“It’s a shame to see something like a pipe organ, especially a good one in good condition, go without a use,” Executive Director John Bishop of the Organ Clearing House said. “But unless there’s somewhere active to put it and real interest in funding it, organs like that very, very frequently wind up in dumpsters.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (USA Today) A 112-year-old pipe organ in the sanctuary of a now-closed church needs a new home.

The $500,000 instrument is in good condition and free — if you can pay $10,000 to $30,000 to remove it from the old West Nashville United Methodist Church and reassemble it.

But the trouble is that the 1905 George Kilgen & Son pipe organ isn’t alone in needing to be relocated. About 450 other organs are available across the USA, and demand is slight, said Executive Director John Bishop of the Boston-based Organ Clearing House, which helps save high-quality pipe organs from abandonment or destruction.

“If I have 450 organs listed and I can place 20 a year, I’m doing very well,” Bishop said.

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