Skinner Organ Co.
Opus 617-A, 1929

Database Manager on December 8th, 2017:
Updated by Sean ODonnell, the builder.<br> The instrument has been restored and relocated to another private residence.

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Database Manager on June 22nd, 2011:
Updated through online information from Joseph McCabe. -- This organ was removed by the Spencer Organ Co. and Curt Mangel for a buyer in May 2011 (I have received photos of the removal). It is the intent to restore the organ and install it in a new home elsewhere - details of the new location are unavailable to me.

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Database Manager on April 20th, 2011:
Posted to OHS Members List April 18, 2011 by John: -- The house containing Skinner Opus 617A has been sold, and the organ needs to be gone by August 15th. The price is "best offer" with the owner recognizing the short time frame will drive down the value, but the organ is not "free". The selling price will, no doubt, be a small part of the overall investment required to remove, restore, and re-install the organ. <br><br>This is a 3-manual, 20 rank self-playing residence organ. There is a nice collection of rolls. It has all the fun stuff, like a harp, celesta, chimes, xylophone, bass drums, tympani. <br><br> As far as I can tell, the organ is in really exceptional condition with nothing missing or water damaged... but not functional. I'm told it was rarely if ever maintained since 1933 when the service contract with Aeolian-Skinner was canceled.

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Database Manager on September 19th, 2007:
Updated through online information from John Elwood. -- Spoke to the owner on 09-10-07: Organ has not been played in thirty years, nor has the owner made any attempt to find out any information on this instrument. Pipes are located in the basement. The organ does still fire up, however a few notes are stuck open. The current owner has never had any work done on it, and is certain the previous long time owner has left it untouched as well. The instrument is visible in the 1928 issue of Skinner factory publication "Stop, Open & Reed." Will investigate further Oct 2007.

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Database Manager on September 3rd, 2007:
Updated through online information from John Elwood. -- The house this organ is in was used in a Mark Wahlberg movie called "The Yards". The organ was not shown in the movie however. You can see a picture and description of the organ in <i>South Orange Revisited</i>, by Naoma Welk (p. 45), but to be honest... I don't see an organ in the picture! It also states that the organ is a player. In any event, the house still stands and the owner is actively involved in the Montrose Neighborhood Association. I made no attempt to contact the owners, John and Roseanna Zoubek.

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Database Manager on April 15th, 2006:
Identified through information adapted from <i>E. M. Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner Opus List</i>, by Sand Lawn and Allen Kinzey (Organ Historical Society, 1997), and included here through the kind permission of Sand Lawn: <br><i> Enlargement of E. M. Skinner Opus 617 (1926).</i>