100th Anniversary Re-Dedication - Program Excerpt

"The pipe organ was built by the William Schuelke Organ Company of Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin and installed in Fourteen Holy Helpers Church in 1891.  A major portion of 
the initial cost was made possible through a generous donation of a parishioner named 
Regina Goetz.          

Electricity made it possible to replace the organ pumper with a blower in 1924 and 
later the action was electrified, a new detached console replaced the original one 
and the entire organ was moved back seven feet to provide room for the choir.  The 
size of the instrument also was increased from the original 855 pipes to the current 
951 as part of the 1958-1959 renovation.        

In the course of the last hundred years of service, the windchests, reservoirs and 
both the stop and key actions of these windchests have deteriorated until some parts 
of the organ were unreliable and other sections had stopped playing altogether.  In 
1990, the details of a complete refurbishment were studied with Heritage Pipe Organs, 
Inc. of Buffalo, New York.  It was determined both the Swell and Great windchests 
were beyond repair and extensive rebuilding of other components would be required to 
restore the instrument to its full capability.  Heritage Pipe Organs custom designed 
complete new windchests with all new actions to fit within the case in a new, more 
efficient layout and upon approval, started building these components in their shop.  
The large top boards on the huge off chests for the bass pipes were split so new ones 
were crafted and specially reinforced to replace the damaged ones.  In April 1991 
almost the entire organ was removed and transported to the Heritage shop while the 
church made repairs and improvements in the choir loft for the protection and easier 
service of the instrument.          

Every pipe was cleaned, carefully inspected and repaired as necessary and fitted in 
brand new racks on brand new windchests.  The Trumpet and Oboe ranks, as the two reed 
stops on the organ, have been completely refurbished, re-voiced and regulated when 
they were reinstalled.  These are two dynamic and colorful stops that haven\\'t been 
heard for a long time at Fourteen Holy Helpers.  Everything was reinstalled with 
refurbished regulators, new windlines and entirely new wiring.  Sturdy steel beams 
were also used to support the heavy chests for greater safety and added accessibility 
for service.        

No detail has been overlooked in an effort to restore the original tone quality of 
this eighteen rank Schuelke Organ while making it reliable and durable for another 
hundred years.  Every pipe has been regulated to be cohesive in balance, and then 
fine tuned to achieve the original tone quality which is as valid for the 
requirements of this church today as it was a century ago.        

Fourteen Holy Helpers Parish has every right to be proud of this century old treasure 
which, with proper care and maintenance, can continue to provide inspiring music for 
the worship in this church for another hundred years, and more.  The rebuilding and 
restoration project was carried out under the auspices of Donald Bohall and Wilfred 
Miller, owners of Heritage Pipe Organs, Inc. of Buffalo.  Building, restoring and 
maintaining pipe organs has been a life\\'s work for both Mr. Bohall and Mr. Miller who 
worked closely with our organist, Mr. Patrick B. Barrett.  Mr. William Kurzdorfer 
acted for the church as consultant on this project.  Other members of the Heritage 
Pipe Organ crew were Gary Konitsch, Gerald E. Bacon, Richard Quisenberry, David 
Walters, Josef Heider, Walter Eberle, and John McCormick."

[Received from Peter Gonciarz May 17, 2011.]