4 Manuals / 53 Ranks / 3684 Pipes

GREAT (Man.2)  (10” w.p.)
1    Open Diapason 16’    (leathered)    13-24 wood, 1-12 missing
2    Bourdon 16’        wood
3    1st. Open Diapason 8’    from # 1
4    2nd. Open Diapason 8’        1-12 wood
5    Geigen Principal 8’            1-12 wood
6    Gross Flute 8’                wood
7    Gamba 8’                1-12 wood
8    Clarabella 8’                wood
9    Flute Celeste 8’        (tenor C)    wood
10    Gedeckt 8’    from #2
11    Gemshorn 8’      -changed 1932, was Doppel Flute
12    Octave 4’    from #4
13    Harmonic Flute 4’
14    Flute d’Amour 4’    from#6
15    Gemshorn 4’    from#11
16    Harmonic Piccolo 2’    from#13
17    Mixture 3rks.     (1rk,2-2/3)    from#7and#17
18    Trumpet 16’        1-12 missing
19    Trumpet 8’    from #18
20    Tuba Profunda 16’    from Solo #65
21    Harmonic Tuba 8’    from Solo #66
22    Clarion 4’    from Solo #67

ECHO (Man.2)  (10” w.p.)
23    Open Diapason 8’        1-12 wood
24    Gross Flute 8’        wood
25    Gamba 8’        1-12 wood
26    Gamba Celeste 8’    (tenor c)
27    Melodia 8’        wood
28    Gemshorn 8’        1-12 wood
29    Octave 4’    from #23
30    Gambette 4’    from #25
31    Flute 4’    from #27
32    Tuba       (harmonic from tenor c)
33    Tremulant
34    Chimes      - 21 notes AA-f

SWELL (Man.3)  (10” w.p.)
35    Contra Viole 16’        1-12 wood
36    Gedeckt 16’        wood
37    Diapason Phonon 8’    (leathered)    1-12 wood
38    Open Diapason 8’        1-12 wood
39    Viole d’Gamba 8’
40    Flute Traverso 8’        wood
41    Viola 8’    from #35
42    Stopped Diapason 8’    from #36
43    Viole d’Orchestre 8’
44    Viole Celeste 8’    (tenor c)
45    Spitz Flute 8’        1-12 wood
46    Salicional 8’
47    Octave 4’    from #38
48    Wald Flute 4’        wood
49    Flute 4’    from #40
50    Salicet 4’    from #46
51    Flageolet 2’    from #48
52    Dolce Cornet 3rks.      (1rk.,2-2/3’)     from #43 and #52
53    Contra Fagotto 16’
54    Cornopean 8’
55    Fagotto 8’    from #53
56    Vox Humana 8’
57    Clarion 4’    from #54
58    Tremulant

SOLO (Man.4)    (10”w.p.)
59    Stentorphone 8’        (leathered)    1-12 wood
60    Philomela 8’    (25-49 missing)    wood
61    Cello 8’
62    Vibrant String 8’
63    Flute 4’    from #60
64    Cor Anglais 8’
65    Tuba Profunda 16’  (25”w.p.)    1-36 wood resonators, harmonic at #43, double harmonic at #54
66    Harmonic Tuba 8’    from #65
67    Clarion 4’    from #65
68    Tremulant

CHOIR (Man.1)   (10” w.p.)
69    Quintaten 16’        1-24 wood
70    Open Diapason 8’        1-12 wood
71    Geigan Principal 8’ (sic.)        1-12 wood
72    Concert Flute 8’    (harmonic)    wood
73    Gemshorn 8’        1-12 wood
74    Quintadena 8’    from #69
75    Dulciana 8’        1-12 wood
76    Octave 4’    from #71
77    Hohl Flute 4’        wood
78    Flute 4’    from #72
79    Fugara 4’    from #79
80    Piccolo 2’    from #77
81    French Horn 8’
82    Orchestral Oboe 8’   
83    Clarinet 8’    (belled)
84    Tremulant
85    Harp    (stopped wood resonators, 61n.)

PEDAL  (10”w.p.)
86    Double Open Diapason 32’ (1-5 25”)    1-7 resultant, from GGGG    wood
87    Contra Bourdon 32’    1-7 resultant, from GGGG    wood
88    Open Diapason 16’    from #86
89    Violone 16’    from Great #5
90    Bourdon 16’    from #87
91    Contra Viole 16’    from Swell #35
92    Octave Bass 8’    from #86
93    Cello 8’    from Solo #61 and 62
94    Flute 8’    from #87
95    Contra Bombarde 32’    from Solo #65
96    Tuba Profunda 16’    from Solo #65
97    Contra Fagotto 16’    from Swell #53
98    Harmonic Tuba 8’    from Solo #65
99    Clarion 4’    from Solo #65
100    Echo Bourdon 16’        wood
101    Echo Flute 8’    from #100

