Recently, out of the clear blue sky, Stratton Rawson suggested that we organize a BTPM Classical organ crawl – a guided tour of Downtown Buffalo pipe organs. Stratton is like that; innovative ideas come from him like apples come from apple trees.
“Wow!” I thought. And I immediately knew whom to call for advice – Tim Socha, longtime Organist-Choir Director at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Cathedral and former Dean of the Buffalo Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. We have known each other for years.
Within days, we devised a plan: On Saturday, September 27, 2025, we would take a guided walking tour of three magnificent Downtown Buffalo pipe organs – all within walking distance of the Buffalo Toronto Public Media building. We decided to call it The Organ Trail. Thank you to BTPM Classical staff member Rachel Keirn-Fairchild for the clever name.
The weather turned out to be perfect – warm and sunny with pretty leaves beginning their autumnal transition.
Our first stop was St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, behind Buffalo City Hall, to see its historic Hook & Hastings mechanical tracker organ. Thirty intrepid tourists climbed the steep staircase to the choir loft, where Tim talked about the organ’s history and how a tracker organ works. My favorite part was hearing Tim play. To me, the sound of a pipe organ is like a warm embrace. It fills me with hope and wonder. St. Anthony of Padua is a beautiful church – a Romanesque style exterior, a Renaissance Revival style interior, and inspiring religious statuary.
Our second stop was St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral – a beautiful Early English/Gothic Revival structure begun in 1849. The pipe organ is a hybrid Schlicker. It is currently facing significant challenges, but plans are underway to restore it. The folks at St. Paul’s surprised us with an unexpected coffee and cookie reception after our tour. The cookies were so cute – little pipe organs. Where does one buy pipe organ cookie cutters?
Our third stop was St. Joseph Roman Catholic Cathedral – a classically Gothic-style structure completed in 1855. Hook & Hastings constructed the original organ. Andover Organ Company renovated it. Heritage Pipe Organs maintains it. Tim literally “pulled out all the stops” at St. Joseph Cathedral. What a sound that organ can make with its ninety-three ranks, seventy-two stops, and 5331 pipes!
Our final stop was back at BTPM, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch, conversation, and Q&A session with Tim.
What a unique, wonderful way to spend a Saturday. We hope to organize another organ crawl sometime next spring. Please join us. Stay “tuned” for details.
We want to extend our gratitude to Tim Socha for volunteering to be our tour guide, St. Anthony of Padua Church, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and St. Joseph Cathedral for their hospitality, the BTPM staff who organized the event, especially Sylvia Bennett and Taylor Grosskopf, our dedicated BTPM volunteers, and our BTPM Classical members whose financial support means everything.
