1931 - Agora, The Lake Placid Theater Photograph of a plate found on page 240 of a biography of Melvil Dewey, "a Biografic compilation by Grosvenor Dawe." (Photograph from an archival source: Keith Bigger, submitted by Keith Bigger/Keith Bigger)
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2004-12-21 - Information identifying this instrument from the Austin Organs, Inc. web site, accessed December 20, 2004: http://www.austinorgans.com/organ-research.htm. -Database Manager
2008-05-12 - Updated through online information from Jonathan Ortloff. -- My family were members of the Club until its closure in the 1990s, and all residents of Lake Placid. The organ was installed in a chamber at the right side of the Agora auditorium with a facade of non-speaking pipes. The four divisions were Great, Swel, Orkestral, and Eko. The spelling is not a mistake. All of the nomenclature used Melvil Dewey's simplified spelling, as did all Club literature. Dewey was the founder of the Club and the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System. The organ had a number of unusual features. The organ could be heard, via several sets of swell shades, in the Auditorium, or in the chapel which extended out of the (stage) left wing of the stage. A third set of shades could also open onto the lawn in front of the building. The Echo spoke into the Auditorium as well as into the dining room. There were three consoles - a four-manual in the Auditorium, a two-manual in the Chapel, and a two-manual in the dining room. The other manual of the dining-room organ was comprised of an Estey reed organ. The Club waned in prestige and membership through the 1980s; a series of arsons destroyed much of the physical plant which included 356 buildings. The Agora, though still intact, was razed in the early 2000s, and the organ went down with the building. -Database Manager
2014-04-28 - A reed organ was used in conjunction with the Echo Organ, adding 10 stops to the Echo Organ in combination to form a Foyer Organ; swell shades on the right side of the main chamber opened to the outside, and swell shades behind the organ opened into the chapel. -Database Manager
2022-04-03 - According to Wayne A. Wiegand, Melvil Dewey biographer, in a letter to me dated 5/15/85, indicated that the Austin Organ was sold to the Lake Placid Club at a cost of $30,000. -Keith Bigger
Stoplist from <i>The American Organist</i> April 1924 Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid Club
Agora - Auditorium
Austin Op. 1143 1923 4/33
________________________________________________
GREAT SWEL
16' Diapason 16' Bourdon
8' Diapason 1 8' Diapason
8' Diapason 2 12 8' Stopped Flute
8' Cello 8' Violin
8' Major Flute 8' Violin Celeste
8' Concert Flute 8' Echo Salicional
8' Dulciana 8' Flute a Cheminee EC
4' Diapason 12 8' Violino Sordo EC
4' Flute Harmonique 8' Vox Angelica EC
8' Harmonic Tuba 4' Flauto d'Amore
Sub 4' Flute EC
Unison Off 2' Flautino
Super 16' Contra Fagotto
Chimes 8' Trumpet
Celesta 8' Oboe
8' Vox Humana
ORKESTRAL 8' Vox Humana EC
16' Contra Viola Tremulant
8' Cello GT Sub
8' Concert Flute GT Unison Off
8' Flute Celeste Super
8' Dulciana GT
8' Unda Maris FOYER GREAT
4' Flute Harmonique GT 8' Diapason EC
2' Piccolo 8' Violino Sordo EC
8' Clarinet 8' Vox Angelica EC
8' English Horn 8' Flute a Cheminee EC
Tremulant 4' Flute EC
Sub 8' Vox Humana EC
Unison Off 16' Clarinet RO **
Super 8' Diapason RO
Celesta GT 8' Dulciana RO
8' Trumpet RO
EKO Tremulant
8' Diapason Chimes
8' Violino Sordo
8' Vox Angelica FOYER SWELL
8' Flute a Cheminee 8' Violino Sordo EC
4' Flute 8' Vox Angelica EC
8' Vox Humana 8' Flute a Cheminee EC
Tremulant 4' Flute EC
Chimes 8' Vox Humana EC
8' Salicional RO
PEDAL 8' Vox Celeste RO
32' Resultant -- 4' Flute RO
16' Diapason GT 8' Oboe RO
16' Bourdon 32 Tremulant
16' Cello 12 GT
16' Major Flute 12 GT PEDAL
16' Lieblich Bourdon SW 16' Flute a Cheminee 12 EC
16' Contra Violona CH 8' Diapason RO
16' Flute a Cheminee 12 EC 8' Bourdon RO
8' Bourdon 12
8' Cello GT
8' Major Flute GT
16' Harmonic Tuba 12 GT ** Reed Organ
[Received online from Jeff Scofield April 29, 2014]Regrettably, it is not possible to display the information about the sponsor of this pipeorgandatabase entry or if there is a sponsor. Please see About Sponsors on Pipe Organ Database.