Brockton church organ restored - Brockton, MA
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 42° 04.066 W 071° 01.009
19T E 333145 N 4659268
The Schantz Organ, dedicated in 1968, was restored and reinstalled in 2009. This stone church at 900 Main St., was built in 1922, serving a congregation with origins in 1867 among the Swedish immigrants who settled in this area south of Boston.
Waymark Code: WMDR6M
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2012
Views: 2
By the time of the Civil War large numbers of Swedish immigrants had come to Brockton (then known as North Bridgewater) and with them came their strong Lutheran faith. They were initially know as the First Swedish Evangelical Church, and are now associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They operate the Children's Ark Preschool.
The current building in the Campello section of the city was erected in 1922. Details of construction and architecture are have not been located.
The following is a summary of an article publishes on Jan. 29, 2009, in the Enterprise News by staff writer Maria Papadopoulo.
The congregation acquired and dedicated a magnificent organ from ther Schantz Organ Co. in Orrville, Ohio, in 1968, at a cost of $42,500. The lofty organ was organ built of oak with 2,041 pipes made of tin, lead and wood. After some forty years of continual use, it was in desperate need of repair. The congregation decided on a major reconstruction, updating it with the latest electronic technology. So, it was returned to the Schantz Organ Co. for a months-long $300,000 restoration. It was methodically reinstalled in the church and a concert series with noted guest artists was held to celebrate its return. The organ is a community resource, but fulfills its role in an important part of Lutheran worship, still its primary purpose.
Recently a unique arrangement was made with a local Episcopalian congregation which had lost its facilities, and the building is also now home to Grace Chapel, Anglican Episcopal Church. Additionally, reflecting another of Brockton's many cultural threads, this building is also home to the Haitian Church of God.