Fenimore Street United Methodist Church - Brooklyn, NY
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Fenimore Street United Methodist Church

266 Fenimore Street at Rogers Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225
http://www.nyac.com/churches/detail/1848


Organ Specifications:
► II/6 Midmer-Losh Organ Company (1926)
► I/7 Reuben Midmer & Sons (c.1890)




Fenimore Street United Methodist Church - Brooklyn, NY  
Brooklyn Eagle photo (1913)  
   
In the late 1880s, a group of Methodists living in the area known as Flatbush Heights held cottage prayer meetings and, later, religious services in Synder's Hall on Grant Street in Flatbush. The society was incorporated in July 1889, and organized on August 20, 1889, with C.E. Staanard elected president.
A building site on the southwest corner of Fenimore Street and Rogers Avenue was purchased, and ground was broken for a frame building on September 10, 1889. The completed church, built and furnished at a cost of $6,500, was dedicated on May 11, 1890. The Rev. James L. Hall was the first pastor of the society known as Fenimore Street Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1896, the church was enlarged at a cost of $9,000.

Over the years, the church has adapted to the changing demographics of the neighborhood. In 1968, the Rev. William J. Smart became the congregation's first black minister, and in 2002, the Rev. Dr. Maxine Nixon was appointed Fenimore's first female minister. Following the merger in 1968 of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren denominations, the congregation has been known as the Fenimore Street United Methodist Church.
             
Midmer-Losh Organ Company
Merrick, N.Y. (1926)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 12 stops, 6 ranks


The following specification was recorded (Dec. 8, 1927) by Louis F. Mohr, an organ serviceman in the area. In 1972, the Great 8' Dulciana was cut in half to produce a 4' Octave.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
  Open Diapason
73
     Great to Great 4'  
8
  Dulciana *
73
     Swell to Great 16'  
8
   Gedeckt
SW
     Swell to Great 8'  
4
   Flute
SW
     Swell to Great 4'  
           
* cut in half to make 4' Octave (1972)
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
  Gedeckt [unit]
97
2
   Piccolo
—
8
  Salicional
73
8
   Oboe [Sal. + V. Cel.]
—
8
  Vox Celeste [TC]
61
     Swell to Swell 16'  
4
   Flute
—
     Swell to Swell 4'  
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Bourdon [ext. Gedeckt]
12
     Great to Pedal  
8
   Flute
SW
     Swell to Pedal  
               
Mechanicals
    Balanced Swell Pedal [not listed by Mohr]   Tremulant  
    Crescendo Pedal [not listed by Mohr]   Crescendo Indicator  
             
Reuben Midmer & Sons
Brooklyn, N.Y. (c.1890)
Mechanical action
1 manual, 7 stops, 7 ranks


The following specification was recorded (April 1926) by Louis F. Mohr, an organ serviceman in the area. Mohr noted that the organ had a "Ross motor" – a water motor to power the bellows feeders. Although the date of this organ is unknown, it is plausible that the organ was contemporary with the opening of the building in 1890.
               
Manual – 58 notes, enclosed
8
  Open Diapason *
58
8
   Gamba [TC]
46
8
  Dulciana [TC]
46
4
   Violina
58
8
  Stopped Diapason Bass
12
2
   Flageolet
58
8
  Stopped Diapason Treble [TC]
46
    
* possibly unenclosed
               
Pedal – 27 notes
16
   Bourdon
27
        
               
Mechanicals
    Manual Coupler [to Pedal]          
    Octave Coupler          
               
Sources:
     "Church Dedication," Brooklyn Eagle (May 12, 1890):4.
     "Church Ten Years Old," Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 16, 1899):9.
     "Commemorating the 120th Anniversary of the Fenimore Street United Methodist Church," New York State Congressional Record (Vol. 155, No. 148): Oct. 14, 2009.
nbsp;    Midmer-Losh Opus List, comp. Stephen D. Smith.
nbsp;    Mohr, Louis F. Specifications (Dec. 8, 1927) of Midmer-Losh organ (1926).
     Mohr, Louis F. Specifications (Apr. 1926) of Reuben Midmer & Sons organ (c.1890).
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Trupiano, Larry. Electronic correspondence (Jul. 7, 2011) about Midmer-Losh organ (1926).

Illustrations:
     Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection. Brooklyn Eagle photo (1913) of church exterior.
     Google Street View. Exterior (2011).