Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church - New York City
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Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church

178 Bennett Avenue at 189th Street
New York City, N.Y. 10040
http://osanyc.org/


Organ Specifications:
► III/26 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 9370 (1960) – installed (2006)
► II/5 M.P. Moller, Inc., Op. 5623 (1929)


In January of 1927, Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church was born out of the merger of two smaller congregations: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Atonement, and the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. Both churches had been missions of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Atonement Lutheran, established in 1896, built a church in 1897 at 116 Edgecombe Avenue, which is now the home of Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church. The Church of Our Saviour, established in 1898, was first located at 525 West 179th Street, then moved to 580 West 187th Street (which is now Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church).

The new congregation bought property on Bennett Avenue and laid the cornerstone for a Parish House in 1928. Original plans had also included a Lutheran hospital to be constructed on land extending to 187th Street, but the hospital never came into being. The building project coincided with the completion of a subway route – the A train – into the area. Many churches in Washington Heights were built that year, and many were never completed. The stock market crash of 1929 dashed plans for a gothic sanctuary, as designed by Mayers, Murray & Phillip. Completed in December 1928, the Parish House turned out to be the only building the congregation would ever know. In the 1970s, the Parish House was transformed into the Cornerstone Center, providing space for a video studio, dance and performance space, a kindergarten, and a church for the deaf. The Reform Jewish congregation known as Beth Am, The People's Temple, also began sharing the facilities.
           
  Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church - New York City
   
M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 9370 (1960)
Rebuilt by Austin Organs Inc.
Hartford, Conn. (1982)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 49 registers, 46 stops, 26 ranks


The organ in Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church was originally built by M.P. Möller as Op. 9370 (1960) who installed it in the gallery of the Chapel of the Interchurch Center on Riverside Drive. In 1982, the organ was reconfigured by Austin Organs, who added several ranks of new pipes and provided a new three-manual rocker-tab console. In 2007, prior to the installation of a new Klais organ, the Interchurch Center donated the Möller/Austin organ to Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church and provided funding for its removal. Glück Pipe Organs of New York City was contracted to move the organ, set up the Great division and connect the resources of the previous Möller organ (Op. 5623) to the Austin console. The remainder of the Interchurch Center organ is being installed in stages by Mann & Trupiano of Brooklyn as funding becomes available. Following is the proposed specification (as of 2011) for the reconfigured organ.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Viola Major (ext. SW)
12
2
   Fifteenth
61
8
  Principal
61
     Mixture IV ranks
244
8
  Bourdon
61
8
  Krummhorn
61
8
   Viola da Gamba
SW
8
  Trumpet
PED
4
  Octave
61
     Tremulant  
4
   Spitzflöte
61
        

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
97
2 2/3
   Nazard (fr. L.Ged)
—
8
  Open Diapason
61
2
   Flautino (fr. L.Ged)
—
8
  Gamba
61
     Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Gamba Celeste (TC)
49
16
  Cor Anglais (1-12 L/2)
73
8
   Flauto Dolce
61
8
   Hautbois (1-12 L/2)
61
8
   Chimney Flute (fr. L.Ged)
—
8
   Cor Anglais
—
4
   Principal
61
     Tremulant  
4
   Harmonic Flute
61
        

     

     
Positiv Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
8
  Viola da Gamba
SW
1 1/3
  Quintamus
61
8
   Viola Celeste
SW
1
  Octavlein
61
8
  Gedeckt
61
8
   Cor Anglais
SW
4
   Koppelflöte
61
  Tremulant
2
   Nachthorn
61
8
   Trompette
PED

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Principal (1-12 digital)
44
4
   Open Flute
44
16
  Bourdon
44
2
   Open Flute (fr. 4')
—
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
  Trompette (1-12 L/2)
56
10 2/3
  Quint
SW
16
   Cor Anglais
SW
8
  Principal
—
8
   Trompette
—
8
   Flute (fr. Bourdon)
—
8
   Cor Anglais
SW
8
   Gedekct
SW
4
   Trompette
—
4
   Octave
—
4
   Cor Anglais
SW
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8'   Swell to Positiv 16', 8', 4'
    Swell to Pedal 8', 4'   Great Silent
    Positiv to Pedal 8'   Swell to Swell 16', 4', Silent
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Positiv Silent
    Positiv to Great 8'    
           
M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 5623 (1929)
Electro-pneumatic key action
2 manuals, 15 registers, 5 stops, 5 ranks


The original organ in Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran was built in 1929 by M.P. Möller. The organ was enclosed in one Swell box and installed in a chamber to the left of the chancel platform.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
  Open Diapason
73
4
  Flute
—
8
  Gedeckt
85
8
  Oboe
73
8
  Salicional
73
     Blank  
8
  Dulciana
73
     Blank  

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
  Open Diapason
—
4
  Flute
—
8
  Gedeckt
—
8
  Oboe
—
8
  Salicional
—
     Tremulant  
8
  Dulciana
—
     Blank  

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes, enclosed
16
  Bourdon [ext. Gedeckt]
12
8
  Flute
—
16
  Lieblich Gedeckt [lo-press.]
—
 
  Blank  
           
Sources:
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Our Saviour Atonement's Lutheran Church website: http://osanyc.org/
     Lawless, Barrie. Specification of Möller/Austin organ.

Illustrations:
     Henderson, Jim. Exterior (altered).
     Lawson, Steven E. Interior.
           
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