The Hope Jones organ dominates the view, front and center, during the Choir Festival in the Great Auditorium, Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Paul Goldfinger photo ©
By Mary Walton, Editor Blogfinger.net . Re-post from 2012. Ocean Grove, NJ, USA
After four hours spent checking every nook and cranny of the Great Auditorium’s 11,358-pipe Hope-Jones organ on Monday, curator John Shaw pronounced it “fine.”
Many organ devotees had expressed their concern that the damage to the Auditorium roof might have had consequences for the celebrated instrument. “I was worried,” Shaw said following his examination.
Shaw had to wait for the return of power to provide light in the pitch-black chambers where the pipes and windboxes are lodged. His examination required “a lot of climbing and a lot of walking on very narrow boards, some 20 feet off the floor.”
Although the organ is OK, judging from the photo above it seems the entire auditorium building has been blown on a tilt to the left. They’ll surely need to straighten that back up.
Paul, earlier this year we learned Thornley Chapel was in need of significant repairs. Did it survive unscathed?
EDITOR’S NOTE: I have heard of no problems there. Walked by a few days ago. A number of trees came down across the street, but the building looked fine. PG