click on images to enlarge Church of the Holy Apostles (Episcopal) 296 Ninth Avenue at 28th Street New York, N.Y. 10011 http://www.holyapostlesnyc.org/ Organ Specifications: ► III/37 J.J. van den Heuvel Orgelbouw (1994) ► IV/43 Casavant Frères, Op. 1446 (1931) ► III/18 A.B. Felgemaker Co., Op. 1247 (1917) ► III/33 George Jardine (1853) • II/ Levi U. Stuart (1867) • I/ Levi U. Stuart (1859) • II/18 Hall & Labagh (1847) The prominent octagonal spire of the Church of the Holy Apostles is a welcoming landmark among the industrial buildings and red brick towers in the far western blocks of Chelsea. Reputedly a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church has continued its embrace of the unwelcome by starting a soup kitchen in 1982, now the largest in New York City, which serves up to 1000 meals each weekday to the homeless and downtrodden. In 1973, the socially-active and diverse congregation helped establish Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, a gay and lesbian synagogue which still uses Holy Apostles for its Friday evening service. In 1977, the first woman priest in the New York diocese was ordained at Holy Apostles. The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be consecrated as a bishop of the Episcopal Church, celebrated and preached on Gay Pride Sunday 2005. Established in 1836 as a Sunday School, the present building was constructed from 1846-48 to designs of Minard Lefever. In 1853, the rare Italianate-style church was extended to the east by 24 feet to provide a chancel, and in 1858 the transepts were added by Richard Upjohn & Son. In 1908, the wooden spire was covered with slate and the belfry clad in copper. William Jay Bolton, the noted artist who created the stained glass windows in Brooklyn's Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity, fabricated the Tuscan-hued stained glass windows, several of which survived the devastating fire in 1991 that gutted the church interior and destroyed part of the roof and the organ. Following the fire, the congregation decided to rebuild the nave as a flexible space without pews so that it could be used for the soup kitchen. The Church of the Holy Apostles was designated a Landmark in 1966 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.               J.J. van den Heuvel – Orgelbouw Dordrecht, The Netherlands (1994) Mechanical key action Electric stop action 3 manuals, 32 stops, 37 ranks Holy Apostles' organ was originally built in 1994 for the salon of Castle Shiloah, the residence of Joseph and Marla Mooibroek in Fairview, Texas. In 1996, the castle and organ were offered for sale. Holy Apostles acquired the organ to replace the previous four-manual Casavant Frères organ which had been destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1990. The Dutch Baroque-style case is made of African Mahogany with hand carvings of French Linden. It is an instrument that tonally is in the French early Romantic style and features a variety of unusual tonal colors. Located in the north transept, the organ has 32 stops distributed over three manuals and pedals, and over 2,400 pipes.                 Grand-Orgue (Manual I) – 61 notes 16   Bourdon  61 2   Doublette 61 8   Montre 61 8   Plein-jeu III-V ranks ? 8   Flûte a cheminée 61 8   Cornet I-V ranks [MC] ? 8   Flûte harmonique 61 8   Trompette 61 4   Prestant 61     Tremulant                   Positif (Manual II) – 61 notes, expressif 8   Bourdon 61 1   Piccolo 61 8   Salicional 61 8   Clarinette 61 8   Unda Maris 61 8   Trumpet Royal [horizontal] 61 4   Flûte à fuseau 61     Tremulant   2   Flageolet 61     Chimes   1 3/5   Tierce 61     Zimbelstern                   Récit (Manual III) – 61 notes, expressif 8   Flûte traversière 61 2   Octavin 61 8   Viole de Gambe 61 8   Basson-Hautbois 61 8   Voix céleste 61 8   Voix humaine 61 4   Flûte octaviante 61     Tremulant                   Pédale – 32 notes 32   Bourdon [electronic] — 8   Violoncelle 32     [blank knob]   16   Basson 32 16   Soubasse [1-24 from G.O.] 12 4   Chalumeau  32 8   Flûte 32                                   Casavant Frères, Limitée St. Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada – Opus 1446 (1931) Electro-pneumatic action 4 manuals, 46 stops, 43 ranks In 1931, a new four-manual and pedal organ was built at a cost of $21,195 by Casavant Frères of Québec. According to the Casavant Specifications (Mar. 30, 1931), the organ had electro-pneumatic action and a detached console with organist's bench; there were no case, screen nor display pipes. Dr. T. Tertius Noble, organist of St. Thomas Church, played the dedicatory recital on Monday, February 29, 1932. The new organ was a success, eliciting words of praise from notable organists including Lynwood Farnam, Seth Bingham, Dr. David McKay Williams, and Clarence Dickinson. Unfortunately, the Casavant organ eventually fell into disrepair, losing its console and much of the Gallery Antiphonal. A devastating fire in 1991 destroyed the church interior, and damaged the organ with smoke, water, and fallen plaster.