Weston Harris
1988

Updated through online information from Jeff Scofield.

Updated through online information from Weston Harris.

Identified through on-line information from Weston Harris. -- Opus 46 was built in the factory side-by-side to the the famous St. Louisiana Purchase Exposition organ, currently the heart of the Wanamaker Organ, Philadelphia. Opus 46 was built for Christ Church, a prominent Los Angeles Parish boasting 1500 congregants and an extensive music program. After a church scandal, the church disbanded and the organ was moved to the Church of the Open Door where it was played until 1985. It was placed into storage awaiting construction of a new church, which was not realized. In 1987 the warehouse where the organ was stored suddenly needed to be vacated within a week so that the warehouse could to be razed. Organ builder Weston Harris heard about the availability of the organ and quickly surveyed it, and the organ was purchased by St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church. Later it was found that a significant historical instrument had been acquired. After a year's debate, the church determined to renovate and install the organ into the church. This included addition of much of the existing small organ at the church as well as the Great Organ reeds from Aeolian Skinner Opus 886 (the organ originally at the Memorial Chapel at Harvard University). The Skinner console shell from Stanford University was rescued from a rubbish pile and placed on the organ. The organ is an integral part of the church's unusual "high" Anglo-Catholic ministry and extensive music program.