Loew's Metropolitan Theater


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Loew's Metropolitan Theatre

392 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201

Organ Specifications:
► III/32 M.P. Möller, Op. 4112 (1924)
► III/17 M.P. Möller, Op. 2472 (1918)

The 3,618-seat Metropolitan Theatre was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and opened on September 15, 1918. At the time of its construction, the Loew's Metropolitan was the largest theatre built in the USA since the advent of movies. Architect Thomas Lamb tried out some of the ideas that he used two years later for the considerably larger Capitol Theatre in Manhattan. The Met presented vaudeville with the movies until 1935, when Loew's discontinued it in all of its New York area theatres except the State on Broadway in Manhattan. In later years, the Met was converted into a four-screen theater by Cineplex-Odeon, who closed it in July 1996.

The theater underwent extensive renovation and reopened in June 2002 as the new home of the Brooklyn Tabernacle.


Loew's Met Theatre at far left as the BMT Elevated train is being torn down (1941)		Loew's Met Theatre after restoration by Brooklyn Tabernacle (2001)

M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 4112 (1924)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 154 registers, 32 ranks

The contract dated October 17, 1924, states that the M.P. Möller Company would install a three-manual organ with thirty-ranks and a mahogany stop-key console for a cost of $12,240. Möller also agreed to removed the present organ, M.P. Möller, Op. 2472 (1918). Wind pressure for the new organ was 7" and 12" throughout.

Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes

Open Diapason

Bass Tuba *

Octave Principle [sic]

—

Tuba

—

Tibia Plena *

Clarion

—

Doppel Flute

Cor Anglais (TC)

—

Clarabella

English Horn

Flute Celeste (TC)

Corno de Bassetto [sic]

Stopped Flute

French Trumpet *

Solo Flute

—

Kinura *

Claribel Flute

—

Major Vox Humana *

Flute d'Amour

Cathedral Chimes

25 Tubes

Mixture III ranks

derived

Xylophone (TC)

49 Bars

Violin

Tremulant

Solo Violin

—

Second Touch

Violina

—

Tibia Plena

2 2/3

String Twelfth

—

Major Violin

String Fifteenth

—

Tuba

Orchestral Violin

English Horn

Viole Celeste (TC)

French Trumpet

Major Violin

Xylophone

Orchestral Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes

Bourdon

Clarinet *

Stopped Diapason

—

English Horn

Flute d'Amour

—

Horn Octave

2 2/3

Octave Quint

—

Sub Vox Humana (TC)

—

Flautina

—

Vox Humana

Orchestral Oboe (Syn.)

—

Concert Harp (TC)

61 Notes

Saxaphone [sic] (Syn.)

—

Octave Harp

61 Bars

Harmonic Flute

Glockenspiel (MC)

37 Notes

Flute

—

Bells (MC)

37 Notes

Major Violin

Snare Drum

Mezzo Violin

Castanets

Violina

Tambourine

String Fifteenth

Tom Tom

Orchestral Violin

Sleigh Bells

Viole Celeste

Indian Block

Quintadena

Triangle

Tuba

Tremulant

Solo Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes

Stentorphone *

Fagotto

Tibia Plena *

Oboe

—

Tibia Sub *

Oboe Clarion

—

Tibia Clausa

—

Sub Vox Humana (TC)

—

Tibia Super

—

Mezzo Vox Humana

2 2/3

Quint

—

Concert Marimba (Repeat)

49 Bars

Flautina

—

Single Stroke Marimba

—

Concert Flute

Orchestra Bells (Single Stroke)

37 Bars

Flute Harmonic

Orchestra Bells (Repeat)

Piccolo

—

Tremulant

Fern Flute

—

Gross Gamba

Second Touch

Gr. Gamba Celeste * (TC)

Tibia Plena

Violin d'Orchestre [sic]

Tibia Clausa

Viole Celeste (TC)

Gross Gamba

Violina

—

Cornopean

Cornopean *

French Horn

Corno

—

Marimba (Repeat)

French Horn

Pedal Organ – 32 notes

Resultant

—

Chimes

Open Diapason * (ext. GT)

Bass Drum

Tibia * (ext. Tibia Plena)

Snare Drum

Contra Tibia Clausa

Tympany Roll [from Bass Drum]

Bourdon

Triangle

Bass Violin

Cymbal

Tuba

Tom Tom

Contra Fagotta

Castanets

Tibia Plena

Tambourine

Gross Flute

Sleigh Bells

Flute Dolce

Two Blank Stop Keys

Major Violin

Violoncello

Tuba

* stops on 12" wind pressure

Affected by Pistons

Thunder Sheet

Song Birds (2)

