Salvation Army National Headquarters (1930) - New York City (NYC-Architecture.com)
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Salvation Army
Greater New York Division Headquarters

120 West 14th Street, near Sixth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10011
http://www.salvationarmy-newyork.org


Organ Specifications:
Present building (since 1930)
► IV/37 Estey Organ Company, Op. 2892 (1930)
First building (1895-1929)
• unknown


The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 by William Booth, with the assistance of his wife, Catherine Booth. In 1865, Booth, a Methodist minister, began holding outdoor meetings and revivals in tents and theatres in London. The movement was originally known as the East London Revival Society, which was renamed the Christian Mission, and in 1878 was designated the Salvation Army. A military form of organization, with uniforms and other distinctive features, was adopted in the interest of a more effective “warfare against evil.” The Army operates hospitals, community centers, alcoholic and drug rehabilitation programs, emergency and disaster services, social work centers, and recreation facilities.

Salvation Army work in the United States dates from 1880, when Commissioner George Railton and seven women workers from England founded a branch in Pennsylvania. In 1895, a headquarters designed by Gilbert A. Schellenger was built at 120 West 14th Street in New York City.

Centennial Memorial Temple in Salvation Army Headquarters - New York City (photo: The Salvation Army National Archives)  
Auditorium in Centennial Memorial Temple  
In 1904, Evangeline Booth (1865-1950), daughter of the founder, was put in command of the work in the United States. In 1929, Eva Booth commissioned a new National Headquarters complex to be built on the same site, as designed by Ralph Walker of Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker. The Ziggurat Moderne buildings house administrative offices and meeting rooms, a residence hotel for working females, and the Centennial Memorial Temple, a 1,600-seat auditorium, opened in 1930 to honor the hundredth anniversary of William Booth's birth. In 1982, the Army's national headquarters moved to New Jersey, and the New York City complex now serves as the Greater New York Division Headquarters.
               
  Estey Organ, Op. 2892 (1930) in the Centennial Memorial Temple of Salvation Army Headquarters - New York City (photo: The Salvation Army National Archives)
Estey Organ Company
Brattleboro, Vt. – Opus 2892 (1930)
Electro-pneumatic key action
4 manuals, 53 registers, 35 stops, 37 ranks




The four-manual organ built by the Estey Organ Company for Centennial Memorial Temple, in the headquarters of the Salvation Army, was opened on the evening of November 12, 1930, with a recital by Henry F. Seibert, organist of the Town Hall and of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York. Mr. Seibert performed "Christus Resurrexit," Ravanello; "Ave Maria," Schubert; "Will-o-the-Wisp," Nevin; "Concert Scherzo in F," Mansfield; "Gesu Bambino," Yon; "Sonata 1," Mendelssohn; "Onward Christian Soldiers," Whitney-Sullivan; "O Sacred Head," Bach; "Caprice," Sturges; "Minuet," Boccherini; "To the Evening Star," ("Tannhäuser"), Wagner; "I Bring Thee All" and "Oh, Save Me, Dear Lord," Evangeline Booth; and "First Pedal Study," Yon.

The organ, which cost $22,445, was installed in chambers on either side of the large auditorium. There were thirty-six combination pistons and thirty-six couplers. The Estey organ was ultimately replaced by an Allen analog instrument.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed (6" wind pressure)
16
   Open Diapason
73
4
   Octave
73
8
   First Open Diapason
73
     Chorus Mixture III
183
8
   Second Open Diapason
73
8
   Tuba * [10" w.p.]
73
8
   Gamba
73
     Tremolo  
8
   Gemshorn
73
     Chimes
EC
8
   Gross Flute
73
    
