James Monroe High School - Bronx, New York (Photo: Estey Organ Company)
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DeWitt Clinton High School

100 West Mosholu Parkway South (since 1928)
Bronx, N.Y. 10468
http://www.dwchs.org


Organ Specifications:
100 West Mosholu Parkway South – Bronx (since 1928)
III/31 Estey Organ Company, Op. 2936 (1931)
Tenth Avenue and 59th Street – Manhattan (1897-1928)
• III/ W.W. Kimball Co., KPO 670 (1906); reb. Wm. R. Laws


The history of DeWitt Clinton High School begins in 1897, with the opening of Boys' High School on the top floor of Public School 35 at 60 West 13th Street in Manhattan.

 
DeWitt Clinton HS in Manhattan  
In 1900, the school was renamed for DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828), who had been governor of New York State, a U.S. Senator, the Mayor of New York City, and a builder of the Erie Canal. In 1906, nine years after its founding, the school moved to a newly-constructed building on Tenth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets. DeWitt Clinton remained at this location until 1928, after which other public schools occupied its space. In the 1980s, the interior was gutted and renovated, and is today one of the building of the John Jay College for Criminal Justice, a part of the City University of New York.

In 1929, the noise of midtown Manhattan was exchanged for a 21-acre campus on Mosholu Parkway in the Bedfork Park section of the Bronx, where the school is presently located. An all-boys school until 1983, DeWitt Clinton spent much of the 20th century as the largest high school in the world, with the enrollment peaking in the 1930s at 12,000 students. The school has never had an entrance exam. In fact, it wears as a badge of honor its commitment to educate all of America’s children.
               

Estey Organ Company
Brattleboro, Vt. – Opus 2936 (1931)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 49 stops, 31 ranks


In the Great Depression year of 1931, the Estey Organ Company received a welcome and very large contract for seven identical organs to be installed in New York City high schools. The $168,000 contract made the average cost of each organ $24,000. Each organ was equipped with a three-manual console that included ivory keys and an automatic roll-player.

The Estey organ installed in DeWitt Clinton High School is no longer playable. Its console has been removed, and there is considerable damage to the pipes in the chambers.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Choir (6" pressure)
8
  1st Open Diapason (Heavy)
73
2
  Fifteenth *
61
8
  2nd Open Diapason
73
1 1/3
  Nineteenth *
61
8
  Doppel Flute
73
  Mixture III ranks [draws * stops]
8
  Concert Flute
CH
16
  Tuba [10" pressure]
97
8
  Gamba
73
8
  Tromba [ext.]
8
  Dulciana
CH
4
  Clarion [ext.]
4
  Harmonic Flute
73
  Tremolo
4
  Octave
73
 
Harp
61 bars
2 2/3
  Twelfth *
61
 
Celesta [TC, from Harp]
49 notes
 
     
 
     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed (6" pressure)

16
  Lieblich Gedeckt
73
8
  Oboe [synthetic]
8
  Horn Diapason
73
16
  Waldhorn
85
8
  Stopped Flute
73
8
  Cornopean
8
  Viol d'Orchestra
73
4
  Clarion
8
  Viol Celeste
73
8
  Vox Humana [sep. trem. & box]
61
8
  Aeoline
73
  Tremolo
4
  Traverse Flute
73
  Harp
GT
4
  Violino
73
  Celesta
GT
2
  Flautino
73
   
    Mixture III *
61
    * 12th & 15th from Flautino; ind. Tierce
 
     
 
     
Choir Organ(Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed (6" pressure)

16
  Contra Dulciana
85
2
  Piccolo
61
8
  Geigen Principal
73
8
  Clarinet
73
8
  Concert Flute
73
8
  English Horn
73
8
  Dulciana
  Tremolo
8
  Unda Maris
73
  Harp
GT
4
  Harmonic Flute
GT
  Celesta
GT
     
     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes

32
  Acoustic Bass
8
  Major Flute [Op. Diap.]
16
  Open Diapason
44
8
  Flute [Bourdon]
16
  Bourdon
44
8
  Dulciana
CH
16
  Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
  Trombone
GT
16
  Contra Dulciana
CH
8
  Tromba
GT
               
Couplers

    Great to Pedal 8', 4'   Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'
    Swell to Pedal 8', 4'   Great 16', 4', Unison Off
    Choir to Pedal 8', 4'   Swell 16', 4', Unison Off
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Choir 16', 4' Unison Off
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'    
               
Adjustable Combinations

    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 * affecting Swell & Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 * affecting Great & Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5 * affecting Choir & Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 * affecting Pedal Organ & its couplers
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 * affecting Full Organ (duplicated by toe studs)
      * double-touch brings on Pedal stops
               
Reversibles

    Great to Pedal (hand and foot)   Choir to Pedal (hand and foot)
    Swell to Pedal (hand and foot)   All Swells to Swell
               
Pedal Movements

    Balanced Swell Pedal   Crescendo Pedal with indicator
    Balanced Great & Choir Pedal   Sforzando Pedal with indicator

               

  W.W. Kimball Organ, KPO 670 (1906) in Auditorium of DeWitt Clinton High School - Manhattan, New York City
W. W. Kimball Co.
Chicago, Ill. – KPO 670 (1906)
Tubular-pneumatic action; reb. Wm. R. Laws
3 manuals


The organ in the original DeWitt Clinton High School Auditorium in Manhattan was built in 1906 by the W. W. Kimball Co. of Chicago. This was the third concert organ ordered from Kimball by the Board of Education of New York City; the other two were in the Girls' High School, Brooklyn, and in Morris High School in the Bronx. Installed at the rear of the stage, the organ case was finished in white and had a facade with five sections of gold pipes. A detached, panelled console was located on the main floor in front of the stage and faced the conductor. At a later date, the organ was rebuilt by Wm. R. Laws, who installed electro-pneumatic action to control 31 stops on three manuals and pedal. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.

               
Sources:
     Carnahan, John. Factory Shop Order for Estey Organ, Op.2936 (1931).
     Estey Pipe Organ website: www.esteyorgan.com.
     DeWitt Clinton Alumni Association website: http://www.dewittclintonalumni.com/
     The Bernard Herrmann Society website: http://www.bernardherrmann.org

Photos:
     The Estey Pipe Organ website: exterior of present school.
     The Bernard Herrmann Society website: color photo of Manhattan school.
     Murray, Thomas: drawing of W.W. Kimball organ, KPO 670 (1906) in Manhattan auditorium.
     
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