Say goodbye to Center City Macy's this weekend with Wanamaker Organ concert

[defacto7]

6. It's nice to hear from a pipe organ enthusiast with a story.

My "office" is an 80 rank, 5000 pipe self-flagellating monster tracker with no respect for it's curator. There's always work. One of the largest organs in the world, ~300 ranks, is just across town and it's an utter disaster because the institution just wanted a big organ in their hall without consideration that the organ IS the hall. Carpet, 12,000 (I think) padded seats, a recessed stage among other things has turned it into an expensive calliope. They even mic it. The organists from there come to our Cathedral to perform a concert once a year because ... it's a better organ. But it's not the organ itself but the building it's in that makes it a powerful musical instrument.
We're starting a full rebuild project that will cost about 2 million and expand it to 90 ranks. The cost of pipe organs has gone up a bit since '53.
I remember playing a 100 rank Casavant organ when I was about 11. While playing a piece, I pulled the 32' Bombarde pedal reeds and it about blew me off the bench. The sheer power, the floor shaking an octave below a piano, I knew I was in it for the long haul.