Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish

Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish

602 East 9th Street at Avenue B
New York, N.Y. 10009
http://www.trinitylowereastside.org

Organ Specifications:
Present building (since 1993)
► I/5 John M. Crum (1984)
First building (1863-1993)
► I/12 Hall & Labagh (1884)
• unknown organ from Dresden, Germany (c.1840)

Former building of Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish - New York City

In 1839 German Saxon immigrants began to meet for worship in the home of a baker. By 1843 they were sufficiently strong to incorporate The Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession in the City of New York, since changed to Trinity Lower East Side Parish. In 1850, the congregation built a new church with four apartments below and a one-room school in the back. When this became too small, the congregation purchased the former Ninth Street Church–Dry Dock Mission, a Greek Revival church and parsonage built by the Methodists in 1847 on Avenue B and 9th Street.

Over the years, Trinity has experienced good times and bad. In the very early years, Trinity's membership grew but not always easily. When the Methodist Church was to be dedicated as Trinity's new church in 1863, some unhappy Methodists barricaded themselves in the old church, forcing the Lutherans to come back the following week. In 1904 a happy midweek Sunday School outing turned to a horrific disaster when the leased ship, the General Slocum, burned and sank in the East River, killing more than 1000 Lutherans from the Lower East Side. Known as the General Slocum Disaster, it is one of the worst disasters in the history of New York City. In the early 1900s Trinity's membership numbered some 1,750 souls, a figure that had declined to about 15 by the time the deteriorated church was demolished in 1975, leaving only the small parsonage for worship and ministry.

The present church was designed by Robert Litchfield and built in 1993. Dedicated on July 9, 1996, the facility includes a 100-seat chapel, community center and parsonage.

John M. Crum Pipe Organs Cobleskill, N.Y. (1984) Mechanical action 1 manual, 5 stops, 5 ranks, 254 pipes "This mechanical-action organ was designed, finished and imported from West Germany by John M. Crum, and stands in a case of oak. The Principal ranks are of 75% tine and the flute stops are of hammered lead with domed caps for added tuning stability. The manuals stops speak on 50 mm wind; the pedal reed is voiced on 60 mm. Frederick Grimes played the dedicatory recital." – The American Organist, April 1985

Manual – 56 notes
8	Lieblich Gedeckt	56
8	Rohrflöte	56
8	Prästant	56
8	Prinzipal Quinte	56

Pedal – 30 notes
16	Rankett	30

Coupler
	Manual to Pedal

Accessories
	Zimbelstern (4 bells)

Organ in previous church building: Hall & Labagh New York City (1884) Mechanical action 1 manual, 14 stops, 12 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 wrote the following comment: Trinity Church is an old brick Colonial building, without tower or spire, at Avenue B and East 9th street, lower Manhattan. The present building dates from 1859, and the organ appears to be of equal age. It is a curious instrument, in the west gallery, and placed parallel with the main axis of the church, so that its narrow end faces the altar. The console is detached, and the organist faces the altar, with his back to the organ. The trackers are boxed under his feet. The draw-knobs are of the 1850-60 type, with a draw of about 4", convex discs, and lettering in Spencerian script, beautifully done. The "Klingel" and "Coppel" suggests one of the early German organ builders, possibly Franz I. Engelfried, who came from near Stuttgart about the year 1850, and built organs in lower Manhattan, following the German manner. His sons were fine flue voicers, and voiced for H L Roosevelt after their father's death. The organ has a curious sound, suggesting somewhat an amplified harmonium. A service was in progress, and I was unable to discover how many ranks were cut off at Tenor C, if any. There is no indication of which are Pedal stops, and the three listed are conjectural. They may be manual stops, operated by the "Pedal coppel," as in H L Roosevelt's 5-rank jobs. The keydesk is a flat, very shallow affair, but four or five inches in vertical height above its supports. Just what the Klingel might be I could not discover. Possibly it once operated a Zimbelstern, now gone, or it may have been a blower's signal, or even a signal to the bell-ringer, since Lutherans tap the large bell three times at the Lord's Prayer. In 1973, this organ was moved to Trinity Lutheran Church, Columbia, S.C.

Manual – 56 notes
8	Principal	56	4	Principal	56
8	Gedeckt	56	4	Flöte	56
8	Gamba [TC]	44	3	Quinte	56
8	Melodia	56	2	Octave	56
8	Gemshorns [TC]	44		Mixture (3 ranks)	178
8	Bass unison	12		Klingel

Pedal – 18 notes
16	Principal bass	18	8	Octave bass	18
16	Sub-bass	18		Pedal coppel

Organ in previous church building:

Unknown Builder
Dresden, German (ca.1840)
Mechanical action

Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.

Sources:
     "New Organs," The American Organist (April 1985). Stoplist of John M. Crum organ.
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish web site: http://www.trinitylowereastside.org
     Webber, F.R. "Organ scrapbook" at Organ Historical Society Archives, Princeton, N.J. Specifications of Hall & Labagh organ (1884). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.

Illustrations:
     Percy Loomis Sperr. Exterior of old church (1928).
     Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish web site. Exterior of present church.

| NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organs List |