click on images to enlarge St. George's Parish (Episcopal) 135-32 38th Avenue at Main Street Flushing (Queens), N.Y. 11354 http://www.sg1702.org Organ Specifications: Present building (since 1854) ► IV/38 Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Op. 355-A (1952, 1962, 1965) ► III/34 Skinner Organ Company, Op. 355 (1922) ► II/16 Henry Erben & Co. (1862) Second building (1812-c.1930) • Geo. Jardine (c.1838) First building (1746-1812) • unknown if any St. George's Church was founded in 1702 as a mission of the Church of England by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Services were conducted in the old Guard House until 1746 when the first church was built. In 1760, a certain "John Aspinwall, Gentleman" donated £600 for a steeple and bell. Mr. Aspinwall later helped establish a Latin School, which became the Academy in 1803, a precursor to the Flushing school system. A charter was granted to St. George's by King George III in 1761, the first year of his reign. Notable persons associated with St. George's include Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, who was a warden of the church from 1765 to 1790, and the Rev. Samuel Seabury, rector of St. George's from 1757 to 1765, who became the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in America. The second church was built in 1821, and included the original bell. This building was used for services until 1853, and was retained for use as a Sunday-school until about 1930 when it was replaced by the present parish house. In the churchyard are gravestones and memorials dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. The third and present church occupies the same site as the original building and was built from 1853-54. It was designed by Frank Wills and Henry Dudley, architects associated with The New York Ecclesiological Society that had an interest in the development of Gothic Architecture as a new style (Neo-Gothic) for American churches. Local craftsmen were engaged and regional materials were used. The building includes walls of randomly laid granite rubble, fine stained glass windows. Above the entrance is a 150-foot tapered stone tower that houses a bell recast at Troy, N.Y., using the 1760 bell's metal and bearing the inscription, "The gift of John Aspinwall, Gentleman, 1760." In 1894, the church was extended with the addition of the chancel, designed by J. King James. Charles C. Haight designed the parish house that was built from 1907-08. In 2000, the St. George's Church, Old Parish House and Graveyard were designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.               Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company Boston, Mass. – Opus 355-A (1952, 1962); rev. 1965 Electro-pneumatic action 4 manuals, 41 stops, 38 ranks The present organ, originally built by E.M. Skinner in 1922, was revised by Aeolian-Skinner in 1952, and again in 1962 and 1965. At some point, possibly in 1952, a fourth manual was fitted into the console shell, and the two-stop Solo division was moved from the gallery to the chancel.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Bourdon 61 4   Octave 61 8   Diapason 61 4   Flute 61 8   Erzahler 61   Fourniture IV ranks 244 8   Claribel Flute 61 8   Tromba [enc. with CH] 61             Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 73   Mixture III ranks 183 8   Geigen Diapason 73 16   Bombarde 73 8   Salicional 73 8   Trumpet 73 8   Voix Celeste 73 8   Flugel Horn 73 8   Gedeckt 73 8   Vox Humana 73 8   Spitz Flute 73  4   Clarion 73 4   Prestant 73   Tremolo   2   Super Octave 61                   Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Concert Flute 61 4   Flute 61 8   Flute Celeste [TC] 49 8   Clarinet 61 8   Gamba 61   Tremolo   8   Dulciana 61                   Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Stentorphone 73         8   Tuba 73                     Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Diapason [ext.] 12 8   Still Gedeckt SW 16   Contrabass 32 4   Super Octave [ext.] 12 16   Bourdon 32 16   Posaune 32 16   Echo Bourdon SW 16   Bombarde  SW 8   Octave [ext.] 12 8   Tromba GT 8   Gedeckt [ext.] 12                       Adjustable Combinations     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Great and Solo stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 affecting Swell stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5 affecting Choir stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Pedal stops                 Pedal Movements     Balanced Swell Pedal Great to Pedal Reversible     