January 1965 - Street view of the tower during the fire (Photograph by Wikiwand, submitted by Jeff Scofield/Jeff Scofield)
January 1965 - Exterior and interior after fire (Photograph by Wikiwand/Jeff Scofield)
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2004-12-17 - Information identifying this instrument from the Austin Organs, Inc. web site, accessed December 16, 2004: http://www.austinorgans.com/organ-research.htm. -Database Manager
2012-11-16 - Updated through online information from Stephen Hall. -- The sanctuary was nearly destroyed and the organ badly damaged by fire on January 13, 1965; replaced by Austin Opus 2465 in 1967. -Database Manager
2021-06-02 - On January 13, 1965, at approximately 6:50 pm, smoke was discovered coming from the church building. An incandescent light had ignited some painting materials in the church. Soon flames engulfed the roof. The fire appeared to be under control by 8:45 pm. However, increasing winds spread the fire to the steeple, and at 10:00 pm the structure fell directly in front of the church, plunging 18 feet (5.5 m) into the courtyard where it remains as a memorial of the tragic event. Rather than relocate to the suburbs where most of the church members lived, the congregation decided to rebuild the historic structure. A survey of the damage showed that the chancel and all but one ground floor stained glass windows were intact. Also, the chancel furniture, altar hangings, and "wine glass" pulpit were saved. The destroyed gallery stained glass windows were replaced by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, Germany, and executed by the studios of George L. Payne of Patterson, New Jersey.[15] The destroyed windows in the front of the church were replaced by the Hunt Stained Glass Studios of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who had installed the originals. The first service in the restored sanctuary was on June 12, 1966. -Jeff Scofield
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