Atlanta, Georgia
Hebrew Benevolent Congregation – The Temple
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Builder: Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc. Contract Year: 1953 Install Year: 1954 Opus: 1265
No. manuals: 4
No. stops: 57
No. ranks: 46
No. pipes: 2,983
GREAT ORGAN (4" wind) SWELL ORGAN (7" wind)
16' Quintaten 61 16' Hohlflöte 68
8' Principal 61 8' Violin Diapason 68
8' Gemshorn 61 8' Gedeckt 68
8' Holzflöte 61 8' Viole de Gambe 68
4' Octave 61 8' Viole Celeste 68
4' Flute Harmonique 61 8' Aeoline 68
2 2/3' Twelfth 61 8' Aeoline Celeste 68
2' Fifteenth 61 4' Prestant 68
IV Fourniture 244 4' Hohlflöte 24
2' Piccolo (Hohlflöte) 5
CHOIR ORGAN (5" wind) III Plein Jeu 183
16' Contra Dulciana 12 16' Contre Hautbois 68
8' Viola 68 8' Trompette 68
8' Concert Flute 68 8' Vox Humana 68
8' Quintadena 68 4' Oboe Clarion 68
8' Dulciana 68 Tremulant
8' Flute Celeste II pf
4' Fugara 68 PEDAL ORGAN (5" wind)
4' Flute d'Amour 68 32' Bourdon 12
2 2/3' Nazard (TC) 49 16' Montre 32
2' Octavin 61 16' Violone (in Solo) 32
1 3/5' Terz pf 16' Bourdon (in Swell) 32
1 1/3' Larigot pf 16' Hohlflöte SW
III Zimbel pf 16' Contra Dulciana CH
8' Clarinet 68 8' Principal 32
Tremulant 8' Cello (Violone) 12
Harp 8' Still Gedeckt SW
4' Choral Bass 12
SOLO ORGAN (7" wind) 4' Flute pf
8' Solo Flute 68 III Mixture pf
8' Gross Gamba 68 16' Ophecleide SO
8' Gamba Celeste 68 16' Contre Hautbois SW
4' Flute 12 8' Trumpet SO
16' Ophecleide 68 4' Clarion SO
8' Tuba 12
8' English Horn 68
8' French Horn 68
4' Clarion 12
Tremulant
Harp
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Source: Factory specifications dated 3/31/54, provided by Allen Kinzey.
Photo #1 courtesy of Virgil Fox Legacy, via Len Levasseur.
Photos #2 & #3 courtesy of Jeff Scofield.
Originally chartered in 1867 as the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation, The Temple is now the oldest and largest Reform congregation in Atlanta. The sanctuary was designed by architect Phillip Trammell Schultze, who designed many other landmark Atlanta buildings; it was completed in 1930. It is on the American Institute of Architects list of significant architectural structures in America. The Temple was badly damaged in a bombing in 1959, but the organ was only slightly damaged. The Temple and organ were featured in the movie "Driving Miss Daisy." The 1200-seat room has excellent acoustics. Pilcher Op. 1519, a 4/44, was installed in 1931 and served until Aeolian-Skinner rebuilt and made many changes to the organ in 1954; a new console was installed at this time. The organ, a successful combination of Aeolian-Skinner principal choruses and Pilcher's typically fine solo stops, flutes and strings, is still one of the finest in Atlanta and remains unaltered. Emilie Parmalee Spivey, a prominent Atlanta organist and close friend of Virgil Fox, was organist at The Temple when Aeolian-Skinner did the work. G. Donald Harrison's nameplate is on the organ, but it is reportedly mostly the work of Joseph Whiteford. Mrs. Spivey and her husband, Dr. Walter Spivey - a prominent area dentist and land developer - later went on to make possible the very successful Spivey Hall, its excellent Ruffatti and one of the top concert series in the nation. The hall is located in Morrow, Georgia, just south of Atlanta and close to the late Dr. and Mrs. Spivey's extensive real estate holdings.
Organ Historical Society Database: https://pipeorgandatabase.org/OrganDetails.php?OrganID=35467