Allen Digital Computer Organ: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This organ was made by Allen Organ Company in Macungie, Pennsylvania, in 1971. It is a Digital Computer organ, System 300 model, with two keyboards, pedalboard, and bench. Accessioned with original owner's manual, "how-to" sheet, tone card instruction books, set of (43) tone cards, two Allen speakers (#23264 and #23265) and reference materials.

Originally designed for use in churches, the Allen all-digital electronic organ was perfect for smaller churches that lacked the space (or resources) for a traditional pipe organ. The organ was installed in St. Andrews's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1971. It was replaced with a larger Allen organ in 1994.

The all-digital organ made by Allen was one of the first to use digital sampling but also LSI (large scale integrated) devices. The Allen Organ Company worked with Rockwell International, an aerospace company and a key player in the development of the Apollo space program, to develop the technology to produce a digital musical instrument. After two years of development, the Allen Digital Computer Organ was introduced to the world at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, in 1971.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1971
• user: St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church
• maker: Allen Organ Company
• Object Name: organ
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 44 1/2 in x 54 in x 50 in; 113.03 cm x 137.16 cm x 127 cm
• place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Macungie
• ID Number: 2004.0206.01
• accession number: 2004.0206
• catalog number: 2004.0206.01
• maker number: AC109
• maker number: 23264
• maker number: 23265
• Credit Line: Gift of Allen Organ Company (through Steve Markowitz)
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.