Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist


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516 West 112th Street
New York, N.Y. 10025

Organ Specifications:
Second building (since 1990):
► II/16 Austin Organs Inc., Op. 2728 (1990)
First building (1919-1990):
► IV/19 W.W. Kimball Co., K.P.O. 6514 (1920)


Original edifice (c. 1921)

The original edifice of the Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist was built in 1919. Designed by Griffin & Wynkoop, the Greek Revival building had a windowless façade that featured three doors framed by pilasters.

Completed in 1990, the present edifice is the newest "Skyscraper Church" in New York City. As designed by Kenneth Wood, the church portion is denoted by a large clear-glass oculus that admits natural light into the church's Reading Room, located on two levels, beyond which are the serene auditorium and adjoining Sunday School rooms. Adjacent to the church is a 22-story apartment tower.

Austin Organs Inc.
Hartford, Conn. – Opus 2728 (1990)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 19 stops, 16 ranks, 947 pipes

As built in 1990 by Austin Organs Inc., of Hartford, the organ is installed on a shelf above and behind the readers' rostrum, allowing optimal egress of sound into the church auditorium. Several ranks of pipes from the previous 1920 W.W. Kimball ogan were retained and revoiced by Austin. The non-speaking pipe façade is painted white to harmonize with the decor and add visual interest in the room. Austin provided a new two-manual stop-key console that is installed on the main floor to the left of the rostrum.

Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes

Principal

Great 16'

Bourdon *

Unison Off

Gemshorn

Great 4'

Octave

Swell to Great 16'

Waldflöte

Swell to Great 8'

Mixture III ranks

183

Swell to Great 4'

Cromorne * [TC]

Blank Tab

Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed

Gemshorn

Trompette

Celeste [TC]

Tremulant

Rohrflöte

Swell 16'

Koppelflöte

Unison Off

Principal

Swell 4'

1 1/3

Larigot [TC]

Great to Swell 8'

Pedal Organ – 32 notes

Subbass * [ext. GT]

Great to Pedal 8'

Octave

Swell to Pedal 8'

Bourdon *

Swell to Pedal 4'

Super Octave [ext.]

Trompette [ext. SW]

* from previous 1920 Kimball organ

Adjustable Combinations

Swell	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Great	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Pedal	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (toe)
General	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (thumb & toe)

Reversibles

Great to Pedal (thumb & toe)

Tutti (thumb & toe)

Swell to Pedal (thumb)

Expression

Balanced Swell Pedal

Crescendo Pedal

W. W. Kimball Co.
Chicago, Ill. – K.P.O. 6514 (1920)
Electro-pneumatic stop action
4 manuals, 38 stops, 19 ranks

The previous edifice for Seventh Church was opened in 1920, and included a a four-manual organ built by the W.W. Kimball Co. of Chicago.

Kimball installed a similar organ, K.P.O. 6567 (1920), in St. Stephen's Catholic Church at 149 East 28th Street. As recorded in an organ notebook kept by Lynnwood Farnam (1885-1930), a concert organist of the early 20th century, the Seventh Church organ had "exactly the same scheme as the foregoing, minus Chancel organ, and plus a Harp (percussion) on Choir."

Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Choir

Bourdon [unit]

Wald Flute

—

Diapason Phonon

2 2/3

Twelfth

—

Viola Diapason [unit]

Fifteenth [Viola Diap.]

—

Melodia

—

Trumpet

Gemshorn

Chimes

Octave [Viola Diap.]

—

Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed

Bourdon [unit]

Flautina

—

Open Diapason

Horn

Rohr Flute

—

Orchestral Oboe [Syn.] **

146

Violoncello *

—

Vox Humana

Viol d'Orchestre

Tremulant

Viol Celeste

Tremulant Vox Humana

Aeoline

* Rohr Flute, V.d'Orch., V.Celeste

Flute d'Amour

—

** 8' Salcional + 2 2/3' Twelfth

Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed

Viola Diapason

Piccolo [Bourdon]

Concert Flute [Bourdon]

Clarinet

Dulciana

Harp

Forest Flute [Bourdon]

Tremulant

Echo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed

Echo Flute

Vox Humana

Viola Aetheria

Tremulant

Vox Angelica

Tremulant Vox Humana

Pedal Organ – 32 notes

Acoustic Bass [GT Bourdon]

—

Gedeckt

Open Diapason [ext. GT]

Flute [Bourdon]

Bourdon

Cello [Viola Diap.]

Couplers

Great to Pedal

Echo to Choir

Swell to Pedal 8', 4'

Choir to Swell

Choir to Pedal

Echo to Swell

Echo to Pedal

Great to Great 4'

Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'

Swell to Swell 16', 4'

Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'

Choir to Choir 16', 4'

Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'

Echo to Echo 16', 4'

Adjustable Pistons

Swell & Pedal	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-0 (thumb)
Great & Pedal	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-0 (thumb)
Choir & Pedal	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-0 (thumb)
Echo	Pistons 1-2-3-4-0 (thumb)
Pedal	Pistons 1-2-3 (toe)

Pedal Movements

Balanced Swell Pedal to Echo

Sforzando Pedal

Balanced Swell Pedal to Great & Choir

Chimes Damper

Balanced Swell Pedal to Swell

Chimes Soft

Balanced Crescendo Pedal

Sources:
     Austin Organs Inc. web site: www.austinorgans.com
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Farnam, Lynnwood. "Organ Notebook," pp. 13521-13524 (specification of Kimball organ, K.P.O. 6567 (1920) for St. Stephen's Catholic Church, New York City). John de Lancie Library, The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; Sally Branca, archivist. Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     Kimball Organ Company Opus List, compiled by Sand Lawn. Courtesy David Scribner.

Illustrations:
     Lawson, Steven E. Exterior, interior and Austin Organ, Op. 2728 (1990).
     Wurts Bros. (New York, N.Y.). Photo of original edifice (c.1921).

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