St. Martin Protestant Episcopal Church

St. Martin Protestant Episcopal Church

293 President Street near Smith Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11231

Organ Specifications:
Merged into St. Stephen Episcopal (unknown date)
293 President Street near Smith Street (1870-?) – known as Emmanuel Epis. Church until 1893
► II/11 William B. Williams (1894)
• Henry Erben & Son (1881)
3rd Street & Smith Street (1854-1870)
• William H. Davis (1866)
• Unknown Builder (<1844) – G compass

St. Martin Protestant Episcopal Church was organized in 1854 as the Free Church of the Good Angels, with the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart Brown as its first rector. In 1857, soon after the accession of Rev. Edward De Zuy as rector, the society's name was changed to Emmanual Protestant Episcopal Church. In 1893 the name was changed again – to reduce confusion over there being three "Emmanuel" churches in Brooklyn – to St. Martin Protestant Episcopal Church.

St. Martin's was described by The New York Times (Sept. 16, 1894) as "the most ritualistic church of its denomination in Brooklyn, and there are probably few, either Episcopal or Roman Catholic churches, in the country whose services are conducted with greater ceremony." The Times continued:

"St. Martin's is a pretty little church facing Carroll Park, on President street, where it is situated, not far from the corner of Smith Street. It is a small building, with a rough-hewn brownstone front, with a rose window in the upper part. A wooden porch of dark color forms the entrance, and on each side are two small windows. The side walls are of brick, over which the ivy is beginning to climb. At the left is a small yard leading to a wing, which contains the robing rooms of the clergy and the cabinets in which are kept their vestments and those of the church, with the candles and vessels for the altar.

"The interior of the church is simply finished in wood. The chancel is separated from the body of the church by a rood screen surmounted by a beautiful rood, which in this case is a crucifix. In front of the altar, which is the most elaborate piece of church furniture, are three handsome sanctuary lamps, one or more of which is kept burning almost continually—at all times when the sacrament is upon the altar—a signal to the devout that they may not pass without a genuflection.

"The back of the church is separated from the body by another screen, and iron gates are fastened across the aisle, the church being always open, with no sexton in attendance. ... The font and the vessel for holy water stand beside the confessional, with the boxes for alms and regular contributions. The organ and choir are in the loft. Various reasons made it necessary for St. Martin's boy choir to be disbanded recently."

At some point, the congregation merged into St. Stephen Episcopal Church, located at 809 Jefferson Avenue, and the consolidated congregation was renamed St. Stephen and St. Martin's Episcopal Church.

William B. Williams New York City (1894) Mechanical action 2 manuals, 11 stops, 11 ranks, 613 pipes From The Brooklyn Eagle (Mar. 28, 1894): "St. Martin's church, corner of President and Smith streets, held a large congregation last evening when a new organ was dedicated. "The musical programme included: "St. Ann's Fugue," by Bach; Offertoire in D flat, by Salome; "La Ciaquantaine," by Gabriel-Marie and "Triumphal March," by Dudley Buck, with Arthur Laurence Brown at the organ. "The new instrument cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,200, some of the material of the old one being used in its construction. It is framed in quartered oak and decorated in gold, silver and blended colors. It stands 16 feet in height, is 11 feet wide and 9 feet 2 inches deep. The manual compass ranges from CCC to C, 61 notes; the pedal compass, from CCC to D, 27 notes. The great organ contains six stops, open diapason, viol d'gamba, melodia, stopped diapason, bass[,] octave and trumpet. The swell organ contains open diapason, stopped diapason, bass, salicional and oboe. The pedal organ contains grand bourdon, the mechanical registers, swell to great, swell to pedal, great to pedal, tremulant, bellows signal, balanced swell pedal and wind indicator. The whole makes eighteen stops and 613 pipes. The instrument was built in New York and was first tried at the children's service on Palm Sunday." Louis F. Mohr, an organ serviceman in the area, visited the church on March 15, 1927, and recorded the specifications of this organ. Mohr's handwritten page notes the organ was hand pumped on the left side, and includes a scheme to install a ½ H.P. blower under the gallery stairs at a cost of $295. Mohr noted that the builder was "H. B. Williams," perhaps a rare error on Mohr's part, as it seems more likely that the organ can be attributed to W. (William) B. Williams, who built organs in New York City from 1894-95.

Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
8	Open Diapason	61	8	Viol d'Gamba [TC?]	49
8	Stopped Diapason Bass	12	4	Octave	61
8	Melodia [TC]	49	8	Trumpet	61

Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
8	Open Diapason [TC?]	49	8	Salicional	61
8	Stopped Diapason Bass	12	4	Harmonic Flute	61
8	Stopped Diapason Treble	49	8	Oboe	61

Pedal Organ – 27 notes
16	Grand Bourdon	27

Accessories
	Swell to Great			Tremulant
	Swell to Pedal			Bellows Signal
	Great to Pedal			Wind Indicator

Henry Erben & Son
New York City (1881)
Mechanical action

The The Musical Courier (Nov. 12, 1881) announced that Henry Erben "has contracted for a large organ for Emanuel Episcopal Church, Smith and Presidents Streets, Brooklyn." Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.

Sources:
     "From Lourdes The Story Is," The New York Times (Sep. 16, 1894).
     Fox, David H. A Guide to North American Organbuilders (Rev. ed.). Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1997.
     Mohr, Louis F. & Co. Specifications (Mar. 15, 1927) of W.B. Williams organ (1894). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     The Musical Courier (Nov. 12, 1881). Item about Henry Erben organ. Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     "St. Martin's New Organ," The Brooklyn Eagle (Mar. 28, 1894).

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