Greenwood Baptist Church - Brooklyn, N.Y.

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Greenwood Baptist Church

461 6th Street, corner Seventh Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215

Organ Specifications:
461 6th Street at Seventh Avenue (since 1900):
► II/20 J.H. & C.S. Odell, Op. 497 (1915)
► II/24 George Jardine & Son (1874) – moved from old church
Fourth Avenue at 15th Street (1874-1900):
► II/24 George Jardine & Son (1874)
15th Street, near Fourth Avenue (1863-1874):
• I/6 Henry Erben & Co. (1861)
18th Street and Third Avenue (1858-1863) – Mechanics Hall
• unknown

The Greenwood Baptist Church began as a mission school, established in the fall of 1855 by the Rev. Henry Brownley, a missionary appointed by the Tabernacle Baptist Church. In 1856, the mission school was extended so as to include Gowanus. On September 28, 1858, the Greenwood Baptist Church was organized in Mechanics Hall at the corner of 18th Street and Third Avenue. In 1863, the cornerstone was laid for a brick chapel, measuring 35 by 75 feet, that was erected on 15th Street, near Fourth Avenue. The chapel cost $11,000 and was dedicated on April 26th that same year.


1874 church (left) next to 1863 chapel

Over the next decade the society grew and prospered, and on August 4, 1874, the cornerstone was laid for a new church building on the corner of Fourth Avenue and 15th Street. Described in The New York Times (Aug. 5, 1874) as "a plain but commodious structure," the church was to be of red brick trimmed with Cornet stone, and would measure 74 feet by 81 feet. The audience room would be 70 feet by 72 feet and would provide ample accomodations for 900 persons. No account has been found of the dedication, but the new church was to open by Christmas Day, and was not expected to cost more than $30,000. At the end of the 19th century, plans were made to relocate to 59th Street. The Fourth Avenue building was sold to the Norwegian Evangelical Free Church, which remained until 1929, after which it became Holy Trinity Armenian Church, the first Armenian church to be established in Brooklyn. Much of the old building survives today (with a new frontage) as a Strauss Automotive store.

In 1900, the present church was built at the corner of Sixth Street and Seventh Avenue. Designed in the Gothic style, the church is built of stone and has two gabled fronts with large windows that face the streets. In 1914, the church was expanded to include a stone tower that contains the main entrance in its base. Built at an angle to the building and facing the corner, the unusual tower has sides containing three tall lancet openings, above which are three round windows, two bands of terra cotta tiles, and a stepped design at the very top.

J.H. & C.S. Odell New York City – Opus 497 (1915) Electro-pneumatic action 2 manuals, 21 registers, 20 stops, 20 ranks In 1915, the old Jardine organ was replaced by a new two-manual electro-pneumatic organ built by the J.H. & C.S. Odell Company of New York City. The contract (May 3, 1915) shows that this organ cost $4,500. Some of the old Jardine organ exists, as some of the toeboards were cut up used as supports for the new blower reservoir. Pipecounts given below are estimated, based on similar Odell organs of the same era. This organ is still in working condition, although the Great Trumpet is not functioning.

Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
16	Double Open Diapason	61	8	Melodia	61
8	Major Diapason [leathered]	61	4	Harmonique Flute	61
8	Gamba	61	4	Octave	61
8	Dulciana	61	8	Trumpet	61

Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
16	Bourdon	61	8	Stopped Diapason	61
8	Open Diapason	61	4	Rohr Flute	61
8	Salicional	61	8	Oboe	61
8	Aeoline	61	8	Vox Humana	61
8	Vox Celestis (TC)	49	8	Horn	61

Pedal Organ – 30 notes
16	Open Diapason	30	16	Gedeckt	SW
16	Bourdon	30

Combinations
There will be three "visible" piston combinations for each manual and four pedal "full organ" combinations, "non-visible," as follows:
1.	All strings
2.	All flutes
3.	All diapasons and reeds
4.	Release
In operating pedal pistons all stop action is automatically cancelled, thereby allowing the performer to prepare in advance and while playing any combination desired, which may be brought into operation at the desired moment by pressing release piston.

Organ in church located at Fourth Avenue, corner 15th Street: George Jardine & Son New York City (1874) Mechanical action 2 manuals, 23 registers, 20 stops, 24 ranks For the new Greenwood Baptist Church building on Fourth Avenue and 15th Street, an organ was installed in 1874 by George Jardine & Son of New York City. The two-manual organ employed mechanical action and had twenty stops controlling twenty-four ranks. This organ was moved to the next church building in 1900.

Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
8	Open Diapason	58	3	Twelfth	58
8	Gamba	58	2	Fifteenth	58
8	Melodia	58		Mixture, 3 ranks	174
4	Principal	58	8	Trumpet	58
4	Flute Harmonique	58	4	Clarine [flue pipes]	58

Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
16	Bourdon Bass	12	4	Principal	56
16	Bourdon Treble (TC)	46	2	Fifteenth	56
8	Open Diapason	58		Cornet, 3 ranks	174
8	Stop'd Diapason Bass	12	8	Bassoon	12
8	Stop'd Diapason Treble (TC)	46	8	Oboe (TC)	46
8	Clariana (TC)	46		Tremulant

Pedal Organ – 29 notes [sic]
16	Open Diapason	29
16	Dulciana	29

Couplers
	Great to Pedal
	Swell to Pedal
	Swell to Great [piston between keyboards]

Pedal Movements
	Balanced Swell Pedal

Organ in previous church building:

Henry Erben
New York City (1861)
Mechanical action
1 manual, 6 stops

The earliest known organ for Greenwood Baptist Church was built in 1861 by Henry Erben of New York City. In 1932, the organ was altered by A. Bensen and moved to the Evangelical Free Church in Tottenville, Staten Island. In 1972, the organ was again altered and moved to the Second Court House Museum in Staten Island. In the late 1990s, the organ was relocated by the Organ Clearing House. The original specifications for this organ have not yet been located.

Sources:
     "Armenian Church to Open, The New York Times (Aug. 17, 1929).
     Coleman, Frankling G. Electronic mail correspondence regarding the condition of the organ.
     The Diapason (July 1, 1915). Specification of J.H. & C.S. Odell organ, Op. 497 (1915). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Petty, Bynum. J.H. & C.S. Odell Annotated Opus List.
     Stiles, Henry R. History of the City of Brooklyn. Including the Old Town and Village of Brooklyn, The Town of Bushwick, and The Village and City of Williamsburgh. 1867-70.
     Trupiano, Larry. Specification of George Jardine & Son Organ (1874).

Illustrations:
     Bridge and Tunnel Club website www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com: Exterior of present church.
     Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection: Norwegian Free Evangelical Church exterior (1929).

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