2018-07-23 - Rear gallery with organ chambers: Swell on left, Great on right (Photograph by James R. Stettner/Database Manager)
1992-04-13 - Original Kimball chest with new and old pipes in Swell chamber (Photo by James R. Stettner/Database Manager)
2008-12-23 - Identified through online information from James R. Stettner. -- This as essentially a new organ which retained the windchest and some of the pipes of the transplanted 1921 Kimball installed in 1933. The Great had new Kilgen-style E-P unit chests and was installed in a chamber on the right side of the rear gallery opposite the Swell. The new Pedal 8' Principal unit also occupied this chamber. The original Kimball chest remained in the Great with tonal changes to both the Great and Swell portions. This information comes from a direct examination of the extant organ. -Database Manager
2014-08-25 - from James R. Stettner: -- tonal and mechanical alterations, Puget Sound Pipe Organs. -Database Manager
Stoplist copied from the console June 3, 1991; Verified & Updated: July, 1996 Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
Seattle, Washington
St. John the Evangelist (RC)
W.W. KIMBALL CO., Opus 6613, 1924
W.W. Kimball Co., Opus ____, 1926 - Additions - 2-ranks
Balcom and Provorse, 1930 - Electrification & Installation
Balcom and Vaughan Pipe Organs Inc., Opus 796 RB, 1973 - Rebuild & Enlargement
GREAT (Expressive *) COUPLERS
8' Principal 61 Swell to Pedal 8,4
8' Rohr Flöte (*) (tc) 49 Great to Pedal 8,4
8' Dolce Celeste (*) 61
4' Oktave 61 Swell to Great 16,8,4
IV Mixtur 2' 244
8 Trompette 61
blank FINGER PISTONS
blank Sw. to Ped. (rev)
blank Gt. to Ped. (rev)
blank
Great to Great 4' TOE STUDS
Gt. to Ped. (rev)
SWELL (Expressive)
8' Gedackt 61 PEDAL MOVEMENTS
8' Spitz Gamba 61 Swell Expression (bal.)
blank Crescendo (bal.)
4' Principal 61
2' Block Flöte 61
1-1/3' Nasat 61
8' Oboe 61
blank
blank
blank
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16'
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4'
ACTION: E-P Ventil & Unit
PEDAL (Expressive *) VOICES: 14 (8 new)
16' Bourdon (*) 30
8' Oktav Bass 32 STOPS: 18
8' Flute (*) (Ped/Gt) --
4' Choral Bass 12 RANKS: 17 (11 new)
2' Octavin 12
III Mixtur 2-2/3' 12 PIPES: 1,001 (678 new)
blank
blank
blank
NOTES
The exact origins of this organ seem to be somewhat shrouded in uncertainty.
Published information and the extant chests and pipes seem to offer contradictory
information – but the extant components offer the true story.
Stamped on the underside of the Kimball windchest in the Swell chamber and in several
places on the Pedal 16' Bourdon chest and rack supports is the name Paramount Theatre,
Seattle. This would have been the first and original Paramount – later, the Guild 45th
in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood.
According to the September, 1965 issue of The Console (Vol. 3, No. 9), it was a 2-manual
Kimball of 6 ranks, 59 stops, and 430 pipes. It was opus 6657 built in 1924. The original
cost was $8,200.00 plus additions totaling $12,500.00. In 1931, it was moved to Fisher-
Kalfus Mortuary by Paul O'Neill for $1,900.00 and installed “as is”.
According to the same issue of The Console the organ was a 2-manual, 8-rank, 10-stop,
570-pipe Kimball originally built for the Mission Theatre in Seattle's Georgetown
neighborhood in 1921. It was supposed to have been moved to the Church of St. John (RC)
by Balcom and Vaughan in 1930. The Balcom and Vaughan opus list confirms the organ was
Kimball, and confirms the date as 1930, but says simply, “(ex-theatre) electrif.”
With the publication of David Junchen's Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, the
mysteries may at least be partially cleared-up. The original Paramount Theatre is listed
in his book as having purchased Kimball's opus 6657 in 1921 – a 2-manual, 6-rank tubular-
pneumatic organ. It was moved in 1924 to the Mission Theatre presumably by Kimball or
it's representative – which would have been Sandy Balcom.
The Paramount's next organ was a another Kimball purchased in 1924. It was also reportedly
a 2-manual, 6-rank organ which cost $8,250.00 less a $2,000.00 trade-in allowance for the
old organ. It was later enlarged by 2 ranks. This 8-rank organ basically matches the size
of the extant Kimball components at the church of St. John, but with two incongruities:
the original manual chest is a 6-rank chest with two primaries; one for Great and one for
Swell, each controlling 3 ranks. The Pedal 16' Bourdon would have made it a 2-7. And indeed,
2-ranks were added to the Swell by tapping-in to the Swell channels beside the Oboe, making
it a 2-9. The other incongruity is that the opus number stencilled onto the organ toeboards
is 6613, which is 44 organs sooner than the 1921 opus 6657!
Written on the wall of the Swell chamber one can still read the name Balcom and Provorse,
but the installation date is faded.
As rebuilt/augmented by Balcom and Vaughan, the new Great division was installed in the
right chamber, while the original installation remained in the left chamber.
The Pedal 16' Bourdon is original pipes and chest, but has only 30 notes. The top two notes
are borrowed from the Great 8' Rohr Flöte, which appears to be the original Kimball 8' Mel-
odia with bored stoppers fitted to it. The Pedal 8' Flute has it's first 18 notes from the
16' Bourdon and the balance from the Great 8' Rohr Flöte.
On the expressive portion of the Great, the 8' Rohr Flöte is tenor C, so it borrows it's
bottom octave from the 16' Bourdon. It is partially on the original toeboard, and partially
offset for the Pedal borrowing. The Great 8' Dolce Celeste is the original Kimball Great 8'
Dulciana, but the pipes are marked “M. Viol” [Muted Viol] and the pipes are tapered.
On the Swell, the 4' Principal is the original Kimball Great 8' Open Diapason of canvas lead
from tenor C with a top octave added. Pipes 1-12 are offset, and the balance is on the added,
elevated chest that originally held the added 8' Voix Celeste. The Swell 1-1/3' Nasat sits on
the added, elevated chest which used to hold the 8' Vox Humana. The 2' Block Flöte sit on the
original Kimball 8' Salicional chest.
Sources: The Console (Vol. 3, No. 9); The Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. I;
Balcom and Vaughan opus list; JRS; extant organ.
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