An employee of Richards, Fowkes & Co. speaks with guests at the open house
Patrick Spiesser describes a new piece of equipment at the manufacturing facility of Richards, Fowkes, and Co.
Dr. Elisa Bickers shows guests renderings of how the organ will appear at Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie View, Ks.
Ralph Richards (right) discusses Opus 22 with a guest
Dr. Elisa Bickers, Principal Organist of Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas, tries out the organ for the first time while talking with guests
The pipe organ is commonly known as the "King of Instruments"
Open house guests walk through the manufacturing plant to see the many aspects of the organ manufacturing process
Open house attendees admire pictures of organs previously made by Richards, Fowkes & Co.
Bruce Fowkes (left) talks to an open house guest about Opus 22
Open house at Richards, Fowkes & Co.
Opus 23 could be seen in its initial stages at the open house
Open house guests, as directed by Bruce Fowkes (right) could climb into the bowels of the organ to examine its inner workings
Ooltewah pipe organ builders Richards, Fowkes & Co. celebrated completion of the 22nd organ produced by the company with an open house at its manufacturing facility on Old Lee Highway. It is the company’s biggest instrument made since opening in 1988.
The organ was built for Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kans., a suburb of Kansas City, Mo. Dr. Elisa Bickers, principal organist for Village Presbyterian, was on hand for the event, playing the organ for the first time and speaking with guests about the church and the organ. The organ is the centerpiece of a comprehensive renovation of the church.
The enormous instrument was built to completion at the Ooltewah facility. It will be disassembled and carefully packed into three trucks for delivery to Prairie Village. The organ should be reassembled at its new home in three weeks’ time. It is anticipated to take nine months to completely fine tune the organ to perfectly complement the building in which it will be located.
Attendees of the open house were given a tour of the facility which includes a new addition that has made manufacture of larger organs more manageable. Several employees were also available to answer questions and discuss the organ making process.
Twenty of the organs previously made by Richards, Fowkes & Co. reside in locations across the country. The other is located in London, England, at St. George’s Hanover Square, and is the first American-made organ in a London church. During the open house, Opus 23 could be seen in its initial stages. It is being built for Calvary Church in Stonington, Ct.