Area organists are eager for a chance to play St. Andrew’s magnificent Paul Fritts organ—and we’re lucky to hear it on Sunday mornings! Even the musically impaired can recognize that this is a very special instrument: the solid wood casework with carved pipe shades and the burnished tin front pipes speak to the care and quality that went into the construction of the instrument.
The dream for a new organ at St. Andrew crystallized in 1989, followed by years of fundraising, research, consultation, and prayer as the Music Ministry/Organ Search Committee did its work. Paul Fritts of Tacoma, Washington, built the pipe organ, inspired by study trips to Holland, Germany, Spain, and France. St. Andrew dedicated the organ on May 1, 1994. Since the founding of the company in 1979, Paul Fritts & Co. Organ Builders has been dedicated to the design and construction of high-quality pipe organs. In addition to studying the techniques developed by master organ builders, Fritts pays close attention to the acoustical properties of the rooms in which they are installed. Paul Fritts and his associates continue to build mechanical action organs and to maintain the organ at St. Andrew.