ORGAN FROM SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MEMORIAL COLISEUM FINDS NEW HOME
MARCH 22, 2024
The Milton Z. Tinker organ, named for the first music supervisor in Evansville public schools, has a new home with the Lynwood Hall Preservation Foundation in Elkins Park, PA.
The organ was one of the largest pipe organs in the world, covering 900 square feet, containing 21 miles of wire, and weighing about 8 tons. It was purchased for use in the coliseum, and after a four-month installation period, it was dedicated on November 18, 1919. Many organ recitals were performed with the organ, and it accompanied the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra on several occasions.
As the years passed, maintenance became a burden, making the old organ unplayable. In 2013, the University of Evansville acquired the organ with the intent of installing it in Nue Chapel, but those plans never came to fruition, and UE returned the organ to the Coliseum.
Recent estimates placed the cost of restoration at over $4.8 million. The County Commission determined that restoration would be too much of a burden, and the organ was deemed surplus.