Cymbal Crash

Chinese Gong

Grand Crash

Tubular Bell (Sharp)

Indian Block

Tubular Bell (Flat)

Couplers

Solo to Great

Solo 4'

Solo to Great 4'

Solo 16'

Solo to Great 16'

Solo to Pedal

Orchestral to Great

Solo to Pedal 4'

Orchestral to Great 4'

Great to Pedal

Orchestral to Great 16'

Great to Pedal 4'

Great 4'

Orchestral to Pedal

Great 16'

Great Unison Separation *

Solo to Orchestral

Solo Unison Separation *

Solo to Orchestral 4'

Orchestral Unison Separation *

Solo to Orchestral 16'

* by switch in jambs, right side

Orchestral 4'

Orchestral 16'

Compound Coupler [Released by Pistons]

Orchestral to Solo

Crescendo Indicator

Orchestral to Solo 4'

Orchestral to Solo 16'

Adjustable Combinations

Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6

Affecting Solo

Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6

Affecting Great

Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6

Affecting Orchestral

Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6

Affecting Pedal

Pistons No. 1-2-3-4

Affecting Full Organ

Corresponding Pedal to Manuals Pistons [by switch in jambs, left side]

Pedal Movements

Great to Pedal Reversible

Solo to Pedal Reversible

Balanced Solo Expression Pedal

[Balanced Great-Orchestral Expression Pedal] – not on contract

Grand Crescendo Pedal, Super and Sub Couplers Sforzando on double touch

M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 2472 (1918)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 17 ranks

The original organ in the Loew's Metropolitan Theatre was built in 1918 by the M.P. Möller Company of Hagerstown, Md. Although the contract for Möller's Op. 2472 has not been located, following is the standard specification of this popular Möller theatre organ model.

Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed

Violin Diapason (TC)

Piccolo [Fl. Harm.]

Open Diapason

Mixture III ranks

derived

Viol d'Orchestre

Bass Clarinet (TC)

Doppel Flute

French Horn

Octave [Op. Diap.]

—

Octave Horn

—

Zart Flute [Quintadena]

Cathedral Chimes

20 Notes

Orchestral Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed

Violin Diapason

Fagotto (TC)

—

Horn Diapason (Syn.)

—

Orchestral Oboe

Viol d'Orchestre

Clarinet

Viol Celeste (TC)

Orchestral Bells

25 Notes

Quintadena

Concert Harp

37 Notes

Flute Harmonic

Glockenspiel

37 Notes

Solo Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed

Gross Flute

Gemshorn (TG)

—

Concert Flute

Bass Tuba (TC)

—

Gemshorn

Tuba

Violoncello

Vox Humana

Flute Overte (TG) [Gross Fl.]

—

Xylophone

37 Notes

Pedal Organ – 32 notes

Open Diapason (ext. Gross Fl)

Lieblich Gedeckt [lo-press.]

—

Sub Bass

Violoncello

Gemshorn (ext.)

Flute

Couplers

Great to Pedal 8', 4'

Orch. to Solo

Orch. to Pedal 8'

Solo to Orch. 8' 8'

Solo to Pedal 8'

Great 4'

Orch. to Great 16', 8', 4'

Orch. 16', 4'

Solo. to Great 16', 8', 4'

Solo 16', 4'

Mechanicals

Orchestral Tremulant

Crescendo Indicator

Solo Tremulant

Adjustable Combinations

Orchestral Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Great Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Solo Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
Pedal Organ	Pistons 1-2-3 (thumb)

Piston Couplers

Corresponding Orchestral and Solo Pistons to Great Pistons

Corresponding Pedal Pistons to Manual Pistons

Pedal Movements

Balanced Solo Pedal

Great to Pedal Reversible

Balanced Orchestral Pedal

Orchestral to Pedal Reversible

Grand Crescendo Pedal

Thunder Pedal

Sources:
     Cinema Treasures web site: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1373
     Junchen, David L. Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. 1. Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1985.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     New York City Subway web site: http://www.nycsubway.org
     Robert Silman Associates web site: http://www.rsapc.com
     Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications of M.P. Möller organ, Op. 4112 (1924).

Illustrations:
     Cinema Treasures web site. Marquis.
     NYC Subway web site, from Herbert P. Maruska Collection. Exterior (1941).
     Robert Silman Associates web site. Interior of Brooklyn Tabernacle.

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