CAMILLE LEMKE; Guest Writer; lemkecr@plu.edu
Organ builder Paul Fritts and his business are rooted here in Parkland. Fritts’ father originally owned Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders in the 1960s and was a music professor at PLU. Although Fritts helped build organs growing up, his passion for the violin led him out of Parkland to study at the University of Puget Sound. After graduating, Fritts found his way back to the Parkland area and continued to help his father. He decided to take his craft to a more serious level, taking over the world-renowned company, Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders.
The exquisite organ in Lagerquist Hall at PLU is among the many impressive instruments Fritts and his team have constructed. Using traditional methods that date back to the 13th century, Fritts builds organs for homes, churches and other universities. Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders is located just over a mile away from PLU’s campus, and the bustle of this small business is welcomed in the Parkland community. Although Fritts resides in North Tacoma now, he and his family frequently return to Parkland for dinner at Marzano’s and for PLU concerts. Fritts maintains a hands-on connection with PLU and the organ he built for the university, as he is usually the one to tune the instrument before any of the concerts.
