HALIFAX -- A Dartmouth church is looking for a music lover to pipe up and take a large organ off their hands, free of charge.
Dartmouth’s First Baptist Church was recently sold, and the new owners have big plans for the property.
“We saw the opportunity for an arts venue,” says Stefano Andriani, whose family recently bought the First Baptist Church. “We see it as a great opportunity to preserve part of downtown Dartmouth and hopefully bring sort of an artistic flare to the community.”
The plan is to turn the church into an arts and theatre space. But that requires finding a new home for a 20 ft. by 35 ft. Casavant pipe organ, that has been in the church for more than 70 years.
“The organ, while beautiful and really another piece of history in the building, is something that we just don’t have a use for, and we know it will be served better in another location,” says Andriani.
The organ was given to the church 70 years ago by the Germain Street Baptist Church in Saint John, N.B. Beyond that, its history is a mystery.
“We’d love to hear from anyone who knows where the organ came from before it arrived from the Germain church in Saint John,” says Andriani.
Andriani says there is still life in the old pipes, and is looking for a music lover who will give it a new home.
“We are looking to give it away for free,” says Andriani. “That includes the organ, and the large wooden façade on the front here that really makes it look gorgeous.”
He says there has been some interest in the organ, but his family won’t let just anyone take it.
“We want somebody who understands the organ, understands the age, knows how to properly dismantle it and get it to the right location, because that’s not something we are experts in,” says Andriani.
Andriani says he’d like to hear someone play it one last time in the church it has called home for the last seven decades.
If that’s music to your ears, you can check out their pipes in this Facebook post.
