St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

St. Gabriel the Archangel

6 Interlochen Road
Hopkins, MN 55343

Builder: Eric A. Fiss/Rodgers (1969/2006)
Manuals: 3
Action: Electrical
Editor's Notes:
The 1-manual Fiss/Laukhuff tracker has been electrified and tied into a 3-manual Rodgers. The original organ (1970) had just 1 keyboard and a pulldown pedal, both now gone. It had no independent pedal stops, yet the manual boasted a 16' Bourdon, an 8' wooden Gemshorn, a V Mixture (Scharf?) and a V Cornet. It really was not adequate for such a large space, so I can see what the church was trying to do by merging it with the Rodgers.

I think much of the original is gone -- I could find only a handful of the original stops (about 8 ranks) available on the Rodgers Great. The Mixture is smaller and I think lower in pitch now, and I couldn't find the 16' Bourdon or the Cornet among the pipe stops that I remember. They are identifiable through the sound of the slider motors. (I played this organ for a wedding and two masses in the 1970's)

In the close-up of the organ you can see the Rodgers console to the right of the case. A new panel has replaced where the keydesk used to be in the center of the case. The back of the case has also been extended to the wall of the church with a matching case that holds the speakers. This extension is visible in the chancel photo through the extraordinary depth of the case and the black speaker cloth on the roof.--David Engen
--Organ Historical Society Organ Database.
--Information and photos from David Engen.
Last Update: 5/2009