Pipe organs

History

M. P. Möller

The first organ to grace our building was built by the M. P. Möller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland in 1923. This instrument was sold to the House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin in 1966. The façades, located high on the front walls of the church, are the only elements of this instrument that remain.

Austin

Austin

In 1966, the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, CT installed its opus 2449 in the rear balcony. This three manual & pedal instrument was comprised of 56 ranks and over 3,500 pipes. It was removed by the Austin Company in May 2025 in anticipation of a new instrument built by Taylor & Boody Organbuilders of Staunton, Virginia. The Austin organ is currently in storage and awaiting a new home.

WATCH: Austin organ tour led by Director of Music Andrew Schaeffer and Brent Johnson of the Organ Media Foundation.

Bedient

Bediant portative

In 1986, the Bedient Organ Company of Lincoln Nebraska built a continuo (chamber) organ for Luther Memorial’s former basement chapel. It was permanently moved to the Nave in the mid-1990s when the chapel was decommissioned. The instrument consists of three stops: 8’ Gedeckt; 4’ Flute; 2’ Praestant

Current

J.W. Steere and Son

J.W. Steere and Son

In 1996 Luther Memorial purchased and restored an 1893 J.W. Steere and Son tracker action pipe organ.  Prior to its home at Luther Memorial, the Steere was located in a church on the near west side of Chicago.  The organ was completely restored by J. C. Taylor and Co. of Kaukauna, Wisconsin. The stenciled pipes were repainted according to original colors and design, by Mary Lou Davis of Woodstock, Connecticut. From its place in the east transept of the nave, the Steere organ provides leadership for intimate liturgical services, as well as festive occasions when two or more organs are played.

Steere specifications (pdf)

WATCH: The extensive history of the Steere & Son organ, led by Director of Music Andrew Schaeffer.

C.B. Fisk

C.B. Fisk continuo

In 2025 Luther Memorial dedicated a new continuo (chamber) organ to the Glory of God. A gift from a generous and anonymous parishioner, this instrument is prominently featured in both worship and concerts throughout the year. The compact case contains 5 stops: 8’ Open Treble (wood); 8’ Gedeckt (wood); 4’ Principal (wood & metal); 4’ Flute (wood & metal); 2’ Principal (metal).

Coming soon

Taylor & Boody

In 2021, Luther Memorial commissioned a new, custom-built pipe organ, to be built by Taylor & Boody Organbuilders of Staunton, Va. It will be installed in two phases; the first portion of the organ will arrive in March 2026, and we anticipate the entire instrument to be completed in the spring of 2027.

Learn more about our new pipe organ.

Grand piano

1913 Mason & Hamlin CC concert grand piano

Luther Memorial is proud to own a rare 1913 Mason & Hamlin CC concert grand piano. The instrument was thoroughly restored by Farley’s House of Pianos in Madison and purchased thanks to the generosity of many members of the congregation in 2019. The piano’s primary function is to support the many concerts held in the nave, but it is also occasionally used for liturgies.