Long Island Church Hoping For Donations To Help Keep Historic, 81-Year-Old Organ Playing
CUTCHOGUE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A pipe organ almost as old as the building it's in is in desperate need of some restoration work.
Staff at the Long Island church say if it doesn't happen soon the historical instrument could become unplayable.
Though it may be hard to tell the custom-designed pipe organ is 81 years-old and in its original condition.
If it doesn't get some much-needed "T-L-C" soon, caretakers worry Cutchogue's Our Lady of Ostrabrama Church may go silent.
The instrument is older and dusty and some of its most important components need work.
"There are pouches made of leather that release a valve allowing air to go into the pipe," organist William Roslack said.
"Those pouches need to be replaced, they become brittle."
Though that may sound like an easy fix, the entire organ would need to be removed, cleaned, repaired, and then reinstalled. There are about 800 pipes, each with a leather pouch.
"They're all different sizes and shapes, each one has to be done by hand," Kelli Naugles explained.
The price tag for the project will run up to $300,000, but Roslack says it's well worth it.
"It's important to stay connected to things that have kept traditions in this church alive. In this case, the organ has over the course of its lifetime managed to bridge several generations of worshippers in this church together just by its sound," Roslack said.
In order to make sure the organ plays for another century, the church is asking for donations of any size. All of the money will go towards work that is sure to last.
"If we do it now, it'll probably last longer than my lifetime, another 81 years," Naugles added.
The organ is one of a few that still exist in the United States. Parishioners would like to see it stay that way.
