The University of Alberta says its Faculty of Fine Arts Convocation Hall has been damaged by water after a sprinkler head burst last month. The hall houses a historic Casavant pipe organ and war memorial that is slated to be removed and transferred to a church in southern Alberta. “The memorial organ has not been damaged or adversely impacted in any way,” said a statement from the U of A. But advocates are questioning the extent of damage to the Convocation Hall and condition of the Casavant Opus 3358. “The university hasn’t told anybody about what’s going on,” said alum and former member of the Edmonton Heritage Council Andy Grabia. “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 says he can see that the pipes of the organ have been removed, but the casings that hold them remain. “Was there water damage to the organ? How will this affect the transfer of it? Will these go back afterwards?” he questioned. “Basically, what the heck is going on?” Grabia also questioned the condition of other historic elements of the 111-year-old building, like the original mouldings and wooden balcony. CTV News Edmonton has asked the university to see the organ and the interior of the Convocation Hall, but was denied as the building is considered an active construction site. The university said the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Picture Butte hired a professional company recommended by Casavant to dismantle the organ. “The company inspected the organ after the flooding event and confirmed there is no damage or impact as a result of the flooding,” said the U of A. It was announced on Aug. 25, the same day as the flood, that the organ would be relocated to the congregation just north of Lethbridge as the university prepares to renew the hall and make room for more and accessible seating. The $3-million pipe organ, which was installed in 1978, also served as a memorial for students and faculty who died serving in the First and Second World Wars. “It is our strong opinion that this memorial organ remains where it was intended to be,” said advocate and U of A alum Haley Simons. “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 to keep the pipe organ at the Convocation Hall. “It’s not just about the organ; it’s what the organ is intended to do,” said David Ridley, executive director of the Edmonton Heritage Council. “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.” The U of A says it intends on keeping the memorial plaque in Edmonton and designing a new monument on campus. While the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Picture Butte works on designs for its new church that will house the organ, the U of A will store the organ for up to 18 months free of charge. Advocates are concerned future musicians and organists won’t be able to use the organ upon its removal, as it will be the congregation’s discretion to allow its use for scholarly research purposes. Picture Butte is about 410 kilometres south of Edmonton. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
