Assumption Church’s historic century organ dismantled for repairs

Published Jun 23, 2023 • 1 minute read

Jim Dodington, above, and his son Dylan work on the removal of the Assumption Church’s 104-year-old organ pipes on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, as part of the restoration work underway at the historic structure. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

As part of ongoing restoration work to save landmark Assumption Church, a process is now underway to take apart the church’s historic organ, piece by piece.

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In order to access the ceiling over the church’s balcony so it can be repaired, the 1919 Casavant Opus 791 Organ has to be dismantled. All 1,985 pipes must be removed from the 104-year-old organ and stored while the work above it is being completed.

The budget for the organ work, to dismantle it, clean the pipes and do necessary repairs, is $50,000. Depending on ongoing fundraising, the church is considering conversion of the organ to solid state, bringing the total cost to $100,000.

Don Dossenback inspects Assumption Church’s 104-year-old organ pipes on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 in Windsor. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

“This would be a major improvement, if we have sufficient funding,” said Paul Mullins, who is overseeing the fundraising campaign to save the church.

Restoration of the church is proceeding only as quickly as funds can be raised so the parish will not be left with any debt, he said. To date, the cost of saving the church has been budgeted at approximately $5 million, which has included a new copper roof and heating system, plus extensive restoration of the interior walls and ceiling.

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The budget to complete the entire interior restoration is another $1.75 million, with final exterior work also expected to cost millions more, Mullins said.

For more information on renovations and fundraising at Assumption Church, visit assumptionparish.ca online.

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Jim Dodington, above, and his son Dylan work on the removal of Assumption Church’s 104-year-old organ pipes on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, in Windsor. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star Jim Dodington works on the removal of parts of the Assumption Church organ on June 21, 2023. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star
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