Roman Catholic Church of St. Lucy/St. Patrick - Brooklyn, NY
 
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Church of St. Lucy – St. Patrick
(Roman Catholic)

285 Willoughby Avenue at Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11205



Organ Specifications:
► II/28 Reuben Midmer & Sons (1910); reb. Clark & Fenton (1930s)
► III/34 Reuben Midmer (1869)





The familiar red-brick church on Willoughby Avenue in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn was established in 1843, but was originally called St. Mary's Church. In 1856, the church was renamed in honor of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Patrick C. Keely, an Irish-born resident of Brooklyn who would design many churches, was the architect for St. Patrick's Church. The building is noted for its roof dormers that illuminate windows in the nave wall, and reflects Keely's early development in the gothic style. St. Patrick's Church is similar to those that Keely designed for St. Brigid's and St. Nicholas churches in Manhattan.

In 1974, St. Lucy's Church, located a few blocks north on Kent Avenue, was absorbed into St. Patrick's, and the church was renamed St. Lucy/St. Patrick. St. Lucy's Church was established in 1904 to serve the Italian residents of the area.
           
  Reuben Midmer & Sons organ (1910) in St. Lucy - St. Patrick Catholic Church - Brooklyn, NY (photo: David Schmauch)
   
  Reuben Midmer & Sons organ (1910) in St. Lucy - St. Patrick Catholic Church - Brooklyn, NY (photo: David Schmauch)
Reuben Midmer & Sons
Brooklyn, N.Y., (1910); reb. Clark & Fenton (1930s)
Originally Tubular-pneumatic action?
2 manuals, 28 stops, 28 ranks


A new organ was built in 1910 by Reuben Midmer & Sons of Brooklyn, at a cost of $5,000. In the 1930s, the organ was electrified by Clark & Fenton of Nyack. The specification that follows was recorded by F.R. Webber, whose "Organ Scrapbooks" are in the possession of The Organ Historical Society Archives in Princeton, N.J. Webber includes these comments:

"The front of the organ is of the towering, three-gabled kind, and of the type often built by Henry Erben, E. & G.G. Hook and Jardine. The facade is wide and high, and its interior is of the roomy kind, suggesting the work of the Hook brothers. One may walk about in it and with room to spare. The pipework is of large scale. A detached console, of later date, bears the name-plate of Clark & Fenton, of Nyack, and the information that they electrified the organ. It is evident that they made some tonal changes, inserting a redundant 8' flute in the Great division and removing a 2' rank and a Mixture."
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
16
   Open Diapason
61
8
   Doppel Flöte
61
8
   First Open Diapason
61
4
   Octave
61
8
   Second Open Diapason
61
4
   Flute Harmonique
61
8
   Viola di Gamba
61
2
   Super Octave
61
8
   Dulciana
61
8
   Trumpet
61
8
   Major Flute
61
        
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
61
4
   Wald Flute
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
2
   Flageolet
61
8
   Salicional
61
8
   Oboe
61
8
   Aeoline
61
8
   Cornopean
61
8
   Stopped Diapason
61
8
   Vox Humana
61
8
   Vox Celeste
61
     Tremulant  
4
   Principal
61
        
 
      
 
      
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Open Diapason
44?
8
   Flute [ext.?]
—
16
   Bourdon
44?
16
   Trombone
44?
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW?
        
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal       Swell to Swell 16', 4'  
    Swell to Pedal       Pedal octave  
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'          
 
Reuben Midmer
Brooklyn, N.Y. (1869)
Mechanical action
3 manuals, 31 stops, 34 ranks


The first known organ for St. Patrick's Church was built by Reuben Midmer of Brooklyn. An article in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Dec. 29, 1868) described the new organ:
St. Patrick's Church has been recently enriched with a splendid organ. It has three rows of keys, extending from c c to 9 [sic], (sixty-eight notes,) [sic] forty stops and two octaves, and a third of pedal pipes. It has all the valuable and modern improvements in organ building, and reflects the highest credit on the builder, Mr. Midmore, [sic] of High street, Brooklyn. ... Mr. F. Connell is the organist of St. Patrick's.
The specification that follows was recorded by F.R. Webber, whose "Organ Scrapbooks" are in the possession of The Organ Historical Society Archives in Princeton, N.J.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 56 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
56
3
   Twelfth
56
8
   Open Diapason
56
2
   Fifteenth
56
8
   Keraulophon
56
     Sesquialtera, 2 ranks
112
8
   Harmonic Flute
56
8
   Trumpet
56
4
   Night Horn
56
4
   Clarion
56
4
   Principal
56
        
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 56 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
56
4
   Principal
56
8
   Open Diapason
56
     Cornet, 3 ranks
168
8
   Dulce
56
8
   Cornopean
56
8
   Gamba
56
8
   Hautboy
56
8
   Stopped Diapason
56
     Tremulant  
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 56 notes
8
   Open Diapason
56
4
   Wald flute
56
8
   Clariana
56
2
   Picolo [sic]
56
8
   Melodia
56
8
   Cremona
56
8
   Stopped Diapason
56
     Tremulant  
4
   Principal
56
        
 
      
 
      
Pedale Organ – 30 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
30
16
   Bourdon
30
16
   Dulciana
30
        
               
Couplers
    Pedals to Great       Choir to Swell  
    Pedals to Choir       Great to Swell  
    Pedals to Swell       Great to Choir  
               
            Bellows signal  
 
Sources:
     "The New Organ in St. Patrick's Church," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 29, 1868.
     Patrick C. Keely Society website: www.keelysociety.com
     Trupiano, Larry. Cost of 1910 Midmer organ from company Ledger Book.
     Webber, F.R. "Organ scrapbook" at Organ Historical Society Archives, Princeton, N.J. Specifications of Reuben Midmer & Son organ (1869). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.

Illustrations:
     Patrick C. Keely Society. Church exterior.
     Schmauch, David: organ case and console.