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Fordham University
Rose Hill Campus
441 East Fordham Road at East 191st Street
Bronx, N.Y. 10458
website
University Church – St. John's Church
The Fordham University campus in the Bronx occupies land that was once part of the "Rose Hill" estate of Horatio S. Moat, a merchant of Brooklyn. In 1839, the manor was purchased by Bishop John Hughes, who would later become New York's first archbishop. In 1841, St. John's College was established with classes held in Horatio Moat's former country home. The Greek Revival building house is of fieldstone and is noted for its Ionic entrance porch and an octagonal cupola. Wings were added to the Moat House in 1907, and today the building is extant as the Administration Building.
St. John's Church, now known as the University Church, was built from 1841-45 to serve the seminary and Catholics in the area. William Rodrigue, a teacher at St. John's College and the brother-in-law of Bishop Hughes, designed the Gothic Revival stone church with its tall pinnacled tower. The bell in the tower, known since as "Old Edgar Allan", is said to have inspired Poe, a friend and neighbor, to write his celebrated poem, "The Bells". The windows of the nave were presented by Louis Philippe, King of the French, in 1846. The chapel was enlarged in 1928-29 when a large transept, designed by Emile Perrot, was added. A plaque placed on the church exterior by the Alumni Sodality in 1939 gives a background: "The Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley, third president of the college, a nephew of the venerable Elizabeth Seton and cousin of two presidents of the United States [Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt], afterward Bishop of Newark and Archbishop of Baltimore, erected this church in 1845 as a seminary chapel. " The plaque was unveiled by FDR's mother, Mrs. James Roosevelt.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated four buildings on the Rose Hill Campus of Fordham University: Horatio Shepheard Moat House (1970); Alumni House (1981); St. John's Church (1970); and St. John's Hall, Queen's Court (1970). |
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Lehigh Organ Company
Macungie, Penn. (1979)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 33 stops, 40 ranks |
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Grande Orgue (Manual I) – 56 notes (61-note keyboard)
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16 |
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Flûte courte |
56 |
2 |
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Octavin |
56 |
8 |
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Montre |
56 |
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Cornet II ranks |
112 |
8 |
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Bourdon à cheminée |
56 |
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Fourniture V ranks |
280 |
4 |
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Prestant |
56 |
8 |
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Trompette |
56 |
4 |
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Flûte à fuseau |
56 |
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Récit expressif (Manual II) – 56 notes (61-note keyboard), enclosed
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16 |
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Bourdon |
56 |
1 3/5 |
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Tierce |
56 |
8 |
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Viole |
56 |
1 1/3 |
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Larigot |
56 |
4 |
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Cor de chamois |
56 |
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Cymbale IV ranks |
224 |
2 2/3 |
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Nasard |
56 |
8 |
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Chalumeau |
56 |
2 |
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Doublette |
56 |
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Tremulant |
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Choral Organ (floating) – 56 notes (61-note keyboard)
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8 |
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Flute de bois |
56 |
2 |
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Flûte à bec |
156 |
4 |
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Prestant |
56 |
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Plein jeu III ranks |
168 |
4 |
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Flûte à cheminée |
56 |
16 |
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Pedal Bourdon [ext.] |
12 |
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Pédale Orgue – 32 notes
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16 |
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Principal |
32 |
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Fourniture III ranks |
96 |
16 |
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Soubasse |
32 |
16 |
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Bombarde |
32 |
8 |
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Octave |
32 |
8 |
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Trompette |
G.O. |
8 |
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Flute |
32 |
4 |
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Chalumeau |
Réc. |
4 |
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Basse de Chorale |
32 |
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Couplers
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G.O. – Pédale |
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Réc – G.O. |
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Récit – Pédale |
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G.O. – Choral |
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Choral – Pédale |
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Récit – Choral |
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William W. Laws
Beverly, Mass. (<195-)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 27 stops, 21 ranks
Sometime before 1950, William W. Laws rebuilt the Hilborne Roosevelt Organ, Op. 48 (1879). The following specification was recorded by F.R. Webber (1887-1963), whose "Organ Scrapbooks" are in the possession of The Organ Historical Society Archives in Princeton, N.J. Pipecounts are estimated, although it is unknown if Laws extended the manuals to 61 notes and pedal to 32 notes. |
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Great Organ (Manual I)
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16 |
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Bourdon |
61 |
2 2/3 |
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Twelfth |