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Bourdon * 49   Grave Mixture II ranks 122 8   First Diapason 61 8   Tuba [enc. in CH] 61 8   Second Diapason 61   Chimes EC 8   Hohl Flöte 61 8   Celesta CH 4   Principal 61 4   Celesta CH 4   Harmonic Flute 61   * shares bottom octave of Pedal Bourdon                 Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16   Contra Salicional 73   Mixture III ranks 183 8   Diapason 73 16   Double Trumpet 73 8   Rohr Flute 73 8   Trumpet 73 8   Salicional 73 8   Oboe 73 8   Voix Celeste [TC] 61 8   Vox Humana 73 4   Violina 73 4   Clarion 73 4   Flute Triangulaire 73     Tremulant                   Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Gamba 73 8   Clarinet 73 8   Concert Flute 73   Celesta 61 bars 8   Dulciana 73   Celesta Sub — 4   Flauto d'Amore 73   Tremulant   2 2/3   Nazard 73                         Antiphonal Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Stentorphone 73 8   Tuba Mirabilis 73 8   Gross Flute 73 8   French Horn 73 4   Principal 73   Tremulant                   Echo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Cor de Nuit 73 8   Vox Humana 73 8   Vox Angelica II ranks 146     Tremulant   4   Fernfloete 73     Chimes 25 tubes                 Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Resultant — 8   Gedeckt [ext.] — 16   Diapason [unit] 44 4   Flute [ext.] — 16   Bourdon [unit] 56 16   Trombone 32 16   Salicional SW 8   Trumpet SW 8   Octave [ext.] —     Chimes EC 8   Gedeckt [ext.] —                         Couplers     Great to Pedal 8', 4'   Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'     Swell to Pedal 8', 4'   Echo to Choir 8'     Choir to Pedal 8', 4'   Great to Echo 8'     Echo to Pedal 8', 4'   Swell to Echo 8'     Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Swell to Swell 4', 16'     Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'   Choir to Choir 4', 16'     Echo to Great 16', 8', 4'   Echo to Echo 4', 16'     Echo to Swell 8'   All Swells                 Adjustable Combinations     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 to Great (thumb)     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5 to Swell (thumb)     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 to Choir (thumb)     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 to Echo-Antiphonal (thumb)     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 to Pedal (thumb & foot)     Pistons No. 1-2-3 General (foot)     Adjuster       General Cancel                   Reversibles     Swell to Pedal (thumb)   Echo to Pedal (thumb)     Great to Pedal (thumb)   Sforzando (foot)     Choir to Pedal (thumb)                     Balanced Pedals     Swell Expression   Echo-Antiphonal Expression     Choir Expression   Crescendo           A. B. Felgemaker Co. Erie, Penn. – Opus 1247 (1917) Tubular-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 20 stops, 18 ranks In 1917, Archer Gibson, the private organist of Mr. Charles M. Schwab, was engaged to play for a wedding at Holy Apostles. Gibson found the "old rattle-bang" Jardine organ to be unsatisfactory and complained to the Rector. With Gibson's assistance, the Carnegie Fund was convinced to provide approximately half the $5000 cost of a new organ, which was built by the A.B. Felgemaker Co. of Erie, Pennsylvania. The three-manual and pedal organ had tubular-pneumatic action, but as the Choir was only prepared for, the organ functioned as a modest two-manual instrument of eighteen ranks. In less than ten years, however, the organ began to fail, and an appeal sought funds to repair and complete the instrument. Money was raised toward that goal, but ultimately, it seemed best to build an entirely new organ. The Felgemaker was sold for $500 to Grace Church on City Island.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 8   Open Diapason 73 4   Flute d'Amour 73 8   Dulciana 73 4   Octave 73 8   Viola da Gamba 73 8   Trumpet 73 8   Doppel Floete 73                         Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 73 8   Aeoline 73 8   Violin Diapason 73 4   Flute Harmonic 73 8   Stopped Diapason 73 8   Oboe 73 8   Salicional 73 8   Vox Humana 73 8   Voix Celeste [TC] 61                         Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes (console preparation only)                 Pedal Organ – 30 notes 16   Open Diapason 30 16   Lieblich Gedeckt SW 16   Bourdon 30 8   Flute [ext.] 12                 Couplers     Great to Pedal 8'   Swell to Swell 4', 16'     Swell to Pedal 8'   Great Separation     Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Swell Separation     Great to Great 4', 16'   All Couplers "Off"                 Adjustable Combinations     Four Combinations for Great & Pedal Organs     Five Combinations for Swell & Pedal Organs                 Pedal Movements     Great to Pedal Reversible     Balanced Swell Pedal     Balanced Crescendo, Diminuendo, & Full Organ Pedal                 Accessories     Tremolo   Organist's Bench     Wind Indicator   Electric Blower     Crescendo Indicator   Electric