Wangerin Organ Co.
1929

Updated by Chuck Saunders, who has heard or played the organ. Additionally, Chuck Saunders listed this website as a source of information: http://www.stpaulfd.org/history.php.

This instrument no longer exists. The following is excerpted from a history page on the church's website: "In May of 1999, an arson fire destroyed the entire church building. Fire doors and a skilled fire department saved the school building and the church/school office. Worship services were held in the school gymnasium for the next four years until the new Sanctuary was completed. While the school offices stayed within the school building, it was necessary to move the church offices out of the school and for that reason, a two-story brick house was purchased just West of the school and on the same block. We kept our church offices there for the next four years until the new offices were ready to move into in the new building. In addition, we purchased two houses along 5th Avenue South just East of 13th Street which were torn down to provide additional parking. We were able to finally purchase the Sinclair gas station on the SW corner of the block, and that was torn down to provide additional space and for beautification purposes."

Anecdotally I can assert that I spent hours attending practices of Gary A. Ericksen, who was organist in the mid-to-late 1960s and although the information on this site indicates a comparatively small number of ranks (13), the sound in the large sanctuary would lead the listener to believe it was at least twice that size. It is possible that some of the perceived loudness was due to Gary's playing or that it was highly unified and borrowed. I had one occasion to look in the organ room and although I did not have the foresight to count the ranks, the room itself was large enough to house more than 13 ranks. My recollection is that the instrument was two levels and either level could have been more than 10 stops.

Rebuilt & enlarged 1994 by William D. Miller, Inc.