Editor’s Note: This article features audio from The Berkshire Edge’s interview with Otis Historical Commission Chair Gail Gelburd.
Otis — The Franklin Whiting organ belonging to Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Otis is ready to come back home. Now fully restored, this marks just one of several milestones the Otis Historical Commission and Otis Preservation Trust (OPT) have achieved since the town acquired St. Paul’s in 2019.
Built and installed in 1833, the organ is one of several historical objects that belong to the church and is the last organ Franklin Whiting made before his death at the age of 25. Otis Historical Commission Chair Gail Gelburd added, “He didn’t make a lot of organs—it’s like having a Stradivarius violin.”
In a follow-up with The Berkshire Edge, Gelburd stated that the organ will need to be stored “until the inside work [of St. Paul’s] is complete. Which should be in about a year. Unfortunately, we lack the funding for this and will need about $10,000 for transportation and storage.” The OPT is currently seeking donations to cover this expense.
Historical Commission Chair Gail Gelburd speaks about the historical features of St. Paul’s Church in Otis:
To date, the OPT has received over $750,000 in grants and donations to fund the ongoing preservation project. This number includes their most recent grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission in June 2025. The $100,000 grant, which was matched, supports the current phase of restorations and repairs for 2026.
“We’re going to fix the tower, fix the roof, and fix the turrets. We hope by the end of the summer, that will be done,” explained Gelburd.
Preserving the past, building the future
Gelburd, who is a long-time resident of Otis and holds a Ph.D. in art history, first joined the Historical Commission in 2020 as a grant writer. She was appointed chair this year. From the outset, there was an immediate interest in saving the building—but this became much more than a feat of preservation.
“I loved the idea of taking an old, magnificent historical building like St. Paul’s and transforming it into something that could benefit the community and be used,” Gelburd explained. “After we started working on [St. Paul’s], we didn’t want to decide what the building should be. We thought the town should decide. … So we sent out a survey to as many townspeople as we possibly could. … Overwhelmingly, people said, ‘We need a cultural center.’” Accordingly, the Historical Commission and OPT decided to repurpose St. Paul’s as the Otis Cultural Center.
Work on St. Paul’s officially started in 2022 after the OPT received its first donation from Charles Rosenblum in 2020 and a grant from the Fitzpatrick Trust in 2021. Since then, a group of dedicated volunteers, town officials, and certified construction teams have worked to make the restoration of St. Paul’s a reality.
Historical Commission Chair Gail Gelburd speaks about grants received, why St. Paul’s will be repurposed as a cultural center, and the repairs:
Otis Town Administrator Brandi Page spoke to the efforts made by people working on the project.
“The vision and work of the Historic Commission along with the fundraising entity they formed, Otis Preservation Trust, is responsible for the money that has been raised to keep the work in progress. Larry Gould, our projects coordinator with the Town,” Page continued, “has been instrumental in navigating the work both with the architect and construction company. We are very fortunate to have someone with his knowledge to ensure projects stay on track and are successful.”
Next steps
There is still work to be done before St. Paul’s can officially become the Otis Cultural Center. In order to complete the project, OPT needs an estimated additional $600,000. The building also needs to be ADA compliant in order to open up to the public.
“We [also] need more volunteers,” added Gelburd. ”We need people who can help as administrators, send out newsletters, write articles, contact press. … We need some people who are technical to help manage our website, do social media. So we need a lot of marketing help and development help.”
In the meantime, the OPT has organized a series of events that reflect what programs residents and visitors to Otis can expect to see at the Cultural Center. The series is aptly named “Notice Otis.”
To volunteer time and talents or to make a donation, visit the Otis Preservation Trust website or email the Otis Historical Commission at otishistoricalcommission@gmail.com.
