2018-02-14 - Organ Case and Facade (Photograph by Richard Bunbury/Database Manager)
2018-02-14 - Keydesk (Photograph by Richard Bunbury/Database Manager)
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2012-06-28 - Identified through online information from Dennis Schmidt. -- (from an Organ Dedication Concert program of April 24, 1991, written by Ronald Maltais, then Director of Music at Grace Lutheran Church) <br>"Now well over 100 years old, the Butler tracker organ constitutes the main component of the instrument at Grace Lutheran Church. Originally housed in Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Everett, Massachusets, the organ was a single-manual (one-keyboard) instrument, with the organ console encased within the chest of pipes.<br>"When Bethlehem Lutheran merged with First Lutheran Church in Malden in the mid-1960s, the Butler organ was acquired by [Prince of Peace] Lutheran Church in Beverly, Massachusetts. Because the Beverly church closed in 1980, little is known about any modifications that may have been made to the instrument during this period.<br>"Learning that the fate of the organ was in question, a member of Grace Lutheran [in Needham, Massachusetts] was able to obtain it at no cost. In order to accommodate the instrument in the Needham church, the choir loft had to be extended and the roof raised. In 1982, Joseph Chapline of Philadelphia began the installation. The console was separated from the chest of pipes, and a second keyboard was added. An additional chest of pipes, the Ruckpositiv (so named because the pipes were positioned behind the organist's back), was attached to the outer edge of the balcony.<br>"Over the next several years, it became clear that the organ's wind system was inadequate and that the pipes had not been voiced appropriately for the size of the sanctuary. In 1990, the Bishop Organ Company of Wakefield, Massachusetts, was asked to evaluate the condition of the instrument and later began the necessary reconstruction. As a result, numerous problems now have been corrected. The wind system has been redesigned and a new rank of pipes has been installed. With these improvements, the organ has become more versatile and provides both pleasure and inspiration to all who visit Grace Lutheran." -Database Manager
2024-11-12 - Updated through online information from Henry Buck (November 12, 2024): I am the former music director of Grace Lutheran Church. Grace Church has closed and the building has been demolished. The organ was dismantled and parts were dispersed to several other churches. -Jim Stettner
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