Water incident at University of Alberta hall raises questions about historic organ

A sprinkler head burst at the University of Alberta’s Convocation Hall on Aug. 25, the same day the university announced plans to move its Casavant pipe organ to a church in southern Alberta. The university says the organ was inspected and suffered no damage, while advocates are seeking answers about the hall and the organ’s future use.

The University of Alberta says water damaged its Faculty of Fine Arts Convocation Hall after a sprinkler head burst on Aug. 25. The hall houses the historic Casavant Opus 3358 pipe organ and a war memorial, and the university announced the same day that the organ would be moved to the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Picture Butte, north of Lethbridge. Advocates are questioning what happened inside the 111-year-old building and whether the organ was affected.

The university said the memorial organ “has not been damaged or adversely impacted in any way.” It said the congregation hired a professional company recommended by Casavant to dismantle the instrument. According to the university, the company inspected the organ after the flooding and confirmed it sustained no damage or impact from the water.

Andy Grabia, a university alumnus and former member of the Edmonton Heritage Council, said advocates have not received information about the incident. “The university hasn’t told anybody about what’s going on,” he said. “We’ve seen trucks show up from companies that work with mould and water damage, so we know something is going on.”

From outside the hall, Grabia said he could see that the organ pipes had been removed while the casings that hold them remained. He asked, “Was there water damage to the organ? How will this affect the transfer of it? Will these go back afterwards?” He also questioned the condition of other historic features, including the building’s original mouldings and wooden balcony, and said, “Basically, what the heck is going on?”

CTV News Edmonton asked the university for access to the organ and the hall’s interior, but the request was denied because the building is considered an active construction site. The university is preparing to renew the hall and create more seating, including accessible seating. The organ is to be transferred to the congregation as it develops designs for a new church that will house it.

The instrument, valued at $3 million and installed in 1978, also serves as a memorial to students and faculty who died while serving in the First and Second World Wars. The university plans to keep the memorial plaque in Edmonton and design a new monument on campus. It has offered to store the organ free of charge for up to 18 months while the congregation works on its church plans.

Advocates oppose moving the instrument from the hall. Haley Simons, an advocate and U of A alum, said, “It is our strong opinion that this memorial organ remains where it was intended to be.” She said, “The entire process has been completely lacking any kind of accountability, any public-facing consideration at all.” Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for the organ to remain at Convocation Hall.

David Ridley, executive director of the Edmonton Heritage Council, said the organ’s memorial role includes music as well as the names recorded on a plaque. “It’s not just about the organ; it’s what the organ is intended to do,” he said. “I think very astutely in the day when the organ was commemorated that it’s really about the breathing, living idea of music as part of the memorial, and not limited to names on a plaque.”

Advocates are also concerned that musicians and organists may not be able to use the instrument after it is moved. Decisions about access for scholarly research purposes will be at the congregation’s discretion. Picture Butte is about 410 kilometres south of Edmonton.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.