These old pipes getting fine-tuned

The better to hear you - Duke organ repaired

DURHAM -- At 75, the old pipes just weren't speaking like they should.

So Duke University officials made a $2.2 million decision that could be music to the ears of many.

They are sending out the original Duke Chapel organ, an instrument built and installed in 1932 by the Aeolian Organ Co., to have major work done.

Not only had some of the metal sagged over the past seven decades, some of the pipe valve leather had grown brittle, and chimes had not been used in more than 15 years.

"The Aeolian reminds me of an automobile I once owned, which looked great but needed many repairs," said John Santoianni, curator of organs and harpsichords at Duke. "You could not tell from looking at the outside just how much mechanical work was needed."

For much of the past week, specialized crews have been carefully dismantling the nearly 7,000 pipes that range from the size of a skinny pencil to more than 24 inches around and 18-feet tall.

On Tuesday, the Duke Chapel interior looked like a construction site with scaffolding stretched skyward and long boxes stacked against the walls.

The reservoirs, chests and flue pipes will be hauled to Connecticut for reconditioning, cleaning and repair.

Reed pipes will be sent to Broom and Co. of Windsor Locks, Conn.

The rest will go to Foley-Baker in Tolland, Conn.

Some components will be replaced, but the majority of the organ will not be altered substantially.

A new console will be bought to replace the current one, although the original will be retained for historical preservation.

When the organ returns, Duke officials said, it will be named for Kathleen Upton Byrns McClendon. McClendon and her husband Aubrey donated $600,000 toward the project four years ago.

The repairs and reconditioning could take up to 20 months, Santoianni said.