had pledged funds to help defray the cost of moving. On January 1, 1920, the new office was open for business, and on March 1 the remodeled factory opened for production. The city of Lawrence could now boast that it was one of the few communities in the nation with a pipe organ factory. The first instrument built in the Lawrence plant was opus 27, a 23-rank organ for the Central Congregational Church in Topeka, Kansas. On July 3, 1920, the Lawrence community was invited to a public recital on the completed instrument in the assembly room. The performers were Professor C. S. Skilton, Professor C. Preyer, and Mrs. Sylvia Osborn at the console; Professor W.B. Downing and Miss Helmick sang solos; and Mr. W.B. Dalton played the cello. Shortly after the move to Kansas, Earl Schwartz left the company, and Schwartz's name was dropped, and the company became The Reuter Organ Company. During the era of silent films, the company built a few dozen theatre organs. During the 1940s-1960s, architectural engineer Albert George Sabol II (A. G. Sabol's son) worked at the plant and eventually supervised as company president. Additionally, A. G. Sabol II became the controlling shareholding with a 51% ownership of the company. New factory On June 4, 2001, Chairman of the Board Albert Neutel officially opened Reuter's new $4 million headquarters on the northwest edge of town; a building with double the space of the old Wilder Bros. shirt factory. The company has organs in the United States, Canada, Taiwan, and Korea. Factory sold In November 2022, Reuter announced the sale of their 78,000 square-foot facility to Harvesters, a regional Feeding America food bank. Albert Neutel, Jr., is continuing the Reuter business on a limited scope. See also Carnival of Souls – 1962 movie filmed at the factory Notes External links Reuter Organ Company Reuter Organ Company History Pipe organ building companies Manufacturing companies established in 1917 1917 establishments in Illinois Lawrence, Kansas Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United States