Our Company

John M. Nolte founded the company in 1987 as a sole proprietor. Like most organ builders he performed area service work, re-builds, new instruments and additions. He also specialized in wood pipe making, which became his main focus for several years.

John began working with pipe organs twenty years prior in Minnesota. He worked for two firms, full and part-time, from 1967 to 1973 when he took a job with American Organ Supply Co. (AOS) in Milwaukee. AOS was the leading supplier of wood pipes and electro-pneumatic chests for many years. Their reputation for quality was unsurpassed, and they made wood pipes for nearly every major and minor organ company in the United States.

John worked for AOS from 1973 to 1977, and from 1984 to 1987 gaining valuable knowledge and experience building wood pipes, chests, consoles—virtually every aspect of pipe organ building. In 1987 he founded John M. Nolte Pipe Organ Building and Design. He kept close ties with AOS, scaling and voicing wood pipes for them, as well as some custom electro-pneumatic chest work.

John’s son Benjamin became a partner in the business in June of 2000 and Nolte Organ Building was born. We now work out of a well equipped shop with over 5000 sq ft of work-space, large enough to build a 32’ Wood Open. We have eight employees (full and part time), and over 150 churches that we regularly service in the area.