This marks a turning point for the Lake City, Iowa, firm, whose previous workshop, which had housed the builders since 1979, was completely destroyed by fire on 15 June 2021. The new workshop will be built on the site of the old one, and will cover about 1,500m³. 

Dobson president John Panning told C&O: ‘It includes space for all the specialised aspects of organ building, from woodworking and metalworking to leatherwork and electrical wiring to metal pipe construction and voicing. There is an area for wood finishing, a separate room for a 6ft x 12ft CNC router, and there will be a 14m tall setup room.’ Completion is expected in summer 2024.  

Since the blaze, the company has been working in rented quarters in Lake City. Panning said, ‘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. 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.  

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders was founded in 1974 by Lynn Dobson of Lanesboro, Iowa. The firm 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,’ said Panning. ‘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.’

dobsonorgan.com