* unenclosed
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed (7" wind pressure)
16
   Bourdon
97
2 2/3
   Nasard (fr. Bdn.)
—
8
   Open Diapason
73
2
   Piccolo (fr. Bdn.)
—
8
   Viole d'Orchestre
73
8
   Cornopean
85
8
   Salicional
85
8
   Oboe
73
8
   Voix Celeste (TC)
61
4
   Clarion (fr. Cornopean)
—
8
   Stopped Diapason (fr. Bdn.)
—
8
   Vox Humana
73
4
   Flute d'Amour (fr. Bdn.)
—
     Tremolo  
4
   Salicet (fr. 8')
—
        
 
      
 
      
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed (8" wind pressure)
16
   Contra Viol
85
4
   Flauto Traverso
73
8
   English Open Diapason
73
2
   Piccolo (fr. Fl. Trav.)
—
8
   Viol d'Amour (fr. Con. Viol)
—
8
   Clarinet
73
8
   Unda Maris (TC)
61
     Tremolo  
8
   Clarabella
73
     Chimes
EC
               
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed (15" wind pressure)
8
   Gross Gamba
73
8
   French Horn
73
8
   Gamba Celeste (TC)
61
8
   Tuba Mirabilis
73
8
   Hohl Flöte
85
     Tremolo  
4
   Flute (fr. Hohl Fl.)
—
     Solo "On" stop key  
               
Echo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed (6" wind pressure)
8
   Viol Aetheria
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
8
   Vox Angelica (TC)
61
    
Tremolo
8
   Gedeckt
85
    
Chimes [Deagan]
21 tubes
4
   Flute (fr. Ged.)
—
     Echo "On" stop key  
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes, unenclosed (8" wind pressure)
32
   Resultant
—
8
   Octave (fr. Dbl. Op. Diap.)
—
16
   Double Open Diapason
44
8
   Bass Flute (fr. Bourdon)
—
16
   Open Diapason
GT
8
   Violoncello (fr. Gamba)
GT
16
   Bourdon
44
8
   Flauto Dolce
SW
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
   Trombone
32
16
   Contra Viol
CH
        
               
Traps (operated by toe pistons)
    Tambourine          
    Bass drum          
    Snare drum          
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8', 4'   Solo-Echo to Swell 16', 8', 4'
    Swell to Pedal 8', 4'   Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'
    Choir to Pedal 8'   Solo-Echo to Choir 16', 8', 4'
    Solo-Echo to Pedal 8'   Great 16', 4', Unison Off
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Swell 16', 4', Unison Off
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'   Choir 16', 4', Unison Off
    Solo-Echo to Great 16', 8', 4'   Solo-Echo 16', 4', Unison Off
               
Combination Pistons
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Great stops, couplers & Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Swell stops, couplers & Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Choir stops, couplers & Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 affecting Solo-Echo stops, couplers & Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 Universals affecting all stops and couplers
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 affecting Pedal stops and couplers
    Toe Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 duplicating Universal pistons
               
Reversibles
    Great to Pedal   Solo to Pedal
    Swell to Pedal   Sforzando
    Choir to Pedal   Master Swell
               
Balanced Expression Pedals (left to right)
1.
   Solo-Echo Organs
4.
   Swell Organ
2.
   Choir Organ
5.
   Crescendo
3.
   Great Organ      
               
Special Features
    Wind Indicator       Master Swell Indicator  
    Crescendo Indicator       Console lights  
    Sforzando Indicator       Clock  
               
Sources:
     The American Organist (July 1930).
     Barnes, William H. Barnes. "Mr. Barnes' Comments," The American Organist (Dec. 1930).
     Carnahan, John. Factory Shop Order for Estey Organ, Op. 2892 (1930).
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     The Estey Pipe Organ website: www.esteyorgan.com
     Leonard, Larry. Factory Specification and materials for Estey Organ, Op. 2892 (1930).
     "Salvation Army Opening," The Diapason (Dec. 1930).

Illustrations:
     New York Architecture Images website: www.nyc-architecture.com. Exterior.
     The Salvation Army National Archives. Interior; Console of Estey Organ, Op. 2892 (1930). Courtesy Susan Mitchem.