Generator               George Jardine New York City (1853) Mechanical action 3 manuals, 36 stops, 33 ranks This organ was originally built for the Church of the Annunciation at Sixth Avenue and West Fourteenth Street. When the church was dissolved in 1895, the organ was given to the Church of the Holy Apostles. William H. Davis & Son moved and reinstalled the organ, taking the L.U. Stuart organ in trade for an allowance of $300. It is not known if the Jardine organ was altered by Davis for Church of the Holy Apostles. The Jardine organ was powered by a gas engine and was installed in the chancel. The gift of the organ to Holy Apostles had three conditions attached: a. Removal was to be at the expense of the recipient; b. Mr. A. A. Wild, the organist, was to accompany the organ and become the organist of the Church of the Holy Apostles; c. An appropriate brass plate was to be placed on the organ case, recording the gift and the twenty-two years of Mr. Wild's services at the Church of the Annunciation." Thus, it would seem that Sheldon W. Ball, who had served as Holy Apostle's organist for five years, was terminated in order to accept the Jardine organ.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 54 notes 16   Double Open Diapason 54 2 2/3   Twelfth 54 8   Open Diapason 54 2   Fifteenth 54 8   Stopped Diapason 54   Sesquialtera, 4 ranks 216 8   Melodia 54 8   Trumpet 54 4   Principal 54                         Swell Organ (Manual III) – 54 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 54 2   Fifteenth 54 8   Open Diapason 54   Mixture [Cornet?], 3 ranks 162 8   Stopped Diapason 54 8   Trumpet 54 8   Dulciana 54 8   Oboe [Hautboy?] 54 4   Principal 54 4   Clarion 54                 Choir Organ (Manual I) – 54 notes 8   [Open] Diapason 54 4   Flute 54 8   Viola di Gamba 54 8   Clarinet treble 42 8   Stopped Diapason 54 8   Bassoon bass 12 4   Principal 54                       Pedal Organ – 27 notes 16   Open Diapason 27 8   Octave 27 16   Bourdon 27                       Levi U. Stuart New York City (1867) Mechanical action 2 manuals In 1867, the Hall & Labagh organ in the gallery and the Levi U. Stuart organ in the chancel were sold. A new two-manual and pedal organ, built by Levi U. Stuart, was installed in the chancel. The Stuart organ was subsequently rebuilt by L.C. Harrison of New York, as his Op. 92, c.1886. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.               Levi U. Stuart New York City (1859) Mechanical action 1 manual In 1859, Holy Apostles established a mission, known as "The Chapel of the Free Gospel." The chapel, located nearby on West Twenty-ninth Street, was open to poor families who would not be able to attend a church with rented pews. Shortly before Christmas of 1859, a small organ costing $500 was installed. The mission did not flourish, perhaps because of its close proximity to the mother church, and the building was sold in 1866. The small organ was moved to Holy Apostles church and installed in the chancel. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.               Hall & Labagh New York City (1847) Mechanical action 2 manuals, 8 18 stops The original organ at the Church of the Holy Apostles was built in 1847 by Hall & Labagh of New York City. One source indicates that the organ had "two banks keys, 18 stops, 2 octaves pedals," while another states that it had "five Great stops, three Swell stops, and one octave in the pedal." Located in the rear gallery, the organ cost $1,200 and was pronounced "very sweet in tone." Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.                 Sources:      The American Organist, June 1932. Courtesy Jeff Scofield.      Blanchard, Homer D. "The Organ in the United States: A Study in Design", an article in The Bicentennial Tracker. Richmond: Organ Historical Society, Inc., 1976.      Church of the Holy Apostles web site: http://www.holyapostlesnyc.org/      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.      Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.      Episcopal Diocese of New York Archives; Wayne H. Kempton, Archivist.      Laufman, Alan Miller. "The Van den Heuvel organ at the Holy Apostles Church, New York City," The Northeast Organist, January/February 1997.      Ochse, Orpha. "A Glimpse of the 1860s," The American Organist, November 1969.      Ogasapian, John. Organ Building in New York City: 1700-1900. Braintree: The Organ Literature Foundation, 1977.      Scheer, Stanley. Factory Specifications of Casavant Frères Organ, Op. 1446, March 30, 1931.      Tellers, Aaron (Tellers Organ Company). Specifications of A. B. Fegelmaker Organ, Op. 1247 (1917).      Trupiano, Larry. Detailed specifications of A. B. Fegelmaker Organ, Opus 1247 (1917).      J.J. van den Heuvel web site: http://vandenheuvel-orgelbouw.nl/ Photos:      Episcopal Diocese of New York Archives: 1880 interior of church showing Geo. Jardine organ.      Lawson, Steven E.: church interior; J.J. van den Heuvel Organ (1994).               | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organ Project List |