Kansas City, Missouri
Grand Avenue Methodist Church
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Builder: The Ernest M. Skinner Co.
Year: 1910
Opus: 190
No. manuals: 4
No. stops: 70
No. ranks: 55
No. pipes: 3,400
GREAT ORGAN (6" wind) SWELL ORGAN (8" wind)
16' Bourdon 17 PED 16' Bourdon 73
8' Philomela PED 8' Diapason 73 a
8' First Diapason 61 a 8' Spitz Flute 73
8' Second Diapason 61 8' Gedeckt 73
8' Waldflöte 61 8' Salicional 73
8' Erzähler 61 8' Voix Celeste 73
4' Octave 61 8' Flute Celeste II 110 b
4' Flute 61 8' Aeoline 73
2 2/3' Twelfth 61 (1951) 8' Unda Maris II 134
2' Fifteenth 61 (1951) 4' Octave 73
8' Tuba SO 4' Flute 61
Chimes (in SW) 20 tubes 2' Flautino 61
III Mixture (12.15.17) 183
CHOIR ORGAN (7" wind) 16' English Horn 73
16' Gamba 73 8' Cornopean 73
8' Diapason 73 8' Oboe 73
8' Gamba 73 4' Clarion 61
8' Concert Flute 73 Tremolo
8' Quintaton 73
8' Dulcet II 146 PEDAL ORGAN
4' Flauto Traverso 61 32' Diapason (8") 32
2 2/3' Nazard 61 (1951) 16' Diapason 12
2' Piccolo 61 16' Violone 32 (in case)
1 3/5' Tierce 61 (1951) 16' First Bourdon 32
1 1/3' Larigot 61 (1951) 16' Second Bourdon SW
1 1/7' Septième 61 (1951) 16' Gamba CH
8' Clarinet 73 10 2/3' Gross Quint -- (1st Bourdon)
8' English Horn 73 8' Octave 12
8' Vox Humana 73 8' Gedeckt 12
Tremolo 8' Gamba CH
Carillons 61 bars V Cornet Mixture 190
16' Ophicleide SO
SOLO ORGAN (7" wind) 16' English Horn SW
8' Philomela PED 8' Tuba SO
8' Gamba GT 4' Clarion SO
8' Concert Flute CH
4' Flauto Traverso CH COUPLERS
16' Ophicleide (20") 61 Swell to Pedal 8 4
8' Tuba 12 Choir to Pedal 8 4
8' Clarinet CH Great to Pedal 8
8' English Horn CH Solo to Pedal 8 4
8' Orchestral Oboe CH Swell to Great 16 8 4
8' Vox Humana CH Choir to Great 8
4' Clarion 12 Solo to Great 16 8 4
Tremolo Swell to Choir 8
Carillons CH Swell to Swell 16 4
Choir to Choir 16 4
COMBINATION ACTION Solo to Solo 16 4
General 1-2 Great to Great 4
Great Organ 1-2-3-4
Swell Organ 1-2-3-4-5 EXPRESSION
Choir Organ 1-2-3-4 Balanced Swell Pedal
Solo Organ 1-2-3-4 Balanced Choir-Solo Pedal
Pedal Organ 1-2-3-4 (toe) Crescendo Pedal
Set
REVERSIBLES
Great to Pedal (toe paddle, pneumatically activated)
Sforzando (hitch-down toe paddle)
a leathered lips
b 1948, replacing Claribel Flute
c in case
Source: Allen Kinzey
Photo #1 Source: David Lewis.
Photo #2 & #3 Source: Jeff Scofield.
Notes: The following is from the booklet accompanying the CD of Frederick Hohman performing on Opus 190. The recording, which completely captures the sound of the organ (including start-up and shut-down sounds!) is available through Pro Organo and the Organ Historical Society.
"In 1909, the rapidly growing congregation of Grand Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, elected to erect a new building to house not only the church facilities, but also an adjoining 12-story office tower. Completed in 1912, the Greek revival design of the church later became known as the Grand Avenue Temple and its office tower as the Temple Building.The Temple's 1500-seat amphitheater-style church auditorium is almost square, with a 30' high flat, classically ornate grid-type ceiling. This auditorium and the Ernest M. Skinner pipe organ which resides in it have never been altered from their original designs. The church lost ownership of the office tower during the Great Depression. After a series of transactions, today it is the Federal Reserve Bank which owns every other parcel of land on the block except that place where the Grand Avenue Temple remains. Although the Federal Reserve Bank has offered to acquire the Grand Avenue Temple for additional parking space, to date no offer has been accepted, and the downtown church, one of only five churches in downtown Kansas City, lives on. Like the congregation, so lives Opus 190. Its longevity is due in great part to the service and restorative repairs performed since 1971 by Mr. Michael Quimby of Warrensburg, Missouri. While many restorations of vintage pipe organs routinely update mechanical, tonal and cosmetic aspects of organs, Michael Quimby and his associate, Mr. Eric Johnson, have only cleaned and repainted as necessary, preserving the original instrument's looks, smells and, most importantly, its sounds. Although it would be cheaper in most cases to simply replace an old electro-pneumatic console with more efficient, new designs, all original console parts of Opus 190 have been painstakingly restored according to the 1912 specifications and designs. These efforts all ensure that the original E. M. Skinner sound, which is affected in a small way by the nature of the construction, is preserved, warts and all.
"Opus 190 was dedicated along with the new "Grand Avenue Temple" building in a series of events from February 11-18, 1912. This instrument embodies, intact to this day, Mr. Skinner's early tonal ideals. Pipe chambers are constructed of poured-in-place concrete with hard plaster walls. The organ spans the entire 70-foot wall in the front of the auditorium. At the center of the instrument, the chamber is only 3 feet deep and most of the organ pipe work is located on the left and right sides. Yet, the impression of the organ in the room is remarkably cohesive. This is because the expression shades open towards the middle of the facade rather than directly out into the auditorium.
"Opus 190 has a typical early Skinner console � by comparison to his four-manual organs built after 1920, Opus 190 has a limited combination action. There are only two general pistons (neither of which affect coupler rails) and no general cancel. Opus 190 gets its 26" static wind pressure from an original 15-horsepower D.C. Century-motor. The organ action is a very fast pitman design with double-stage primaries.
"In 1948, Ernest Skinner, at age 83, returned to Grand Avenue Temple to replace the Swell division Claribel Flute with a fine two-rank Flute Celeste. Also, under Mr. Skinner's suggestion, minor additions were made as follows: Two ranks to the Great division, four mutations to the Choir division, and one mixture to the Pedal division. In 1949, Mr. Skinner urged the congregation to never let anyone remove or change his instrument."
Organ Historical Society Database: https://pipeorgandatabase.org/OrganDetails.php?OrganID=5632