The American Organ Institute at OU recently finished restoring a one-of-a-kind instrument it first acquired in 2006.

The instrument, a 1931 M.P. Moller Opus 5819 theatre organ, is considered especially unique because of the quality of workmanship and materials used.

“What we have is a priceless national treasure which must be saved for the benefit of future generations around the world.” said John Schwandt, professor of organ and director of the American Organ Institute.

Built by the M.P. Moller Company, the organ was completed and installed in the Philadelphia Municipal Auditorium in 1931. For two years, it faced imminent danger as the ensuing demolition of the auditorium in 2004 threatened its preservation.

In October 2006, the institute acquired the instrument, where it was stored in the institute’s 8,000 square-foot organ shop facility. Upon completion of the restoration project this spring, the 50-ton organ was fully restored and installed.

Under the direction of the OU Board of Regents and President David Boren, the institute’s foundational task was to provide the university with a world-class pipe organ to hold in its primary concert venue, Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall.

“We are very thankful for the support of President Boren,” said John Riester, shop manager for the institute. “He’s really the one who got this project off the ground.”

In October, a variety of participants — including graduate students, paid student technicians and members of OU faculty — began the restoration project.

The process included replacing perishable materials as well as repairing the worn piping. Installation in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall began in the fall and was completed in the spring.

“Simply put, this organ is one of the greatest musical instruments ever created,” pipe organ historian Jeff Weiler said in a statement.

With the successful acquisition, restoration and installation of such an historic American pipe organ, the institute is gaining recognition and praise as a major developmental program for organ enthusiasts

“The American Organ Institute, and thus the University of Oklahoma, is heir to a musical legacy of inestimable value,” Weiler said. “It is an appropriate and enviable centerpiece for a world-class program of organ instruction and is highly deserving of a careful and historically informed restoration.”

For more on the restoration projects of pipe organs by the American Organ Institute at OU, visit aoi.ou.edu/gala.