuter was founded in 1917 in Trenton, Illinois, as the Reuter-Schwartz Organ Company, formed by Earl Schwartz, Henry Jost, and A.C. Reuter. Mr. Reuter had previously worked for Wicks, Pilcher and Casavant since about 1904. A. G. Sabol, Sr., who was with Casavant at the time, joined his uncle, A.C. Reuter, in the new firm. The company started with six employees, besides Reuter and Sabol, including Jake Schaeffer, a noted voicer who had worked with Reuter at Casavant; E. J. "Pat" Netzer, woodworker; William Zweifel, pipe maker; and Frank Jost, console maker. Only one organ was built in 1917, an instrument of eight stops over two manuals and pedal, sold to Trinity Episcopal Church in Mattoon, Illinois. After this instrument was completed and set up in the erecting room, a tornado struck Trenton and blew out one factory wall. The assembled organ was severely damaged. The company carried insurance, and a new organ was built and installed in Trinity Church as opus 2. During the following year, a total of ten instruments were built and installed. In 1919, 14 instruments were built and installed, including opus 14 for the Masonic Temple in Lawrence, Kansas.
In 1919, the company decided to move to Lawrence, Kansas, purchasing the Wilder Bros. shirt factory as its new headquarters, where Reuter remained until this year. The board of directors was listed as E. G. Schwartz, A. C. Reuter, H. T. Jost, G. O. Foster, and W. B. Downing. Foster and Downing were both with the University of Kansas. The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce had pledged funds to help defray the cost of moving. On January 1, 1920, the new office was open for business, and on March 1 the remodeled factory opened for production. The first organ built in the Lawrence plant was opus 27, a 23-rank instrument for Central Congregational Church in Topeka, Kansas. Earl Schwartz left the company in July of 1920, and the name was changed to "The Reuter Organ Company." During the "roaring twenties" business increased rapidly to 51 instruments in 1928. Reuter first began exporting organs in 1954. Opus 1101 was installed in St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Edmonton, Canada. Subsequent organs have been installed as far afield as Taiwan, and, scheduled for 2003, an instrument for Seoul, Korea.
Franklin Mitchell joined the company in 1951 as special representative and consultant, and in 1957 was appointed tonal director. He was elected vice-president in 1964. In 1980 he became president and partner, a position he held until 1983, when he became chairman of the board. He continued in that role until his retirement in 1995. Mitchell died on March 31, 1998.
Albert Neutel joined the company in 1980 as plant manager. He partnered with Mitchell that year to purchase the company. In 1983, when Mitchell became chairman of the board, Neutel become the seventh president of the firm. His son, Albert Neutel, Jr., has been associated with Reuter for twenty years. In 1986, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee to represent the company in the Midwest and Southeast. He returned to Lawrence in 1997 as executive vice president.
Among Reuter's notable installations are Glens Falls Presbyterian Church, Glens Falls, New York (IV/61); First United Methodist Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado (IV/80); West Texas State University, Canyon, Texas (III/63); Augustana Lutheran Church, Denver, Colorado (IV/60); Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (IV/105); St. John's Lutheran Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania (IV/82); First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia (IV/80); and University Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Washington (IV/93).
The company has announced plans to increase sales by 15–20%, and reports at least $7 million worth of orders for the next 18 months. Current and upcoming projects include: Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette, Illinois (III/63); First United Methodist Church, Williamstown, West Virginia (II/18); Church of the Ascension, Rockville Centre, New York (II/19); St. John's Episcopal Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico (III/57); First United Methodist Church, Winfield, Kansas (II/29); First Presbyterian Church, Lincoln, Nebraska (III/65); So-Mang Presbyterian Church, Seoul, Korea (II/34); and Salem Missionary Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York (III/31).
As part of the festivities to introduce the new facility, Reuter's board of directors was on hand: Robert Billings, developer, president, Alvamar, Lawrence, Kansas; Robert Coleberd, economist, president (retired) Pac-West Oil Data, Mission Hills, California; Stephen Hamilton, minister of music, Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal), New York City; Joe Kelly, president (retired), board vice-chairman, Douglas County Bank, Lawrence; Charles Merritt, director, Pueblo Choral Society; Thomas Murray, attorney at law, partner, Barber Emerson Springer Zinn and Murray, LC, Lawrence; and Albert Neutel, president, Reuter Organ Company.
For more information about Reuter and the new facility, visit their web site at www.reuterorgan.com.
