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The City of Trinidad, Colorado and Urban Neighborhoods, Inc. are proud to announce the donation of a pipe organ to the Fox-West Theater of Trinidad. Steve Porter, formerly of Birmingham, Alabama, purchased the Porter House Organ in 2012 and installed it in his home in Birmingham. Mr. Porter relocated to Trinidad in March 2018, and has since been seeking a home for this instrument. This donation is supported by the City of Trinidad and Urban Neighborhoods, Inc., and is made possible in part through the Corazon de Trinidad Creative District.
The Porter House Organ consists of two wind boxes and nearly 800 pipes, the largest being 16’ long. The organ was originally custom built by the Cortese Organ Company of Orlando, Florida in 1974. The organ has thirteen ranks, or different voices, that may be played alone or in combination. The console has two manuals (or keyboards) and pedals. The console has 31 stops plus a star cymbal and tremolo. There are 26 programmable pistons, including 8 general pistons, with 6 for each manual. The organ is roughly the same size as the one at Paroisse Sant-Eustache in Paris, France.
With support from the City of Trinidad and Corazon de Trinidad Creative District, the organ will be uninstalled and shipped from Alabama in late February. The instrument will be stored at the Fox-West until renovations are complete and the organ may be properly installed.
In this picture, one can see the lattice covering the area behind the upper boxes in the main auditorium. These small rooms are designated chambers for organ pipes. In the chamber to stage left, a Wurlitzer pipe organ sat from 1925 until the 1940s. Installation of the Porter House Organ at the Fox-West will encompass both chambers, on the left and right side of the stage. The Porter House Organ console will have the ability to be located throughout the auditorium. For more information, please contact Urban Neighborhoods, Inc. project manager Christopher Smith at csmith@vtc.edu
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