Siderius Residence - 2/17 Leatherby-Smith hybrid
Seattle, Washington
Organ installation timeframe: 1954 -
 
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Catherine Siderius, 1956

Catherine Siderius was a retired theatre organist from Portland, Oregon, and had been a student of Henry Murtagh while there.   She initially had a two-manual and pedal Vocalian reed organ from University Unitarian Church, later moved to Woodinville Community Church.   Her first pipe organ was a 2/4 Leatherby-Smith acquired in 1954 from Linfield College, McMinnville Oregon (for $400) who had sold it to a Salem Music House. She learned about this organ from Sandy Balcom, who warned her that it "wasn't any good!", but she said never mind, she would fix it.

 
This organ was originally from a Portland doctor's residence and was in very poor condition. It required a complete re-leathering and replacement of many dead magnets. This work was done by Mrs. Siderius and Glenn White, a long time family friend.
 
The organ was installed in the basement and spoke into the dining room through a large wooden grille in the floor near the console. Glenn added several ranks of pipes and a Morton Glockenspiel.
 
In 1956, a Kimball tubular-pneumatic organ of 10 ranks at the Tabernacle Baptist Church became available. This organ was Kimball opus #427, installed in 1912. Mrs. Siderius bought it for $500. Glenn dismantled and moved the organ June 17-24, 1956 to the Siderius house. He made magnet boxes for the windchest and connected it to the Smith console. The 10-rank chest was placed in the dining room.
 

Glenn White with the Kimball main chest, 1956. Object on the far right end of chest near the front is a Kimball bird whistle action obtained by Glenn from Sandy Balcom.
 
Glenn was interested in experimentation. He found an old Kinura which Mrs. Siderius did not like, so he took an old Kimball string and soldered it to the cut-off Kinura, making something like a Krummhorn. He also took the large-scale open diapason of the Kimball and cut it up further and added caps to it making a chiffy flute stop that worked very well. He also cut the string celeste pipes from the Kimball to make a Nazard 2-2/3'. The organ remained in this state until Mrs. Siderius died.
 
Bhy Kracke, a local landowner and philanthropist, bought the house, demolished it and then donated the property and his own property to the City, and this is now Bhy Kracke Park. Disposition of the organ is not known.