An overweight, frequent wedding attendee is incapable of moving out of Galbreath Chapel to accommodate a $1.25 million renovation project.
Instead, the 10-ton, 10,000-part organ will be boxed until summer 2013 while renovations take place at the chapel, after Ohio University’s Board of Trustees approved the project.
The chapel, which has been closed since January because of water damage, will receive a new roof, renovations to the steeple, repainting and brickwork. An elevator and bathrooms will also be installed. Hazardous materials, such as asbestos from the chapel’s tiles, will be removed, and the structure’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical systems will be redone.
“It was an unsafe situation to continue keeping that building up and running,” said Harry Wyatt, associate vice president of the Facilities Department at OU. “But it was not an easy decision to take it offline.”
OU will use bonds, state appropriations and university reserves to fund the project, Wyatt said.
The Helen Mauck Galbreath Memorial Chapel was finished in 1957 with a colonial-revival construction, Wyatt said.
Galbreath cost $248,000 and was gifted by John W. Galbreath, a 1920 alumnus, in memory of his wife, Helen, a 1919 alumna. It was OU’s first gifted building, according to university archives.
John Galbreath served on OU’s Board of Trustees for more than 25 years — including five as chairman — and was appointed a lifetime member by Gov. James A. Rhodes (R), according to university archives.
The building’s construction began on Jan. 1, 1956, and took about a year to be built, according to university archives.
“(Galbreath Chapel is) the finest gift by any individual made to the university,” said OU President John Baker in a 1956 news release, according to university archives. “It will be particularly appreciated by students, past, present and future, because of its spiritual significance.”
The dedication ceremony was held June 7, 1958, with about 200 people in attendance, including then-Ohio Gov. C. William O’ Neil (R) and Ohio Sen. John W. Bricker (R). Speakers included then-OU President Baker.
In 1958, a Chapel Policy committee was formed to set rules for the chapel’s use — consisting of representatives from the faculty, administration, student council and the Campus Religious Council.
The committee appointed a secretary to oversee the functions of the chapel; from 1–5 p.m. Monday through Friday, the chapel would be reserved for private meditation.
The lounge and corridor hold as many as 60 people, according to university archives, while the chapel holds 150. When Galbreath was open, about 35 weddings were held in it each year.
The Galbreaths’ daughter, Jody Galbreath-Phillips, a 1946 OU alumna, donated an organ in 1962, according to university archives.
Throughout the years, the university has hired organists to play the instrument for various events.
In 1997, Galbreath-Phillips donated the current organ used for concerts and by students studying in the School of Music, said Paul Barte, associate professor of music, in an email.
“After laying idle for the better part of two years, (the organ) is bound to need some attention,” Barte said. “I hope that the university will make arrangements for the organ builder, the Bedient Pipe Organ Company, from Lincoln, Neb., to come and attend to the organ once the renovations are completed.”
Barte said he expects students to use Galbreath’s organ about 10 hours a day once it is available again.
“The only other organ the university has is a tiny instrument, in disrepair, in a Glidden Hall practice room,” Barte said. “It is better than nothing, but really inadequate, kind of like practicing on a three-stringed violin.”
Since the chapel closed, local churches have offered their own organs for use by students, including First United Methodist Church, 2 S. College St.
“We want to help,” said Leisa Ostermann, member and office manager of the church.
sj950610@ohiou.edu
