Brooklyn Church Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Restore Grand Piano View Full Caption

CARROLL GARDENS — A neighborhood church is hoping to turn a grand piano that has remained silent for decades into the centerpiece for a local concert series using an online fundraiser.

Saint Agnes Roman Catholic Church’s 1891 concert grand piano requires almost a complete overhaul to bring it back to professional working condition — a task that experts said will cost thousands of dollars and take two to three months to complete.

So Anthony Cucchiara, a volunteer at the church, launched a Kickstarter campaign last week in the hope of raising $13,091 to bring the piano back to life. As of Thursday morning, the campaign had already raised $3,741 with 21 days to go.

Cucchiara, 64, a Cobble Hill resident, has been a parishioner at the 433 Sackett St. church for four years and began working there as a volunteer last October.

Saint Agnes is known for its original stained-glass windows, granite edifice, vaulted ceilings and ornate façade — but only those who attend mass truly get a chance to appreciate its majesty, Cucchiara said.

“Everyone in the neighborhood should be aware of the history of this magnificent church,” he said.

To that end, Cucchiara and the church decided to begin hosting neighborhood performances, in which local singers, musicians and community members could play regularly.

“Once this piano is restored, it becomes the centerpiece of our concert series,” he said.

The 9-foot-long piano — appraised to be worth between $50,000 and $75,000 — was crafted in 1891 by the Brooklyn-based Wissner Piano Company, which gifted the instrument to the church’s seminary, Cucchiara said.

In the 1970s, the grand piano made its way to the Sackett Street church space, but it had already fallen into a state of disrepair and was rendered silent for the decades that followed.

“As soon as I saw it, I knew it was something very special,” said Brian Whiton, owner of Big Wrench Piano Care, who has been tasked with the restoration work.

For the restoration, Whiton and his team will need to replace all the moving parts inside the piano — the “action,” he said.

Other work will include servicing the keyboard, re-weighting the hammers and keys, resetting and rebuilding the pedal lyre, tuning, balancing and regulating the action, and voicing, according to the Kickstarter page.

The price of the restoration is about $9,000. The additional costs are associated with the concert series, including finding a replacement piano for the first performance held in December, Cucchiara said.

Whiton, who has been working on pianos since 1999, said he has rarely come across a 9-foot piano.

“It was made for professionals to play on,” he said.

Cucchiara also sees value in the instrument’s historic ties to the borough, given that it involves a local church owner, a Brooklyn-based piano maker and a neighborhood piano restorer.

“So the connection is Brooklyn all the way around,” he said.