Topics

More

Farewell to the Schwab Pipe Organ, Part 2

About a month ago, we bid adieu to the Schwab Pipe Organ, the class gift of 1936 and certainly, in some small respect, a part of President Atherton’s vision. The organ watched over decades worth of Penn State commencements and cultural events in the Schwab Auditorium and was the perfect tribute to the charitable Charles Schwab. Unfortunately, the organ became unplayable in 1977 and has been in storage ever since. Geoff Hallett, the Penn State assistant director of annual giving, announced that the organ would be destroyed due to the expensive nature of the repairs.

“The pipe organ is no longer in working order and repairs, salvage, and/or storage in an off-site location is cost-prohibitive,” Hallett said at the time. ”The Office of Annual Giving is currently investigating ways to appropriately recognize this portion of the 1936 Class Gift.”

As it turns out, plans have changed.

Late last week, the Schwab Pipe Organ was listed on Penn State’s eBay page, which is most frequently used to sell surplus items from the various academic departments. With a starting bid of $1,000, the historic organ, which includes over 2,000 pipes, will be salvaged.

“The organ has been a topic of discussion for decades since it has not worked since 1977,” Hallett said. “The first discussions were to refurbish the organ, but in the 1970s the estimates were over $100,000. This cost was not funded at the time. Right now the organ program in the School of Music has three working, regularly maintained organs, which is more than what is needed based on student enrollment and programmatic demand.”

The decision to move forward with a private sale instead of destruction, as was the original plan, is the result of “multiple interested parties in purchasing the organ,” according to Hallett.

You can see by the comments on our original article that there was significant interest in saving the organ. Even though the artifact will no longer be in possession of Penn State, its history — and indeed, the Schwab Auditorium has seen its fair share of historical moments —  will live on.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Kevin Horne

Kevin Horne was the editor of Onward State from 2012-2014 and currently holds the position of Managing Editor Emeritus, which is a fake title he made up. He graduated from Penn State with degrees journalism and political science in 2014 and is currently seeking his J.D. at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. A third generation Penn Stater from Williamsport, Pa., Kevin is also the president of the graduate student government. Email: [email protected]

[Photo Story] Pro-Palestine Protesters March Through Downtown State College

Our photographers captured the pro-Palestine protest and pro-Israel counter-protesters as they took the streets of State College.

Penn State Football Looking For Faster Starts Offensively

“We are investing a lot of time in it, and we understand how important it is.”

How To Register To Vote In Pennsylvania As An Out-Of-State Student

Yes, out-of-state students can vote in Pennsylvania!

113kFollowers
164kFollowers
61.3kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Other posts by Kevin

Hometown Brewery Releases Beer Honoring Evan Pugh

Penn State’s first president Evan Pugh was born in 1828 at Jordan Bank Farm, three miles south of the city center of Oxford, Pennsylvania, an hour west of Philadelphia in Chester County. One-hundred eighty-nine years later, an Oxford brewery is honoring one of the preeminent champions of “liberal and practical” higher education in the form of a delicious Porter.

Penn State Basketball Downs Colgate 72-59 In Front of Thanksgiving Eve Crowd

Why Honoring Paterno Still Matters