The restored M. P. Möller Opus 9258 pipe organ in the sanctuary of Pasadena Community Church

Newly Restored  ·  Offered for Sale  ·  St. Petersburg, Florida

M. P. Möller
Opus 9258

A Four-Manual American Classic Pipe Organ  ·  1959

Fully Renovated 2024 $300,000+ Investment Untouched & Unplayed Since Completion
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Pasadena Community Church • A Fully Restored American Classic • Ready for Its Next Chapter

The Specification
3,422
Pipes
64
Stops
60
Ranks
51
Registers
6
Divisions
4
Manuals
The Instrument

A Rare Opportunity

Built by M. P. Möller — America's most prolific pipe organ builder — Opus 9258 is a four-manual American Classic instrument of exceptional scope: 64 stops, 51 registers, and 60 ranks speaking through 3,422 pipes across six divisions.

In 2024, Pasadena Community Church invested more than $300,000 in a top-to-bottom renovation: every windchest releathered, every pneumatic restored, the console rebuilt with new solid-state control, and the pipework cleaned and revoiced. Weeks before the finishing crew returned to tune and voice the completed instrument, a hurricane struck the sanctuary — leaving the building unsafe for public use. The organ itself was untouched by the storm.

Pipework, windchests, console, and electronics remain exactly as the craftsmen left them — complete, and not yet played.

The result is a rare opportunity: a fully rebuilt American Classic organ that is, mechanically and tonally, essentially new — ready for final voicing and installation in its next sanctuary.

Opus 9258 is a landmark instrument ideally suited for a large sanctuary, concert hall, or university performance space. With its commanding tonal resources and expressive versatility, it is equally at home in worship or on the concert stage.

The Tonal Design

The organ was designed by tonal director Ernest White, then parish musician of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in New York City. It is a shining example of the versatile American Classic style — brilliant French-style reeds paired with a modern emphasis on clarity.

It retains the best of the past: cohesive English-style principal choruses and the orchestral and solo colors of the American symphonic tradition. An English Horn and a luxurious complement of celestes — meant to imitate orchestral winds and strings — augment the favored percussive harp, chimes, and zimbelstern. Its pipes range from the size of a pencil to sixteen feet in height.

The restored four-manual console of Opus 9258
The restored four-manual console combines traditional Möller craftsmanship with a new Matters control system — solid-state switching, extensive memory levels, optical key action, and USB connectivity.
The refinished console cabinet, closed
The console cabinet was carefully refinished to its original furniture-grade appearance, preserving the craftsmanship that has distinguished Möller instruments for generations.
History & Provenance

Six Decades of Distinguished Service

1959

Fresh from rebuilding the celebrated Aeolian-Skinner organ at New York City's Saint Thomas Church, the M. P. Möller Company's growing prestige leads Isabelle S. & Henry F. J. Knobloch to honor Pasadena Community Church with Opus 9258 — one of Möller's finest instruments.

1960

The organ is first heard in the sanctuary, where it is photographed for the Florida State Archives — a beacon of American musical craftsmanship on Florida's Gulf coast.

The Decades Following

A celebrated success blending the best of the classical and romantic styles, the instrument anchors worship and concert life. Virgil Fox remains chief among the organists to have performed at Pasadena in the last century.

2023

After six decades, the instrument's perishable components reach the end of their useful life. The congregation rallies, raising $350,000 for a complete renovation — anchored by a $200,000 designated gift from the Pearl Wallace Trust.

2024

Every major mechanical system is rebuilt or renewed by Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders: windchests releathered, pneumatics restored, the console rebuilt with a new Matters solid-state control system, and the pipework cleaned and revoiced.

Today

Weeks before final tuning and voicing, a hurricane leaves the sanctuary unsafe for public use — but the organ untouched. Complete, restored, and not yet played, Opus 9258 awaits its next home.

Opus 9258 in the sanctuary of Pasadena Community Church, photographed in 1960
Opus 9258 in the Pasadena Community Church sanctuary, 1960. Florida State Archives.
Original M. P. Möller engineering drawing of the Opus 9258 chamber layout, showing the Great, Swell, Choir, Positiv, Solo, and Pedal chests with wind conductor routing
Original M. P. Möller shop drawing of the Opus 9258 chamber layout — Great, Swell, Choir, Positiv, Solo, and Pedal chests, with wind conductors, reservoirs, and shade placements drafted by hand.
Download the Full Shop Drawing (PDF)

This organ is truly a treasure that only a very few churches or facilities have the privilege of housing — and is irreplaceable!

Bea Rahter · PCC member since 1993

Sitting below the Möller organ's pipes as it plays is a visceral and transformative spiritual experience. Unforgettable!

Betsy Orbe Lester · PCC member for 40 years
Craftsmanship, Renewed

The 2024 Renovation

Every major mechanical system was rebuilt or renewed by Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern control technology — an instrument mechanically restored while preserving its original tonal character.

  1. Console and bench completely refinished: sanded, repaired, sealed, and clear-coated to its original furniture-grade finish.
  2. Custom control system by Matters, Inc. featuring solid-state switching, virtually unlimited memories, sequences, fiber-optic connections, and two USB ports.
  3. New stop jambs fitted with electro-magnetic wooden drawknob stems.
  4. New coupler rail fitted with tilting tablets, solenoids, and electronic control system displays.
  5. New key slips fitted with the usual thumb pistons associated with the American Classic organ.
  6. Pedal board replaced with a vintage M. P. Möller unit, finished to match the restored console.
  7. Bolsters, swell shoes, and crescendo pedal refurbished, with new toe studs installed.
  8. Keyboards replaced with either original M. P. Möller ivory keyboards (if available) or new ivora reproductions.
  9. Electronic optical switching throughout.
  10. Great-to-Choir Transfer installed, allowing Manuals I and II to be played in reverse.
  11. New music desk crafted of tempered glass.
  12. Dimmable LED fixtures installed for the music desk, coupler rail, and pedal board.
  13. 4,000+ pneumatic pipe pouches and primary valves releathered with the highest-quality sheep leather, produced to exact specifications.
  14. Reed pipes refurbished: resonators cleaned, internal brass parts polished and voiced, with existing tremolo mechanisms, harp, tubular chime, zimbelstern mechanisms, and façade pipes restored.
Printed Materials

The Brochure

Brochure page one — overview and specifications

Page 1 of 2

Download the Brochure (PDF)
Offers and Inquiries

Al Tompkins

Lay Leader, Pasadena Community Church

727 · 409 · 9717 atompkins711@gmail.com
PasadenaCommunityChurch.org PccForward.org

A fully restored American Classic — preserved, protected, and ready for its next chapter.