The Pipes Are Home!! New Update on the Opus 414 Project
Workers are busy in the Chicago Temple sanctuary installing the restored Opus 414 organ! Following a year of restoration and renewal at the Schantz Organ Company workshop in Orrville, Ohio, the myriad components of the instrument are being delivered in stages and put back together in a new arrangement in the organ chamber that will provide a more effective sound experience. After the last truckload of pipes is installed and the new console is delivered, the scaffolding will come down, and we will be able to return to the sanctuary for our weekly worship services following a thorough cleaning of the pews, walls, and floors. The instrument will then undergo a meticulous process of voicing, regulating, and precision tuning for at least a month before we hear this magnificent instrument in its full glory.
It has been a journey of miraculous expectations to repair this 102-year-old E.M. Skinner Opus 414 pipe organ. Originally installed when the current church building was erected in 1924, the instrument was long overdue for a comprehensive restoration. With the expertise of our organist, Dr. Phillip Kloeckner, and the determination of the congregation and many other donors, we have accomplished this amazing feat of bringing Opus 414 back to its full musical capacity.
We deeply appreciate the extraordinarily generous contributions that more than 325 donors have given thus far to this campaign! We are closing in rapidly on our fundraising goals, although there are still some outstanding expenses related to the unexpected costs of renovating the organ chamber, so we continue to need your help. Donations can be made online here, or checks may be sent to Erik Nussbaum’s attention at the church office: 77 W Washington Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60602.
We look forward to hearing large parts of our newly restored organ by Christmas. Completion of the installation and voicing is expected no later than the end of January. Be sure to save the date of Sunday, February 7, 2027, to attend the reconsecration worship services. On the weekend of April 3-4, 2027, there will be an open house and a gala performance celebrating the completion of the restoration project and the beginning of the next century of service of Opus 414 to our church and to the city.
In Christ’s love and peace,
The Committee for the Restoration of Opus 414
November 12, 2026
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