Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Opus 414 is nearing one hundred years of service, and in addition to the deterioration that would be expected after a century of continuous use, it suffers from recurring mechanical problems that have been increasing in number and severity for almost three decades.

These problems include:

• The performance of the organ is unpredictable, with wide variations in the quality and accuracy of its sound

• Some notes do not play

• Some notes play spontaneously when they should not

• Leaks in the wind system make it difficult to keep the organ in tune

• Leaks in the wind system cause imbalances from one division of the organ to the next

• Leaks in the wind system create an extra load on the organ blower, causing it to to work too hard and risk irreparable damage

• The digital control system of the 2005 console does not connect effectively with the older electronic controls in the organ chamber

• The echo division (sounding from the balcony of the sanctuary) has not been functional for several decades

• The mechanical integrity of the organ has been severely damaged by leaking water on three separate occasions including as recently as 2012

Those who play the organ are able to compensate for many of these problems because the organ is large and not all parts of every division are needed in order to play for worship services.

However, new problems arise every month and soon it will be impossible for organists to disguise the fact that the organ is aging rapidly and urgently needs attention.

The Committee for the Restoration of Opus 414 considered replacing the aging organ.

After consulting with several experts, the unanimous opinion was, from the sole perspective of finances, that it would cost 80-90 percent more to replace the organ than it would cost to repair it.

From the perspective of artistic merit, most of the original pipes and sounds that are still part of the present organ are unique, irreplaceable and could not be easily replicated.

From a historical and aesthetic perspective, the organ was an original element of the building, was built for and alongside it, and has served the church and the community since 1924.

All components of Opus 414 will be removed from the organ chamber located at the front of the church’s first-floor sanctuary (above and around the chancel area).

The components will be completely rebuilt and refreshed at the Schantz Organ Company in Orville, Ohio. Those components that are too worn out to be reused will be replaced with new parts. This process is expected to take 14-16 months.

While the organ is being rebuilt in Ohio, the church’s organ chamber will be repainted, rewired, relighted, re-plastered and otherwise prepared for reinstallation of Opus 414.

The 1982 expansion of the organ from 4,316 pipes to 5,589 pipes changed the identity and sound of the organ in ways that were found to be less than ideal and were inconsistent with the tonal character of the instrument.

 The restored organ will remedy these issues in part by reducing the number of pipes to a little over 4,500.

 The changes brought by the current restoration will more closely reflect the intentions and tonal character of the original organ, allowing the organ to more faithfully play music from the last 400 years  within within a cohesive Skinner tonal style.

Previous repairs and modifications made to Opus 414 were done in stages. Portions of the organ were worked on while others were left in place.

This piecemeal approach resulted in a complex system of original, patched, repaired and replaced parts struggling to work together. All of the elements were installed by different vendors at different times and they are all aging on different timelines. Some repairs, particularly those in the 1980s, were made with experimental materials and techniques that have not stood the test of time.

The end result is that conflicts and incompatibility within the organ itself have become a major problem, and adding another round of piecemeal repairs threatens to make the situation worse while not solving the fundamental issues facing the instrument.

Finally, there are parts of the organ in dire need of restoration that can only be accessed by removing them through the front grill over the chancel area. This process will be so complex, expensive and disruptive to weekly worship activities that it truly is considered a once-in-a-century project.

For these reasons, The Committee for the Restoration of Opus 414 decided that it would be more artistically successful, most cost-effective and least disruptive to restore the entire organ at one time in one cohesive project.

Although regular maintenance will be necessary each year to keep the organ in proper working condition, it is expected that a project like this one will not be necessary for another one hundred years.

The church purchased an Allen ADC 5000 electronic organ to be used while Opus 414 is out of commission.

This organ console and its six large speakers have been installed in the sanctuary and are currently in service. After Opus 414 is returned to the church, future uses of the ADC 5000 will be determined.

The Committee for the Restoration of Opus 414 requested bids from three highly successful organ builders, each with deep experience in rebuilding large, early twentieth-century organs. Each builder sent two or more people to examine all aspects of the organ for an entire day.

 After receiving detailed written proposals, the Committee conducted interviews with representatives from each company. These interviews were two hours in length and allowed the committee to ask further questions and fill out their impressions about each builder and their proposals.

 The Committee unanimously recommended awarding the contract to the Schantz Organ Company on the basis of their superior artistic and practical vision for our project. The restoration contract was signed  in May of 2024 and work began in late 2025.

Schantz Organ Company was founded in 1873 by A.J. Tschantz, (later changed to Schantz) and is the oldest and largest American pipe organ builder still under management of its founding family.

In the early part of the twentieth century, A.J.'s sons joined him in his organ building shop, and under their leadership the growing company developed a strong reputation.

Today, Schantz is widely considered to be America’s premier builder of electro-pneumatic pipe organs.  Work continues under the management of the fourth generation of the Schantz family.

Commissions for the firm include projects ranging in size from new and replacement consoles, to small organs of a few ranks, to complex designs for some of the world’s largest concert halls, churches and cathedrals.  Their work restoring the E. M. Skinner organs at Severance Hall in Cleveland and at Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago are particularly notable.

More information can be found on the Schantz Organ Company website.

The Committee for the Restoration of Opus 414 developed fundraising goals that will cover not only restoration of the organ, but also reserve funds to support its ongoing maintenance and for a performance series.

The current goal sits at $3.25 million of which $2.8 million has been secured through donations, pledges, and bequests.

The Committee’s vision is to keep the restored instrument in the best working condition possible for continued service to the church and its worship and to provide the means by which citizens of the city of Chicago, the surrounding region, and visitors from around the world can enjoy, appreciate and be inspired by the sounds of Opus 414 and the sanctuary where it lives.

We see the restored organ as a dynamic and versatile instrument that serves the needs of our congregation and as a means of engaging our neighborhood and city in musical collaborations and educational outreach.

The Committee is looking at all possible sources of funding from both inside and outside the church.

We are preparing to apply for grants from foundations and to approach corporate sponsors, some of whom have historical connections to the church.  A variety of fund-raising activities are being planned, including direct appeals, grant applications, performances, and a hymn-sing.

The best way to help with the new organ restoration is to subscribe to our email list so that you can keep up with Opus 414 updates and consider making a donation to the Organ fund.