Campus: IU Bloomington

The $2.5 million Alumni Hall renovation project was completed on April 12, 2013. The renovation restored and enhanced Alumni Hall’s interior to its original quality and functionality, outfitting the room with modern technology, accessible entrances to restrooms and exits, and increased access to the Indiana Memorial Union’s Solarium. Unquestionably, the most remarkable change after the restoration is the addition of Opus 91, the enormous pipe organ that overlooks the hall.

Opus 91 was originally custom-built in 1987 for the home of avid organ fan Jacques M. Littlefield. The organ was outfitted with 44 stops, 56 ranks, and 2,838 pipes. The Jacobs School of Music acquired the instrument when it went on sale in 2010. According to IU’s organ and carillon curator David Kazimir, “The chance for the School of Music to procure the instrument and use it in the renovated space is an amazing opportunity.”

Opus 91 overlooks Alumni Hall via the balcony and extends all the way up to the ceiling. The largest pipes make up the façade of the instrument and its flanks are held up by exquisite sculptures of a man and woman carved from solid black walnut. The finished organ was publicly unveiled at the “An Organ at the Crossroads” conference held in September 2013, sponsored by the Jacobs School of Music Organ Department and the Indiana Organists United.

See a time lapse video of Opus 91’s construction.