St. Regis Hotel - New York City
  Click on images to enlarge
St. Regis Hotel

2 East 55th Street at Fifth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10022






Old view of the St. Regis Hotel - New York City  
The St. Regis Hotel, named after St. Regis Lake in the Adirondacks, a popular resort of the time, was developed by Col. John Jacob Astor and erected in 1904. Designed in the Second Empire Baroque (Beaux Art) style by Trowbridge & Livingston, the St. Regis was for many years the city's most desirable luxury hotel, especially for European tourists. In 1927, the St. Regis underwent an expansion that provided additional rooms, as designed by Sloan & Robertson. During the nightclub years of the 1930s, the St. Regis had many clubs, including the Seaglades where Vincent Lopez's orchestra played. During the summer it played for dancing in the Japanese-style roof garden of the hotel. The St. Regis Hotel was the first in the city (and possibly the world) to have air conditioning.
           
  Estey Organ Company "Grand Minuette" model
Estey Organ Company
Brattleboro, Vt. – Opus 2879 (1930)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 23 stops, 3 ranks


At one time, the Seaglades Nightclub in the St. Regis Hotel had a "Minuette" organ, built by the Estey Organ Company in 1930 as Op. 2879. The "Minuette" model had three unified ranks on 8" wind pressure, and all of its pipes were contained in a grand piano-type case that measured 8'4" long by 5'5" wide by 3'3" high. The case and piano-type bench of Op. 2879 had an ebony finish.
               
Solo Melody (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bass Viol  
4
   Octave  
8
   Diapason  
4
   Flute d'Amour  
8
   Oboe (synthetic)  
4
   Violina  
8
   Clarinet (synthetic)  
2 2/3
   Twelfth  
8
   Tibia Clausa  
2
   Piccolo  
8
   Violin  
1 3/5
   Tierce  
8
   Saxophone (synthetic)        
               
Accompaniment Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Contra Violone  
4
   Octave  
8
   Diapason  
4
   String  
8
   Viola  
4
   Flute  
8
   Gedeckt          
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Violone  
8
   Flute  
8
   'Cello          
               
Accessories and Special Features
    General Tremolo   4 spare contacts – Solo
    Balanced Swell Expression   4 spare contacts – Accomp.
    Crescendo Pedal   4 spare contacts – Pedal
    Music rack lights    
               
Stop Analysis
4
   Open Diapason
61
8
   Stopped Flute
85
16
   Salicional
    85
   
Total
231
           
Sources:
     Carnahan, John. Factory Shop Order for Estey Organ, Op. 2879 (1930).
     The Estey Pipe Organ web site: www.esteyorgan.com
     Horsley, Carter B. "The St. Regis Hotel". City Review web site: http://www.thecityreview.com/stregis.html
     New York Social Diary web site: http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com.
     St. Regis Hotel web site: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/index.html

Illustrations:
     The Estey Pipe Organ web site. "Grand Minuette" model.
     New York Social Diary web site. Original exterior.
     St. Regis Hotel web site. Color exterior.