Vassar College signs contract with Paul Fritts and Co. to install new pipe organ in Skinner Recital Hall

Vassar College has contracted with Paul Fritts and Co., organ builders, of Tacoma, Washington, for a new historically-inspired Baroque pipe organ to be installed in Skinner Recital Hall.

The Paul Fritts Co. will design, build, and install a two-manual and pedal instrument of 32 stops. Paul Fritts has been involved in the building of many significant pipe organs in the western United States, including those at Arizona State University, Stanford University, University of Puget Sound, and Washington and Pacific Lutheran University. The Vassar organ will be one of his first in the eastern United States and the first at an eastern liberal arts college.

Funding for the new organ comes from the Marian and Speros Martel Foundation of Houston, Texas, in the memory of Mary Anna Fox Martel, a music student at Vassar who graduated in 1890. The gift also provided for new air conditioning in Skinner Recital Hall.

For additional information, call the Office of College Relations at (845) 437-7400. Vassar, founded in 1861, is a residential, coeducational, liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., located in the scenic Hudson River Valley.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Wednesday, February 16th, 2000.