Wicks Organ Co.
Opus 5253, 2007

Scot Huntington on January 10th, 2022:
This is the oldest church organ case in America, and the first church pipe organ imported to America specifically for that purpose. The central part of the facade casework is original (black oak), as are part of the side panels, and the wings are from the Hook & Hastings expansion. The collapsing gilded facade pipes of common metal are from Erben's rebuild of 1844, very likely replacing similarly collapsed facade pipes from Bridge. These pipes have been non-speaking since the Erben was replaced by Hook & Hastings. The original Bridge keyboards and stop jambs have been preserved in the Newport Historical Society since they were replaced by Erben. Too bad they didn't save the whole organ... Like its predecessors, this organ suffers from a deadly acoustic, ruined in no small part by the forward extension of the front of the church to add more seating, before the Erben was even built and which was likely the reason for getting rid of the Bridge. This changed the church footprint and acoustic from a rectangle to a tunnel. The upholstered and padded box pews finish off whatever acoustic the room could have. The Swell box is stacked on top of the Choir expression box-- both boxes and sets of shades were retained from the Skinner. These two divisions are deep inside the tower, which was opened up for the Skinner; have seriously large hand-hewn beams in front of them, and behind which these divisions must stand as these beams bisect the available chamber aerial space in half. Both the original Bridge and Erben lasted for many years in their respective second homes, but are now both gone. However the Erben with two original Bridge ranks is rumored to have lasted almost to modern times in its second home in Newport.

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Scot Huntington on January 10th, 2022:
The new console has an imitation voice to back up every actual pipe voice, in addition to numerous additional tonalities. The organ was carelessly designed, leaving out several of the original Wicks voices-- the most crucial being the Swell Principal 4', which is needed as the tuning stop for this remotely installed division, deep in the tower, partly above the ceiling and obscured by large beams, behind the historic facade. The console defaults to the fake voices, and it's an unconscionable hassle to turn those off and turn the real voices on. A total of 7 ranks, flutes and strings, were retained from the Skinner.

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Database Manager on December 31st, 2009:
Identified through on-line information from Brent Elwood Erstad. -- Rodgers modified the Wicks to include a digital console and pipe combination in 2007, utilizing most of the Wicks organ-which itself contained some of the earlier Skinner. The central portion of the case remains from the original Richard Bridge organ of 1733, gift of George Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne.