Abbey Woodshop
Abbey Woodshop photo by Félix Mencias Babian, 2023
The Abbey Woodshop houses Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking and Saint John’s Abbey Organ Builders in a 28,000 square-feet, two-story building designed by Mr. Gregory Friesen and colleagues of CSNA Architects, Colorado Springs. Construction of the building, located between the campus fire station and Saint Joseph Hall and just north of Saint Thomas Hall, took place from July 2022 to October 2023. The project, including the building and all the equipment inside, cost an estimated $12.3 million. That included removal of the lumber shed wood storage building and the kiln that formerly occupied part of its space.
Organ builder Martin Pasi, who undertook a major expansion of the Abbey Church organ over several months in 2019, played a key role in the project. After living in the community in 2019, he decided this was the place where his organ-building business could thrive after his retirement. Pasi’s company, Pasi Organ Builders, subsequently moved much of its machinery and staff, and its upcoming contracts, from Seattle to Collegeville. Michael Roske, previous director of Abbey Woodworking, and Fr. Lew Grobe, its current director, both of whom had been pushing for the creation of a new woodshop for many years, travelled to Washington in the summer of 2023 to pack most of the equipment into several semi-trailers for the move to Minnesota. “The pairing of the woodshop with an organ building studio was what pushed the project over the top,” said Fr. Lew (Gathje, p. 1).
Also included in the building were three studio spaces on the second floor for Abbey artisans. The initial artisans were Jerome Tupa, OSB, and Nathanael Hauser, OSB. Space for apprentices and educational activities were also incorporated.
The Saint John’s Abbey Woodshop was dedicated amidst a gathering of more than 350 people on October 17, 2023. Included in the ceremony was the formal enshrining of a statue of Saint Joseph, patron of woodworkers.
Bibliography:
- “The Work of Our Hands,” Abbey Banner, Winter 2023-24, v. 23, n. 3, p. 20-21.
- Otto, Eileen, “New Abbey Woodshop dedicated,” The Record, Nov. 2, 2023, p. 1 & 4.
- “New Abbey Woodworking facility makes room for organ building,” CSB/SJU Newsroom, July 17, 2023.
- Gathje, Jacob, "Construction continues on New Abbey woodshop," The Record, March 30, 2023, p. 1 & 3.
- “Why build organs in Collegeville?” The Saint John’s Abbey Blog, February 7, 2023.
- “Work of our hands update – taking shape,” The Saint John’s Abbey Blog, February 2, 2023.
- Raverty, Aaron, "Abbey Woodworking," Abbey Banner, Spring 2020, v. 20, n.1, p.14-16.
- Burgeson, Glenda, "The Holtkamp-Pasi Organ," Abbey Banner, Spring 2020, v.20, n.1, p.17-21
See Also:
- Abbey Woodworking
- Woodshop dedication
- Video tour by Fr. Lew Grobe of the Woodshop under construction
- Abbey Organ Builders
Text drafted by Nate Wright '23