Quarterman Organ Restoration Project

In a church as young as ours, it might seem a little shocking that our largest instrument should need major restoration already. While the Quarterman Organ was placed in our sanctuary in 2016, it spent most of its life in the gallery of the former St. Richard of Chicester Episcopal Church in Chicago. This organ was first dedicated in December of 1963 by Robert Noehren, the organ's builder. When the organ was moved to Holy Spirit, the Buzzard organ company revoiced and redesigned the organ to better work in our space. A great deal of the physical portions of the organ were restored or replaced at that time. (Pipes, windchests, valves, blower, etc) The Buzzard company did not replace existing electronics within the organ that were in working order.

The organ was rededicated on February 12, 2017 and given the name "The Quarterman Organ" in Memory of the late William Bill Ruddell Quarterman, Jr., affectionately known as "Mr. Billy". Mr. Quarterman had served as a church organist for 57 years in Charleston, having served St. Andrew's Lutheran, John Wesley Methodist Church, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Grace Episcopal Church, St. Timothy's Anglican Church and Holy Comforter Lutheran Church. Before his passing he had started the Pipe Organ fund for Holy Comforter Lutheran Church, which combined congregations with St. Andrews Lutheran Church to form Holy Spirit Lutheran Church. These funds allowed the original purchase and relocation of our organ.

The electronics in the Quarterman organ have reached the end of their life expectancy. Parts are no longer available to repair the electronics should some of them fail. If any major electronic part of the organ should fail, we would be left without an instrument for 10-12 months minimum.

This organ is not only a staple in our Sunday worship, but a great tool to reach out to our community through the arts. It has hosted several concerts and is the only organ in West Ashley used for Piccolo Spoleto's L'Organo series. The L'Organo series brings world renowned organists to Charleston each year for a number of concerts, with one at Holy Spirit yearly.

After much consideration, the music ministry reached out to A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company out of Lithonia, Georgia. They have handled the maintenance of the organ for the past 3 years. After several drafts, they have submitted a restoration plan. This restoration will take 10-12 months, the majority of the work will be done in their workshop, only leaving us without an organ for 2- 3 weeks while the final installation occurs.

The restoration will include:
· A new 3 manual console, similar in style to the one we have currently.
· 2 console plugs so the console can be moved within the balcony for concerts or special services. · A new adjustable bench to match the console.
· Updated wiring to bring the organ up to National Electric Code (NEC) Article 650
· Updated Power relay service, with room for expansion.
· Updated DC power rectifier.
· Addition of discrete digital voicing to round out the sound quality of the organ.
· Midi control unit, allowing for record and playback, as well as other digital voices.
· 10 year parts and labor warranty on the console and all electronics.

The cost of the restoration will likely total around $220,000 after paying for the travel arrangements for the installation staff.

This work will not only ensure the longevity of the instrument, but will enhance the abilities of the organists that play it by adding electronic features that organists have come to expect of instruments of this size. This work will make the organ even more worthy of the concert repertoire that it has been used for.

It is also a great work towards Historic Preservation. Robert Noehren was not a prolific organ builder. According to the Organ Historical Society's database, there are currently 12 Noehren organs in playable conditions in the United States. Of the 71,118 organs that the Organ Historical Society has in their database, working Robert Noehren Organs make up less than .02%.

Restoration Donor Levels