Click on images to enlarge. Broadway Presbyterian Church 601 West 114th Street at Broadway New York. NY 10025 http://www.broadwaypresbyterian.org Organ Specifications: 601 West 114th Street (since 1912): ► III/36 Austin Organs Inc., Op. 2513 (1969) ► III/35 Austin Organ Company, Op. 399 (1912) 286 Fourth Avenue at 22nd Street (1855-1912): ► II/27 J.H. & C.S. Odell, Op. 265 (1889) ► II/23 Richard M. Ferris (1856) In December 1822, a young pastor named Matthias Bruen proposed to the Presbytery of New York City that he begin a "Sabbath School" on the "edge of the wilderness" known today as Greenwich Village. The Presbytery hired him, without pay, as a missionary to the saloon-sodden neighborhood where the recalcitrant residents "were found reduced by intemperance to beggary, wretchedness, and death." After working there for two years, Rev. Bruen gathered his tiny flock of 10 persons and formally established the Bleecker Street Presbyterian Church on April 20, 1825. The first edifice, built in 1826 at 65 Bleecker Street, was designed by John McComb Jr., an architect of the "Old" City Hall.   Fourth Avenue Presbyterian (1855-1910)   Rev. Bruen died in 1829 and was succeeded by Dr. Erskine Mason, whose pastorate including the founding of Union Theological Seminary. This was a time of deep division within the Presbyterian denomination over the issue of slavery and ecclesiastical innovations, such as allowing women to pray in public and abolishing pew fees. When the denomination split, the more liberal faction formed their own General Assembly and Erskine Mason became its stated clerk. Following the death of Dr. Erskine in 1852, Dr. Joel Parker was called to be pastor. His 11-year pastorate was plagued by conflicts that eventually split the church. About half of the families followed Parker uptown where a Romanesque-Gothic sanctuary was built in 1854-55. This building was later known as "Dr. Crosby's Church" after the celebrated Rev. Howard Crosby, D.D., who founded the Hope Mission Chapel on East 4th Street, and Grace Chapel on East 22nd Street. Dr. Crosby was perhaps best known as the founder of the Society for the Prevention of Crime, which managed to briefly suspend the sale of alcohol in all city saloons, but he was also the Chancellor of New York University. Dr. Crosby was instrumental in severing the ties between Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian Church. After his death in 1891, The New York Times memorialized him as a man who had "done more than any other single individual in this generation to check vice in its most offensive forms."    Broadway Presbyterian (1925) After Dr. Crosby's pastorate, the church declined in membership as members moved uptown to preferred residential areas. The Grace and Hope Chapel missions became difficult to support, and in 1898 Grace Chapel was sold. In 1899, the congregation was strengthened somewhat after merging with the Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church, located at 135 West 13th Street, but in 1909 the congregation voted to relocate uptown. The present site on Broadway and 114th Street was purchased in 1910, and on March 16, 1912, the cornerstone was laid for the present building. Louis E. Jallade designed an English Gothic sanctuary that was closely modeled on the Brown Memorial Tower of nearby Union Theological Seminary, where he was associate architect. Jallade also designed the International House north of Union Seminary, and in 1928, the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church (now The Church of the Village) on Seventh Avenue and 13th Street. The first worship service in the new Broadway Presbyterian Church took place on November 10, 1912.                 