click on images to enlarge St. Peter Episcopal Church Westchester Square 2500 Westchester Avenue Bronx, N.Y. 10461 Organ Specifications: ► III/43 Sebastian Glück (1996) – reb. • III/39 Herbert Brown (1952) – reb. • III/28 Austin Organs Inc., Op. 2096 (1947) • III/39s E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings, Op. 1876 (1900) • II/23 Geo. Jardine & Son (1893) • II/17 Hilborne L. Roosevelt, Op. 47 (1880) • Hall & Labagh (1855) St. Peter's Episcopal Church was founded in 1693 in the Village of Westchester. The Gothic Revival stone edifice is the third building to occupy the site. It was built between 1853-55 by Leopold Eidlitz, a Czech architect known best for the old Metropolitan Opera and St. George's Episcopal Church on Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan. In 1877, a fire destroyed part of the church, after which it was rebuilt and somewhat altered by Leopold's son Cyrus in 1879. The nave peaks at seventy-five feet above the floor and includes transepts. A working ten-bell chime, cast in 1923 by the Meneeley Bell Company of Troy, N.Y., is in the copper-spired stone tower. The nearby Sunday school and chapel building (now called Foster Hall) exemplify High Victorian Gothic design, and the cemetery contains many gravestones from the 18th century. St. Peter's Church, Complex and Cemetery were designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1976, and listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1983.             Sebastian Glück New York City (1981) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 43 stops, 43 ranks In 1981, a program of re-actioning and tonal revision was begun by Sebastian Gluck, with generous console preparations for expansion should funds become available in the future.                 Grand-Orgue (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Principal Bass 61     Eclat VIII ranks *   8   Montre 61 16   Bombarde ranks *   8   Flûte Allemande 61 8   Prémière Trompette *   8   Flûte Harmonique * 8   Deuxième Trompette   8   Cor de Chamois 61 8   Trompette de Fête *   4   Prestant 61 5 1/3   Basson Quinte *   4   Flûte Octaviante * 4   Clairon *   2   Doublette 61           Grand Cornet V ranks*     Clochettes [Mayland]     Plein Jeu IV ranks 244     Zimbelstern 4 bells             Récit expressif (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 73     Fourniture III ranks 183 8   Principal 73     Cornet V ranks * 8   Flûte Bouchée 73 16   Clarinette Basse * 8   Voix Mystiques II ranks 134 8   Trompette Harmonique 73 8   Gambe 73 8   Basson-Hautbois 73 8   Voix Céleste 73 8   Voix Humaine [separate box] 73 4   Prestant 73 8   Trompette de Fête *   4   Bourdon Perce 73     Tremblant   2   Cor de Nuit 61                     Positiv expressif (Manual I) – 61 notes 16   Bourdon * 1 3/5   Tierce 61 8   Grand Principal 61 1 1/3   Larigot 61 8   Flûte à Cheminée 61     Couronne IV ranks 244 8   Viole Sourdine 61 8   Cromorne 61 4   Prestant 61 8   Cor Anglais *   4   Flûte à Bec 61 8   Trompette de Fête *   2 2/3   Nasard 61   Tremblant   2   Quarte Harmonique 61                   Pédale Orgue – 32 notes 32   Principal Basse [resultant] — 2   Flûte *   16   Montre 32     Mixture III ranks *   16   Contrebasse G.O. 32   Contre Bombarde *   16   Sousbasse 32 16   Ophicleide [ext. G.O.] 12 16   Contre Dulciane G.O. 16   Clarinette *   16   Bourdon .RÉC 8   Prèmiére Trompette *   8   Octave Basse [ext.] 12 8   Deuxième Trompette G.O. 8   Flûte Couverte [ext.] 12 4   Clairon *   8   Violoncelle G.O. 4   Cor de Chasse *   4   Quinzième [ext.] 12                 * console preparation               Herbert Brown   New York City (1952) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 39 ranks In 1952, Herbert Brown, an organbuilder in New York who had worked for Austin Organs, revised the Austin Organ, Op. 2096 (1947) with the addition of an 11-rank Choir division that consisted of vintage ranks from various sources. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.             Austin Organs Inc. Hartford, Conn. – Opus 2096 (1947) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 28 ranks Austin's Opus 2096 was one of the first organs to be built by that company after World War II, and incorporated most of the flue pipework from the Hook and Hastings organ. It was a two-manual-and-pedal instrument of 28 ranks, but was prepared for the addition of a Choir division. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.             E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings Boston, Mass. – Opus 1876 (1900) Mechanical action 3 manuals, 39 registers In 1900, the organ was moved from the chancel to the gallery by E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.             Geo. Jardine & Son New York City (1893) Mechanical action 2 manuals, 23 ranks In 1893, the Jardine company rebuilt the 1880 Roosevelt organ. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.             Hilborne L. Roosevelt New York City – Opus 47 (1880) Mechanical action 2 manuals, 17 stops, 22 registers The original organ in the present building stood in an alcove to the right of the chancel in what is now the Lady Chapel. The Roosevelt instrument contained the blue stencilled pipes that stand in the façade of the present organ. Unfortunately, the church's archives do not contain a stoplist of this organ.             Hall & Labagh New York City (1855) Mechanical action Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.             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.      The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America website: www.gcna.org      Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.      The Tower Bell Chimers website: www.allchimes.com      Van Pelt, William T., compiler. The Hook Opus List, 1829-1916 in Facsimile. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1991. Photos:      Kenneth G. Potter             | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organs List |