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Swain & Kates Pipe Organs, Inc.
has constructed nearly one hundred pipe organs throughout Northern California, ranging from the Monterey Peninsula to the Sierra Nevada Foothills.  These include several four-manual instruments:

These are among the largest in Northern California.  Swain & Kates has also produced over 30 three-manual organs in the Bay Area and Central Valley.

The founding partners of Swain & Kates, William S. Swain and Robert E. Kates, formed Pacific Organ Builders in 1955.  The newly established company built and refurbished several organs while based in Oakland.  In 1959 the firm was renamed Swain & Kates, Inc. and in 1963 relocated to San Francisco.

In 1969, Charles R. Ward joined the company. An accomplished organist and organ builder, he strengthened the firm through his knowledge and ingenuity in organ manufacturing and installation.  He later succeeded Mr. Kates as organist of Calvary Presbyterian Church, retaining the position for twenty years.

Carl N. Van Os entered the company in 1978.  He became an accomplished technician and pipe voicer and is now president of the firm.  He and Mr. Ward purchased Swain & Kates in 1997 and expanded the production facilities to include a woodworking shop in Sonoma County.  The vitality of the firm continues on through a new generation with the inclusion of Nicholas Z Warwick, nephew of Mr. Van Os.