COUPLERS

Pedal Octaves
Great to Pedal
Great to Pedal 4’
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Pedal 4’Choir to Pedal
Choir to Pedal 4’
Solo to Pedal
Solo to Pedal 4’
Great 4’
Swell to Great
Swell to Great 4’
Swell to Great 16’
Choir to Great
Choir to Great 4’
Choir to Great 16’
Solo to Great
Swell 4’
Swell 16’
Choir to Swell
Choir to Swell 4’
Choir to Swell 16’
Solo to Swell
Choir 4’
Choir 16’
Swell to Choir
Swell to Choir 4’
Swell to Choir 16’
Solo 4’
Solo 16’
Swell to Solo
Swell to Solo 4’
Swell to Solo 16’

COMBINATION ACTION
Great and Echo 1-8
Swell 1-8
Choir 1-8
Solo 1-8
Pedal 1-8
Full Organ 1-6
Setter

CHEEK BUTTONS
Unison Off/On for
    Swell, Choir, Solo
Stage Shades On/Both/Off
Great On/Both/Echo On

BALLANCED PEDALS
Great and Choir
Swell
Solo
Echo
Crescendo

TOE LEVERS
Pedal pistons 1-8 (duplicate)
Full organ pistons 1-6 (duplicate)
Setter (duplicate)
Great to Pedal Reversible
Sforzondo Reversible
Indicator lamps for;
Voltage (w/push button to activate)
Crescendo (5 lamps)
Sforzondo
Voltmeter

3 standard switches for blowers;
left.....Solo and Swell    10 hp 2 stage Kinetic     single phase
right...Great and Choir     7-1/2hp Kinetic             single phase
echo..................................3hp Kinetic                     single phase

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History:

The illustrious history of this large pipe organ began in 1919 when it was built for temporary installation at the Methodist Church Centenary celebration in Columbus, Ohio that year.  Macon, GA and Evansville both wanted the instrument following the Centenary, but the negotiating efforts of local leaders such as Mayor Bosse and Dr. Alfred Hughes were ultimately successful and city of Evansville purchased the organ for the coliseum with much celebration by the local press and citizenry.

Mayor Bosse Alfred Hughes, the first president of Evansville College, pledged to raise $5000 toward the purchase cost of $31,500 from friends of the college and church, and his pledge was made in the name of Evansville College. 

The organ was named in memory of Milton Z. Tinker, who came to Evansville in 1867 and worked as superintendent of music in the Evansville public schools for 47 years.  It was used for for city, county, community and college events, and was closely associated with the growth of the music department at the college.  (See history link under UE Organ Studio website below.)

The organ was rebuilt by Möller around 1933 as opus 6059.  A Moller Artiste Player mechanism was added around the time of the rebuild which allowed the instrument to be played without an organist for events in the coliseum.  The organ was played by famous organists such as E. Power Biggs, Marcel Dupre' and Virgil Fox and was played in concerts with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, which was formerly based in the coliseum.  

After the city built the new Vanderburgh Auditorium in the 1960s, the coliseum was no longer used as a major concert venue.  Around the same time the University of Evansville had new organs built on campus for teaching and recitals.  The organ at the coliseum fell into disuse and disrepair.  Local organ enthusiasts including Garland Mullins, Jeff Lyons and Kurt von Shekel donated many hours of labor trying to keep the organ in playable condition, but the financial support needed for a proper restoration of the instrument was never forthcoming.  In 2005 Dr. Douglas Reed, professor of organ at the University of Evansville, with the help of the UE and Evansville city chapters of the A.G.O., began a series of annual concerts to help restore interest in the coliseum organ and in the legacy of Mr. Tinker.

By 2012 the condition and safety of the instrument in the coliseum had deteriorated to the point that those responsible for the coliseum agreed that the instrument should be removed.  The University of Evansville, after contact with city, county and coliseum officials, approved the fundraising for a project to remove salvageable portions of the organ from the coliseum and store them, for possible use in a future organ project at the university.  The Evansville Chapter of the American Guild of Organist donated $10,000 toward the removal and storage of the instrument.  Students, staff and friends of U.E, the local AGO chapters and other in the community helped removed the pipes and console from the coliseum in early September of 2013.  Plans to re-purpose the organ in a renovated Neu Chapel on the University of Evansville campus have been discussed.

-Compiled for the Evansville AGO website by Neal Biggers

Sources:

Photos and information from the University of Evansville Organ Studio website:
http://faculty.evansville.edu/dr5/history.htm
http://faculty.evansville.edu/dr5/Photos%20-%20Page%201.html

Stoplist and information from The American Municipal Organ Website:
http://www.municipalorgans.net/?p=177

Article in the Evansville Courier dated July 13, 1919.  This article was found in the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in 2015, during research by Carolyn Howard for a book she is writing on the history of Evansville from 1915 to 1920.  See Courier article.

Article in the Evansville Courier & Press by Roger McBain, March 4, 2005
interviewing Dr. Douglas Reed, available at Encyclopedia.com:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-14171916.html

Article in AceNotes Today (Nov. 6, 2006), University of Evansville:
http://acelink.evansville.edu/AceNotes/Publications/20061106151457.htm

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