History, Installation & Specifications

Organ History
  • Spring and summer 1928 Opus 695 is under construction at the Ernest M. Skinner workshops in Boston and Westfield, Massachusetts.
  • July 1928  Installation of Opus 695 begins at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in the South Bronx, New York.
  • September 2, 1928 Opus 695 is played for the first time in Sunday services at St. John’s.
  • February 2, 1930 St. John’s launches a $40,000 fund drive to pay off indebtedness on Opus 695 and other church improvements.
  • December 24, 1989 A major fire severely damages the altar area of St. John’s. Wounded, Opus 695 survives and continues to be played in a diminished state of repair.
  • 1928 through 2005  Opus 695 remains in continuous faithful service to the St. John’s congregation.
  • May 24, 2009  The final Sunday service of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is held. Following the service the church congregation is disbanded.
  • November 2010  The Metropolitan New York Synod of the ELCA puts the St. John’s Church building and Opus 695 up for sale.
  • January 2011 The St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Foundation purchases Opus 695.
  • January 25 – 31, 2011 The Organ Clearing House of Boston dismantles, packs, and moves Opus 695 to the Jeff Weiler and Associates workshop in Chicago.
  • February 2011  Restoration of Opus 695 begins at the Weiler workshop.
  • June 2012  Opus 695’s motor and blower along with the first truckload of pipes, wind chests and rack boards arrive at St. Mark’s.
Video Gallery

Videos shot at Jeff Weiler’s Organ Restoration shop in Chicago on Dec. 6, 2011 viewing the progress on Opus 695. The first video shows the blower and parts of the console. The second video show the console, the repaired pipes and work progress on gasketing of the large components of the organ. Each video is approx 4:00 in length.
The St. Mark's Lutheran Church Foundation in 2011
  • Tim Wuest, President
  • Bruce Altorfer
  • Kevin Becker
  • Rosie Bowers
  • Ron Gambach
  • Pastor Perry Fruhling, Senior Pastor
  • Marlene Hill
  • Ginger Kohoutek
  • Gary Pribyl
  • Dave Rossate

Joseph G. Bradley Charitable Foundation
  • Andrew Nehrbas - Trustee
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Organ Committee
  • ​Bill Cary – Chair
  • Janis Altorfer
  • Bob Brown
  • Marlene Hill
  • Bill Jacobson
  • Jim Ogann
  • Gary Pribyl
  • Barbara Ritchie
  • Ronald Ritchie
  • Scott R. Riedel & Associates, Ltd.
  • Scott R. Reidel – President, Reidel, Inc.
  • Jeff Weiler – President, JL Weiler, Inc.

Novak Design Group, PLC
  • Gary M. Landhauser, AIA

Organ Clearing House
  • John Bishop - President
Specifications - Skinner Organ Company, Boston Mass - Opus 695 (1928)
Electro-pneumatic action, 3 manuals 28 stops, 26 ranks
Great Organ (Manual II) - 61 notes (6" pressure)
8 First Open Diapason 61 4 Principal 61
8 Second Open Diapason 61 8 French Horn [enc in SW] 61
8 Clarabella 61 Chimes [old with new action] 25 tubes
Swell Organ (Manual III) - 61 notes, enclosed (7.5" pressure)
16 Bourdon 73 4 Flute Triangulaire 73
8 Open Diapason 73 Mixture III ranks [15,19,22] 183
8 Rohr Fulte 73 16 Contra Oboe 73
8 Salicional 73 8 Trumpet 73
8 Voix Celeste 73 8 Vox Humana 73
8 Flute Celeste II Rank 134 Tremolo
4 Octave 73
Choir Organ (Manual I) 61 notes, enclosed (6" pressure)
8 Concert Flute 73 8 Clarinet 73
8 Dulciana 73 Tremolo
8 Gamba 73
Pedal Organ - 32 notes (5" pressure)
16 Open Diapason 44 8 Flute [from Bourdon]
16 Bourdon 44 8 Echo Lieblich SW
16 Lieblich SW 16 Oboe SW
8 Octave [from Op. Diap.] -- Chimes GT
Couplers
Great to Pedal 8' Swell to Choir 8'
Swell to Pedal 8', 4' Great 16', 4'
Choir to Pedal 8' Swell 16', 4'
Swell to Great 16', 8', 4' Choir 16', 4'
Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'
Adjustable Combinations
Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 (thumb) Ped. to Comb. on/off (thumb)
Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb) Ped to Comb. on/off (thumb)
Choir Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb) Ped to Comb on/off (thumb)
Pedal Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
General Pistons 1-2-3 (thumb)
Set Piston (thumb)
General Cancel (thumb)
Pedal Movements
Balanced Swell Pedal Great to Pedal Reversible (thumb)
Balanced Choir Pedal Sforzando (thumb & toe, with ind.)
Balanced Crescendo Pedal (with ind.)
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