Donate to help save the Austin organ

Amid the excitement of redevelopment of the building on the corner of Trinity and Washington, members of Trinity United Methodist Church are on an additional mission – to save the iconic 1912 Austin Organ housed in the sanctuary from the wrecking ball.

Why is it in danger? Trinity, a congregation founded in 1853, is in the midst of major redevelopment which will create 83 affordable apartments for seniors across the street from City Hall. To build the 12-story apartment building, the project will demolish a portion of the church building, but preserve the neo-gothic sanctuary. The sanctuary will convert into a multi-use event space – a community arts center for South Downtown.

However, the design of the residential tower and the facilities supporting the event space will push the organ out of its current setting. Trinity members are seeking help to preserve the unique musical instrument from a tragic end.

“That elegant organ has a long and storied Atlanta history that should not be lost. We’re looking to the greater Atlanta community to join us in our work to save this iconic Austin organ,” long-time church organist Bruce Wynn, said.

Much like the Fox Theatre’s “Mighty Mo,” Trinity’s Austin has accompanied silent movies, and orchestra performances. In the days before Atlanta had a symphony hall, Trinity was a favored venue for such performances and the organ was an important part of the performances. The legacy continues as Councilmember Matt Westmoreland remembers recently playing for a wedding on the Austin.

The timeline of the church’s development partner, Gorman and Company, calls for construction to begin in the first quarter of next year. Moving the organ is not in the total project budget.

“Moving an organ is a delicate job. It can be done, but very carefully. It is time consuming and costly,” John Bishop, director of Organ Clearing House, said.

The congregation has committed to provide up to $100,000 for the community effort to save the organ. Towards this end, a series of organ concerts are planned for the fall and winter, beginning on Halloween. Fearing the loss of this unique instrument, the celebrity organists of the city are volunteering to demonstrate to the community its unique capability and emphasize the need to preserve this small part of Atlanta’s downtown history.

“It will take another $100,000 to take the organ apart piece by piece and store it until we can find a way to move it to the balcony of the event space. If we can’t raise the $1.5 million to do that, at least the organ will be safe until we find an appropriate venue for this unique and rare instrument,” said Paul Bolster, longtime church member.

Pastor Williams is optimistic, “We hope our campaign to Save the Organ will buy us time and lead to an angel donor or to find a worthy home in the city for this historic musical instrument. We really don’t want to call for a dump truck.”