61 |
8 |
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Open Diapason |
61 |
2 |
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Fifteenth |
61 |
8 |
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Major Flute |
61 |
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Mixture III ranks |
183 |
8 |
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Dulciana |
61 |
16 |
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Tuba |
85 |
8 |
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Melodia |
61 |
8 |
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Tuba [ext.] |
— |
4 |
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Octave |
61 |
4 |
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Tuba [ext.] |
— |
4 |
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Harmonic Flute |
61 |
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Swell Organ (Manual II) – enclosed
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8 |
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Violin Diapason |
61 |
4 |
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Flute |
61 |
8 |
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Gedeckt |
61 |
4 |
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Violina |
61 |
8 |
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Salicional |
61 |
8 |
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Oboe |
61 |
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Pedal Organ
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32 |
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Resultant |
— |
8 |
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Gedeckt [ext.] |
— |
16 |
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Open Diapason |
44 |
16 |
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Tuba |
GT |
16 |
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Bourdon |
44 |
8 |
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Tuba |
GT |
8 |
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Major Flute |
GT |
4 |
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Tuba |
GT |
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Organ in the Crypt: William W. Laws
Beverly, Mass. (<195-)
Mechanical? action
2 manuals, 9 stops, 9 ranks
The following specification was recorded by F.R. Webber (1887-1963), whose "Organ Scrapbooks" are in the possession of The Organ Historical Society Archives in Princeton, N.J. Webber noted: "This organ was rebuilt by W.W. Laws some years ago. The original builder is unknown. It is 9' 8" wide, 6' 6" deep and 10' high in its present state. St. John's Chapel is about a century old." |
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Great Organ (Manual I)
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8 |
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Open Diapason |
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8 |
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Dolcissimo |
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8 |
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Melodia |
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4 |
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Principal |
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Swell Organ (Manual II) – enclosed
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8 |
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Violin Diapason |
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4 |
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Flute Harmonique |
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8 |
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Stopped Diapason |
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Pedal Organ
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16 |
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Bourdon |
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8 |
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Flute |
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Hilborne L. Roosevelt
New York City – Opus 48 (1879)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 10 stops, 10 ranks |
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Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
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8 |
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Open Diapason |
58 |
4 |
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Gemshorn |
58 |
8 |
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Dulciana [TC] |
46 |
2 |
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Piccolo Harmonique |
58 |
8 |
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Doppel Flöte |
58 |
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Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
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8 |
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Violin Diapason |
58 |
4 |
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Flute Harmonique |
58 |
8 |
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Stopped Diapason |
58 |
8 |
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Oboe |
58 |
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Pedal Organ – 27 notes
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16 |
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Bourdon |
27 |
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Couplers
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Swell to Great |
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Swell to Pedal |
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Swell to Great Octaves |
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Great to Pedal |
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Henry Erben & Co.
New York City (1843)
Mechanical action
The first known organ for St. John's Church was built in 1843 by Henry Erben of New York. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located. |
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Sources:
Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.
Fordham University Rose Hill Campus website.
Hermalyn, Gary, Robert Kornfeld. Landmarks of The Bronx. Bronx, N.Y.: Bronx Historical Society, 1989.
Minotti, Robert. Specifications of Lehigh Organ (1979).
Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
Webber, F.R. "Organ scrapbook" at Organ Historical Society Archives, Princeton, N.J. Specifications of Crypt Organ, rebuilt by W.W. Laws; and of the Roosevelt Organ, Op. 48, rebuilt by W.W. Laws; courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
Photos:
Fordham University Rose Hill Campus website: old postcard of University Church.
Minotti, Robert: chapel interior. |
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