Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, whose Lake City, Iowa, workshop was completely destroyed by fire in 2021, announced that it will break ground for its new workshop on Wednesday July, 5, at 10:00 am. The public is invited.
This announcement comes exactly two years to the day after fire leveled the company’s facility, which had been its home since 1979. Since the blaze, the company has been working in rented quarters in Lake City. “While we’re tremendously grateful to those who’ve given us temporary homes for our business, we’re thrilled to be taking this next step to returning to a shop of our own, where we can all be under one roof,” said John Panning, Dobson president. “Organ building is a very collaborative process, and we’re eager to have a single place where we can all work together.”
The new workshop has been designed by ASK Studio of Des Moines and will be built by Badding Construction of Carroll on the same site as Dobson’s former facility, at 200 N. Illinois Street, on Lake City’s historic City Square.
Founded by Lanesboro, Iowa, native Lynn Dobson in 1974, Dobson Pipe Organ Builders and its 21 craftsmen have attracted clients not only from 28 states and the District of Columbia, but also from England and Australia as well. Dobson is currently building its 99th new organ, for St. James’ Church in Sydney, Australia, and has work lined up through 2026. “It’s been so encouraging after the fire to find clients that want to support us, to entrust us with important projects even when we didn’t have a permanent home,” Panning said. “That confidence has really motivated us as we’ve been working through the challenges of designing a building during the pandemic, when construction costs have skyrocketed. It’s wonderful to see the support for fine organ building.”
For information: 712-464-8065, http://www.dobsonorgan.com/
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