The Massey Memorial Pipe Organ is located on the grounds of the famous

Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...

. This high-precision instrument is subject to harsh winter conditions from the

snowbelt The Snowbelt is the region near the Great Lakes in North America where heavy snowfall in the form of lake-effect snow is particularly common. Snowbelts are typically found downwind of the lakes, principally off the eastern and southern shores. Ca ...

downwind of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

. It is generally considered to be an outdoor

symphonic organ The symphonic organ is a style of pipe organ that flourished during the first three decades of the 20th century in town halls and other secular public venues, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. It has roots in 19th-century ...

. The instrument was installed in 1907 and given to the Chautauqua Institution by Eliza A. Massey in memory of her husband, Hart Massey. During the Chautauqua summer season, which runs from late June to late August, there were recitals on the Massey Organ most Wednesdays by organist Jared Jacobsen, until his death in August 2019, just after the season ended. There are also tours of the organ and "Children's Encounter" programs on alternating Sunday evenings. In 1914, 1928 and 1972, the Massey Organ received tonal changes and replacement or reconfiguring of some of the pipes. In 1992–1993, a complete reconstruction was completed by the Fischer Pipe Organ Company of Erie, Pennsylvania. All the existing pipes were restored to their original stop designations, some were replaced and new windchests added. As of 2016, the instrument has 5,640 pipes. A video documentary showing the instrument's 1992–1993 reconstruction was made by

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...

student Frederick Rueckert. This DVD is currently available for purchase at the Chautauqua Institution bookstore, under the title "Between the Motion and the Music, the Massey Organ Reconstruction". In 2003, a 32' Bombarde stop was added to the instrument by Fischer Pipe Organ Company. This unique stop, built by AR Shopp and Company, was donated by Rueckert in memory of his grandparents and his college documentary project. In September 2016, the Chautauqua Amphitheater, which was listed on the national register of historic places, and housed the instrument was demolished to make way for a new and updated building. The new Amphitheater has integrated the existing Massey Memorial Organ and its brick organ vault, leaving the organ façade exposed as before and the vault now encased within the new Amphitheater back of house structure. During the winter months giant garage doors cover the instruments façade (front) pipes, protecting the instrument from the elements. This instrument is considered an outdoor instrument, where the air temperature of the outside is the same as inside the organ, this a challenge to keep the instrument in tune. With Jacobsen's death in a car accident on August 27, 2019, the organ has been taken out of use until a replacement organist has been hired.

References

{{reflist Chautauqua Institution Individual pipe organs