Click on images to enlarge Mecca Temple 130 West 55th Street New York, N.Y. 10019 Organ Specifications: Auditorium: ► IV/37 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 3963 (1926) Meeting Rooms: ► II/4 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 3960 (1926) ► II/4 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 3961 (1926) ► II/4 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 3962 (1926) The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, more familiarly known as the Shriners, was established in 1871 by William Jermyn Florence, an actor from England, and Dr. Walter Millard Fleming, a surgeon. From the beginning, the group had an interest in theatrical antics and good works in medical care. As an offshoot of the many Masonic lodges then flourishing in New York City, the Shriners' first home was at the Old Cottage, located at 464 Sixth Avenue. The group met in various locations, including the Masonic Lodge at 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue, and later created a Mecca Temple in an old four-story brownstone at 107 West 45th Street that included a grill, lounge and committee rooms, executive offices and an assembly hall. Large meetings were held in Carnegie Hall, but according to Broadway lore, the hall's management was disturbed by the amount of cigar smoke generated during Shriners meetings and evicted them. By the 1920s there were 160 Temples in North America, including Canada and Mexico, and the Shriners were known for parading through the streets in their picturesque Oriental costumes. In 1922, the Shriners built the first of its many children's hospitals in Shreveport, Louisiana. Also in 1922, the New York Shriners purchased a 100 by 200 foot plot on West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues that extended through to 56th Street. The plan was to erect a large temple facility that could be rented out for additional income. Harry P. Knowles, a Mason and a Shriner, designed the Moorish-style buildings, but he died early in 1923 before his plans were completed; consequently, the architectural firm of Clinton & Russell was hired to realize Knowles' designs. The auditorium façade on 55th Street was faced with sandstone broken by a shallow recess that framed the main entrance. Above the doors was a two-story tile screen with horseshoe arches and brightly colored terra cotta and glazed tile. The 2,750-seat auditorium had a level main floor and two steeply-sloped balconies, and was heavily decorated with Islamic honeycomb and stalactite patterns. Rising above the roof of the auditorium was a dome of red terra cotta tiles that was originally surmounted by an immense scimitar and crescent, symbol of the Shrine. In the basement was one of the largest ballrooms in New York City. At the north side of the lot and opening onto 56th Street was a simpler 12-story building that contained offices and three lodge rooms for use by the 12,000 members of the temple. By the time the Mosque of Mecca Temple opened on December 29, 1924, the total cost was calculated at $2.5 million. Before the dedication ceremonies that were attended by Shriners from all parts of the country, there was a parade involving patrols from six temples, led by Mecca Temple's band. The parade route was from 56th Street and Seventh Avenue, west to Broadway, south to 44th Street, east to Fifth Avenue, north past the reviewing stand, and terminating at the new mosque. By the end of the day, more than 8,000 Nobles participated in the events. The first public concert took place on October 12, 1925, with a musical program led by John Philip Sousa (who was a Mason) and his band. For the next several years, Mecca Temple was rented for a variety of dramatic and musical performances, lectures and meetings, but the building was never a financial success. During the Depression, the auditorium was used for WPA music projects, but in 1937 the temple defaulted on its mortgage payments and Manufacturers Hanover took possession of Mecca Temple. Two subsequent owners were unable to generate profits on the facilities, and in 1942 the city claimed the building for $622,000 in back taxes. After it had reverted to City ownership, Mecca Temple was saved from destruction by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and City Council President Newbold Morris, who developed the idea for the City Center for Music and Drama, a New York home for the best of theater, music, and dance. On December 11, 1943, City Center officially opened its doors with a special concert by the New York Philharmonic with a top ticket price of $1.65. LaGuardia himself took the baton to conduct the national anthem. New York City Opera and New York City Ballet were both created at City Center. Leopold Stokowski and Leonard Bernstein led the New York City Symphony. Legendary