Paul R. Marchesano on March 11th, 2022:
1894 ad in The American Ecclesiastical Review, Vol X, Jan-Jun 1894, shows a photo of the organ, identified as "the Columbus organ" and: "Duplicate of it for St. John the Baptist Church, Brooklyn; Duplicate also for Church of the Gesu, Philadelphia."

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Database Manager on January 23rd, 2016:
"The original organ was built by the Barckhoff Organ Company, Salem, Ohio, for the Columbian exhibition which was held in Chicago in 1893. Bishop Tobias Mullen purchased the organ from the company that same year. It was kept in storage at the Tellers Organ Company until 1916 when it was installed as a four manual instrument in the Cathedral. In 1932, it was renovated, and in 1952 it was completely redesigned and rebuilt as a large three manual instrument. A separate organ was placed in the chancel with a complete second console. All the work was done very competently by the Tellers Organ Company of Erie, Pennsylvania. On February 10, 1976, a disastrous malfunction in the Cathedral-s fire protection system damaged the historic pipe organ beyond reasonable hope of repair." (from cathedral web site)