Austin Organs Inc. Hartford, Conn. – Opus 2513 (1969) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 39 stops, 36 ranks The present organ in Broadway Presbyterian Church was installed in stages by Austin Organs Inc., beginning in 1969. As funds permitted, new divisions replaced those of the previous 1912 Austin organ, and a new three-manual console was added. The Echo division from the 1912 organ is not currently connected to the console.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Quintaton 61 2   Superoctave 61 8   Principal 61     Fourniture IV ranks 244 8   Bourdon 61 8   Trompete 61 4   Octave 61     Chimes EC 4   Nachthorn 61                 Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Viola 61     Plein Jeu III ranks 183 8   Viola Celeste 61 16   Fagot 61 8   Rohr Gedeckt 61 8   Trompette 61 4   Principal 61 4   Rohr Schalmei 61 4   Koppel Flöte 61     Tremulant 2   Octavin 61                 Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Gedeckt 61 1 1/3   Larigot 61 8   Flauto Dolce 61     Sesquialtera II ranks 122 8   Flute Celeste [TC] 49 8   Krummhorn 61 4   Spitzflöte 61     Tremulant 2   Blockflöte 61                 Positiv Organ (console preparation) 8   Nason Gedeckt     Cymbal III ranks 4   Rohr Pfeife     Tremulant 2   Prinzipal       1   Sifflöte     Cymbelstern [added 1997]             Echo Organ [from previous organ, extant but not playable] 8   Viol Aetheria 73 8   Vox Humana 61 8   Vox Angelica 73     Chimes 25 notes 8   Gedacht 73     Tremulant             Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Resultant — 4   Koppelflöte SW 16   Principal 32     Mixture II ranks 64 16   Quintaton GT 16   Posaune [ext. GT] 12 16   Gedeckt [ext. SW] 12 16   Fagot SW 8   Octave 32 8   Posaune GT 8   Gedeckt SW 4   Krummhorn CH 4   Superoctave [ext.] 12                       Austin Organ Company Hartford, Conn. – Opus 399 (1912) Electro-pneumatic action 4 manuals, 48 stops, 35 ranks The original four-manual Austin organ built for Broadway Presbyterian Church was opened on Sunday, November 3, 1912. An impressive organ case is in the front of the sanctuary at the gallery level, behind which are the pipes of the main divisions. The Echo division is located in the gallery chamber.             Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Major Diapason 61 8   *Claribel Flute 61 8   Principal Diapason 61 4   *Harmonic Flute 61 8   Small Diapason 61 8   *Trumpet 61 8   *Viole d'Amour 61   Chimes EC 8   *Gamba 61   * enclosed in Choir box                 Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 73 4   Flauto Traverso 73 8   Diapason 73 16   Contra Fagotto 73 8   Rohr Flote 73 8   Cornopean 73 8   Viole d'Orchestre 73 8   Oboe 73 8   Viole Celeste [TC] 61   Tremulant 8   Echo Salicional 73                     Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Geigen Principal 73 4   Flute d'Amour 73 8   Dulciana 73 2   Piccolo 61 8   Concert Flute 73 8   Clarinet 73 8   Unda Maris [TC] 61   Celesta 49 bars 8   Quintadena 73   Tremulant                   Solo and Echo Organs (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Flauto Major 73   Harmonic Tuba [ext.] — 8   Gross Gamba 73   Harmonic Clarion [ext.] — 16   Tuba Profunda 85                       Echo Division (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Viole Aetheria 73   Vox Humana 61 8   Vox Angelica 73   Chimes 25 notes 8   Gedacht 73   Tremulant [valve]                   Pedal Organ – 32 notes [Augmented] 32   Resultant Bass — 8   Gross Flute 12 16   Open Diapason 32 8   Violoncello GT 16   Violone [ext. GT] 12 16   Contra Fagotto SW 16   Bourdon 32 16   Tuba SO 16   Lieblich Gedacht SW 8   Tuba SO                 Organ in Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church: J.H. & C.S. Odell New York City – Opus 265 (1889) Tubular-pneumatic action 2 manuals, 23 stops, 27 ranks On January 7, 1889, a contract for a two-manual organ was awarded to the J.H. & C.S. Odell Company of New York City. Odell's Op. 265 was the company's "Size No. 18" specification that included "pneumatic compensating valves" applied to the Great, Swell, and Pedal Organs. The organ had a case of chestnut and cost $4,000.             Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes 16   Double Open Diapason 58 4   Octave 58 8   Open Diapason 58 2 2/3   Twelfth 58 8   Gamba 58 2   Fifteenth 58 8   Dulce d'Amour 58   Mixture, 3 ranks 174 8   Doppel Flöte [wood] 58 8   Trumpet [harmonic treble] 58 4   Harmonic Flute 58                     Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon [wood] 58 2   Flautino 58 8   Open Diapason 58   Cornet, 3 ranks 174 8   Salicional 58 8   Oboe      } 58 8   Stopped Diapason [wood] 58 8   Bassoon } 4   Forest Flute [wood] 58   Tremolo 4   Violina 58                     Pedal Organ – 27 notes 16   Double Open Diap. [wood] 27 8   Violoncello [wood] 27 16   Bourdon [wood] 27                     Mechanical Registers     Swell to Great (coupler)   Patent Reversible (coupler)     Swell to Pedal (coupler)   Bellows Signal     Great to Pedal (coupler)   Eclipse Wind Indicator                 Compositions (Patent Pneumatic compositions on Great Organ, worked by Piston Knobs placed between keys, all double-acting) 1.   Full Organ 2.   Full to Mixture 3.   Full to Octave (with double off) 4.   All the eight-feet stops 5.   Gamba, Doppel Flöte, and Dulce d'Amour 6.   Doppel Flöte and Dulce d'Amour 7.   Dulce d'Amour 8.   Harmonic Flute                   Balance Swell Pedal                           Organ in Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church at 286 Fourth Avenue at 22nd Street: Richard M. Ferris New York City (1856) Mechanical action 2 manuals, 21 stops, 23 ranks The following specification was recorded on April 30, 1962.by F.R. Webber, whose "Organ Scrapbooks" are in the possession of The Organ Historical Society Archives in Princeton, N.J. Webber indicates "Weekly Review" at the bottom of the page.             Great Organ (Manual I) – 56 notes 8   Open diapason 56 4   Principal 56 8   Dulciana bass  } 56 4   Rohr flute [TC] 44 8   Dulciana treble } 3   Twelfth 56 8   Keraulophon [TC] 44 2   Fifteenth 56 8   Melodia [TC] 44   Sesquialtera, 3 ranks 168 8   Stop'd diap. bass  } 56 8   Cremona [TC] 44 8   Stop'd diap. treble }                     Swell Organ (Manual II) – 56 notes [C13-G56 enclosed; C1-B12 outside swell box] 16   Bourdon [TC] 44 2   Fifteenth [TC] 44 8   Open diapason [TC] 44 8   Trumpet [TC] 44 8   Dulciana [TC] 44 8   Hautboy [TC] 44 8   Stop'd diapason [TC] 44   Swell Bass: 4   Principal [TC] 44 16   Bourdon [C1-B12] 12 3   Twelfth [TC] 44 8   Dulciana [C1-B12] 12                 Pedal Organ – 25 notes 16   Double open diapason 25                         Couplers     Swell to Great             Great to Pedal             Swell to Pedal                           Sources:      "Austin Company Builds It," The Diapason, August 1912; courtesy Jonathan Bowen.      "Broadway Presbyterian Orders Austin Organ," The Diapason, October 1968; courtesy Jeff Scofield.      Dolkart, Andrew S. Morningside Heights: A History of Its Architecture & Developments. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.      Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.      Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.      Ochse, Orpha. Austin Organs. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 2001.      Organs in the United States and Canada Database (OUSCDB); courtesy George Nelson.      Stoddard, Wendy, and Bruce D. Johnson. "A Brief History of Broadway Presbyterian Church (1825-2000)." New York: Broadway Presbyterian Church.      Trupiano, Larry. Contract and Specifications of J.H. & C.S. Odell Organ, Op. 265 (1889).      Webber, F.R. "Organ scrapbook" at Organ Historical Society Archives, Princeton, N.J. Specifications of Richard M. Ferris organ (1856); courtesy Jonathan Bowen. Photos:      Broadway Presbyterian Church website: http://www.broadwaypresbyterian.org/                 | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organs List |