actors gave legendary performances – from Paul Robeson in Othello to Tallulah Bankhead in A Streetcar Named Desire. The City Center Drama Company was directed by Jose Ferrer then Maurice Evans. Jean Dalrymple brought to the City Center stage one after another revivals of the hit musicals of the 1940's and 1950's. City Center quickly became a cultural haven for New Yorkers: an affordable – and fun – complement to the Broadway theater, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Opera House. In the mid-70s, with the opera and ballet moving to Lincoln Center and the building underused, City Center was again slated for demolition. Under the leadership of chairman Howard M. Squadron, the theater was rededicated as New York's premiere home for dance and was given landmark status: first, in 1983 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and in 1984 by the National Register of Historic Places. The City Center 55th Street Theater Foundation was formed to manage the complex and ensure its survival as a performing arts center. Today, New York City Center is the New York performance home to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre's fall season, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Eifman Ballet of Saint Petersburg, the Martha Graham Dance Company and The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and others.             Auditorium M.P. Möller, Inc. Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 3963 (1926) Electro-pneumatic action 4 manuals, 69 stops, 37 ranks The following specification was taken from a marked-up copy of an 18-page document created by Clinton & Russell, Walls, Holton & George, architects for Mecca Theatre. Click here to view that document. In 1949, the theatre was renovated and the organ, no longer needed, was put up for sale. The organ was subsequently rebuilt by Möller as Op. R-549 (1955) and installed in St. Paul Community Church, located at 256 West 145th Street.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Accompaniment 16   Double Open Diapason 97 2 2/3   Twelfth [Octave] — 8   Diapason No. 1 73 2   Fifteenth [Octave] — 8   Diapason No. 2 [ext.] — 8   Salicional 97 8   Tibia Clausa 73 8   Gamba 73 8   Flute 73 16   Tuba Profunda 85 4   Flute Harmonic [ext.] — 8   Tuba — 4   Octave 73                     Accompaniment Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed with Great 16   Bourdon 73     Mixture IV ranks 292 8   Diapason GT     Unda Maris II ranks 146 8   Tibia Clausa GT 16   Contra Fagotto 85 8   Flute GT 8   Oboe [ext.] — 4   Flute d'Amour 61 8   Cornopean 73 8   Gedeckt 73     Tremulant   4   Octave GT     Harp SO 2 2/3   Twelfth [Salicional] GT     Tambourine SO 2   Fifteenth [Salicional] GT     Castanets SO 1 3/5   Tierce [Salicional] GT     Chinese Block SO 8   Gamba GT     Triangle SO 8   Salicional GT     Snare Drum Roll SO 4   Salicet GT     Tom Tom SO                 Solo Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed with Orchestral 8   Stentorphone 73 8   Clarinet OR 8   Tibia Plena [or Philomela] 73 8   Vox Humana 61 8   Concert Flute OR     Xylophone 37 Bars 4   Flute Traverso OR     Harp   2   Piccolo OR     Tambourine   8   Violin 73     Castanets   8   Vox Celeste [TC] 61     Chinese Block   8   Tuba Mirabilis 73     Triangle   8   Kinura 73     Snare Drum Roll   8   Orchestral Oboe OR     Tom Tom                   Orchestral Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed with Solo 8   Diapason Phonon 73 8   Trumpet 73 8   Concert Flute 85 8   Clarinet — 4   Flute Traverso [Con. Fl.] — 8   English Horn 73 2 2/3   Nazard [Con. Fl.] — 8   Orchestral Oboe 73 2   Piccolo [Con. Fl.] —     Tremulant   1 3/5   Tiercena [Con. Fl.] —     Harp 49 Bars 8   Viole d'Orchestre 73     Chimes 25 Bells     Cornet IV ranks 292     Glockenspiel 37 Bars 16   Bass Clarinet 85                         Orchestral String Organ (floating) – 61 notes, enclosed     "7 ranks" [N.B. This division may not have been installed.]             Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Double Diapason [resultant] — 16   Tuba Profunda GT 16   Diapason [ext. GT No. 1] 12 16   Trombone [ext. SO Tuba] 12 16   Diapason [GT O.D. No. 2] GT 8   Tuba GT 16   Tibia Clausa [ext. GT] 12     Bass Drum Strike *   16   Bourdon AC     Bass Drum Roll *   8   Gedeckt AC     Kettle Drum Strike *   8   Octave GT     Kettle Drum Roll *   4   Fifteenth GT     Cymbal *   16   Contra Gamba [ext. GT] 12     Cymbal Crash *   8   Gamba GT     * traps playable on two lowest octaves                 Traps (by push buttons under manuals)     Snare Drum Tap       Steamboat Whistle       Snare Drum Roll       Horses Hoofs       Fire Gong       Engine Bell                   Couplers     Great to Pedal 8', 4'   Accomp. 16', 4', Unison Off     Accomp. to Pedal 8', 4'   Solo to Accomp. 