Balanced Choir & Solo Pedal Swell to Pedal Reversible     Balanced Crescendo Pedal Sforzando Reversible                             Ernest M. Skinner Organ Company Boston, Mass. – Opus 355 (1922) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 41 stops, 34 ranks The present building was revised and enlarged in the 1920s at which time the E.M. Skinner Organ Company of Boston installed their Opus 355 (1922) of three manuals and pedals. Specifications for this organ were recorded by Lynnwood Farnam (1885-1930), noted concert organist of the early 20th century, who kept "organ notebooks" with details of various organs he played or visited. The Farnam notebooks are now in the library of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Bourdon 61 4   Flute 61 8   First Diapason 61 8   Tromba [enc. with CH] 61 8   Second Diapason 61     8   Claribel Flute 61   Solo [in Gallery swell box] 8   Erzahler 61 8   Stentorphone 61 4   Octave 61 8   Tuba 61             Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 73   Dolce Cornet III ranks 183 8   Diapason 73 16   Contra Fagotto 73 8   Gedeckt 73 8   Cornopean 73 8   Spitz Flute 73 8   Oboe 73 8   Salicional 73 8   Vox Humana 73 8   Voix Celeste 73  4   Clarion 73 4   Flute 73   Tremolo   2   Piccolo 61                   Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed [in separate swell box] 8   Concert Flute 61 4   Flute 61 8   Flute Celeste [TC] 49 8   Clarinet 61 8   Gamba 61   Tremolo   8   Dulciana 61                   Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Resultant — 8   Still Gedeckt SW 16   Diapason 32 4   Super Octave [ext.] 12 16   Bourdon GT 16   Trombone 32 16   Echo Bourdon SW 16   Contra Fagotto SW 8   Octave [ext.] 12 8   Tromba GT 8   Gedeckt [ext.] 12                       Adjustable Combinations     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Great and Solo stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 affecting Swell stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5 affecting Choir stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Pedal stops                 Pedal Movements     Balanced Swell Pedal     Great to Pedal Reversible     Balanced Choir & Solo Pedal     Swell to Pedal Reversible     Balanced Crescendo Pedal     Sforzando Reversible               Henry Erben New York City Mechanical action (1862) 2 manuals, 16 stops, 16 ranks Lynnwood Farnam also recorded the stops of this "old nameless organ" at St. George's Church. We know that there was an organ installed in 1862 by Henry Erben of New York City, so will assume that this organ was built by that firm. Remnants of a previous organ are extant in the gallery.                 Great Organ (Manual I) 8   Open Diapason 4   Octave 8   Gamba 4   Harmonic Flute 8   Dulciana 8   Trumpet 8   Melodia                     Swell Organ (Manual I) (enclosed) 16   Bourdon 4   Gemshorn 8   Violin Diapason 2   Piccolo 8   Stop Diapason 8   Oboe 8   Dolce   Tremulant                 Pedal Organ 16   Open Diapason           16   Bourdon                           Couplers     Swell to Pedal [stop]               Great to Pedal [stop]               Swell to Great [on or off piston]                       Organ in the second church: Geo. Jardine New York City (ca. 1838) Mechanical action The first known organ for St. George's Parish was built by Geo. Jardine of New York City. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.               Sources:      Aeolian-Skinner Archives website: http://aeolian-skinner.110mb.com/      Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.      Driscoll, James, for the Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary, and Victorian Garden. Flushing 1880-1935. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2005.      Farnam, Lynnwood. "Organ Notebook," pp. 1514-15 (specifications of Skinner organ, Op. 355, and of "old nameless organ"). John de Lancie Library, The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; Sally Branca, archivist; courtesy Jonathan Bowen.      Jardine & Son Opus List, compiled by Sand Lawn and courtesy David Scribner.      Kinzey, Allen, and Sand Lawn, comps. E.M. Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner Opus List. New Rev. Ed. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1997.      Nelson, George. Organs of the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash. Photos:      Driscoll, James. Flushing 1880-1935. Undated postcard of exterior.      Steven E. Lawson               | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organs List |