16', 8', 4'     Solo to Pedal 8', 4'   Orch. to Accomp. 16', 8', 4'     Orch. to Pedal 8', 4'   Orch. Strings to Accomp. 8'     Orch. Strings to Pedal 8'   Solo 16', 4', Unison Off     Great 16', 4', Unison   Orch. to Solo 16', 8', 4'     Accomp. to Great 16', 8', 4'   Orch. Strings to Solo 8'     Solo to Great 16', 8', 4'   Orchestral 16', 4', Unison Off     Orch. to Great 8'   Orch. Strings to Orch. 8'     Orch. Strings to Great 8'                       Adjustable Combination Pistons     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6   affecting Great and Pedal stops and couplers     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6   affecting Accomp. and Pedal stops and couplers     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6   affecting Solo and Pedal stops and couplers     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6   affecting Orch. and Pedal stops and couplers     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4   affecting Pedal stops and couplers     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6   affecting Entire Organ                 Pedal Movements     Balanced Expression Pedal for Great and Accompaniment Organs     Balanced Expression Pedal for Solo and Orchestral Organs     Balanced Expression Pedal for Orchestral String Organ     Balanced Crescendo Pedal with Indicator     Sforzando Pedal, reversible and adjustable     Great to Pedal Reversible     Accompaniment Pedal Reversible     Solo to Pedal Reversible     Orchestral to Pedal Reversible     Orchestral Strings to Pedal Reversible             3 Meeting Rooms M.P. Möller, Inc. Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 3960, 3961 and 3962 (1926) Electro-pneumatic action 2 manuals, 10 stops, 4 ranks M.P. Möller was contracted to provide three identical two-manual organs for three Meeting Rooms. Each organ had 23 registers. Although the contract for these organs has not yet been located, following is the specification of a two-manual Möller organ with 23 registers that was installed in 1927 in 13 Lodge Rooms of the Pythian Temple in New York City.                 Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed with Swell? 8   Open Diapason 61 8   Stopped Diapason SW 8   Dulciana 73 4   Flute SW             Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Dulce GT 4   Flute [ext.] — 8   Stopped Diapason 85 8   Vox Celeste [TC] 61             Pedal Organ – 32 notes 16   Bourdon [ext. SW St. Diap.] 12         8   Flute SW                         Couplers     Great to Pedal 8'       Great 16', 4', Unison       Swell to Pedal 8', 4'       Swell 16', 4', Unison       Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'                           Mechanicals     Tremulant       Crescendo Indicator                   Adjustable Combinations     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 affecting Great Organ stops and couplers     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 affecting Swell Organ stops and couplers     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 affecting Pedal Organ stops and couplers                 Pedal Movements     Great to Pedal Reversible     Balanced Swell Pedal     Grand Crescendo Pedal             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.      Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes/City Center; From Shriners' Mecca Temple to Mecca for the Arts," The New York Times, April 11, 1999.      "It's Bargain if You've Got Pipes," The New York Times, June 4, 1949.      Mecca Shriners website: http://www.meccashriners.org      Moore, William D. Masonic Temples: Freemasonry, Ritual Architecture, and Masculine Archetypes. Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2006.      National Register of Historic Places web site: http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/      New York Architecture Images web site: http://www.nyc-architecture.com      "Plans Music Center at Mecca Temple," The New York Times, March 6, 1943.      "Shriners Dedicate Mecca's New Home," The New York Times, December 30, 1924.      "Sousa Opens New Mecca Temple Hall," The New York Times, October 12, 1925.      Stern, Robert A.M., Gregory Gilmartin, and Thomas Mellins. New York 1930: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars. New York City: Rizzoli International Publications, 1987.      Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications of M.P. Möller Organ, Op. 3963 (1926). Illustrations:      AJWB Collection. Proscenium arch.      New York Architecture Image web site. Mecca Temple postcard; interior of City Center 55th St. Theatre.      New-York Historical Society, William J. Roege Photograph Collection. B&W exterior, c.1928. Courtesy Sebastian M. Glück.   | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organ Project List |