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Church of the Sacred Heart
(Roman Catholic)
Clermont Avenue near Park Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11205
The parish of the Sacred Heart was laid out by Bishop Loughlin in November 1871. Located in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, the parish encompassed the area between Canton and Ryerson Streets, and Myrtle and Flushing Avenues. Bishop Loughlin appointed the Rev. Thomas F. McGivern to establish the parish and to tend to the spiritual needs of Catholics in the area. An old primary school building on Vanderbilt Avenue was secured and remodeled for use as a church, and the first Mass was celebrated on December 3, 1871. The building was purchased by the congregation and was known as the chapel. Father McGivern then purchased a plot of nine lots that had a frontage of 100 feet on the west side of Clermont Avenue—about midway between Park and Flushing Avenues—and extended back 125 feet to Adelphi Street. Plans were drawn up by architect Thomas F. Haughton, who designed a large edifice in the 13th century Gothic style. The church would be built of brick with Dorchester stone trimmings, and a tower in the southeast corner would be surmounted by a spire 178 feet in height. Inside, there would be accomodations for seating 1,200 persons. Funds were raised, contracts were signed with various builders, and within a relatively short time the building was up to the main floor. On May 11, 1874, Bishop Loughlin laid the cornerstone, and soon the walls and tower were erected and the roof was completed. Work on the building ceased, however, as the long economic depression brought on by the Panic of 1873 affected the parishioners, most of whom were working people of limited means and meager incomes. In May 1875, the beleagured Father McGivern tendered his resignation to the bishop.
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| Sacred Heart Church in 1914 |
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Bishop Loughlin appointed the Rev. John A. McCullum to take over the parish. Father McCullum was an energetic young priest who had been ordained in 1871, after which he acquired an experience of four years in parish work at St. Patrick's Church. Under his active and efficient leadership, work on the church resumed and on June 20, 1875, Mass was said in it for the first time. Father McCullum continued his efforts until the church was furnished and the debt retired. The church was dedicated on June 24, 1877. Sadly, the spire was never built.
Three lots north of the church were purchased in January 1876, and on that site a commodious rectory at 41 Adelphi Street was completed in November 1877. Father McCullum died on December 31, 1886, and was succeeded by Rev. John F. Nash, who had been born in the parish. Under Rev. Nash's leadership, Sacred Heart Academy was built at a cost of $90,000 and opened on September 8, 1888.
By 1914, the parish numbered 6000 members. Today, the membership is substantially smaller due to a change in demographics over the years. In 2008, the Church of St. Michael-St. Edward was consolidated into Sacred Heart Church, taking the name "Mary of Nazareth." |
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George Jardine & Son
New York City – Opus 1019 (1876)
Mechanical action
3 manuals, 34 stops, 38 ranks
The George Jardine & Son organ in Sacred Heart Church dates from the completion of the building in 1876 and is installed in a rear gallery case measuring approximately 25 feet high by 12 feet deep by 20 feet wide. Notable as one of Jardine's quality installations, this organ has mahogany tables for the chests and much of the pipe metal is spotted, indicating about a 60% tin content. Of special interest is the 4' Gamba Clarion stop on the Great, a labial (reedless) rank that was used in place of a Clarion. The Low C pipe of the "Clarine" stop is stamped 'Keraulophon' and had a label of a Paris pipe maker, Henri Zimmerman. Total cost of the organ was $7,535.
On Sunday evening, September 17, 1876, the organ was formally opened with a concert presented by Professor John M. Loretz, Jr., organist of the church, who began with a prelude and fugue by Bach. Sharing the program was "an excellent chorus of thirty voices," directed by Professor L. Weinstein, and six vocal soloists. The Brooklyn Eagle (Sept. 18, 1876) reported that Prof. Loretz "filled the building with grand music which held the undivided attention of the audience whenever he played." The review continued with:
"The finest playing of the evening was then done by Professor Loretz, who performed a symphony entitled, "Music of Nature," which was a series of sketches in which were musically represented. Morning: rising of the sun, warbling of birds, rustling of leaves and peasant's song. Noon: storm, frightened birds, rain, hail, etc., all of which finally died away, leaving the evening calm and beautiful, when the notes of the cuckoo, nightingale, pipers gathering their flocks, hymns of shepherds were heard. The music was excellently rendered, and well represented the ideas which it intended to convey."
This organ is the largest extant Jardine organ from the 1870s, although it is not in original condition. Over the years several stops were changed and several labels replaced. The organ has received restorative repairs by Hartman-Beaty (1975), Jack Alberti (1978), Andover (1985) and David Schmauch (2001). Following is the original specification as printed in the Brooklyn Eagle (Sept. 5, 1876) with adjustments as reconstructed by Chester Berry. |
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Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
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16 |
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Double Diapason |
58 |
4 |
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Principal |
58 |
8 |
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Grand Open Diapason |
58 |
3 |
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Twelfth |
58 |
8 |
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Gamba |
58 |
2 |
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Fifteenth |
58 |
8 |
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Stopped Diapason |
58 |
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Sesquialtera, 2 & 3 ranks |
162? |
8 |
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Melodia |
58 |
8 |
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Trumpet |
58 |
4 |
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Boehm Flute |
58 |
4 |
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Gamba Clarion |
58 |
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Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
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16 |
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Bourdon Bass |
12 |
4 |
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Violino |
58 |
16 |
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Bourdon Treble |
46 |
2 |
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Piccolo |
58 |
8 |
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Open Diapason |
58 |
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Cornet, 2 & 3 ranks |
162? |
8 |
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Clariana |
58 |
8 |
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Cornopean |
58 |
8 |
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Stopped Diapason |
58 |
8 |
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Vox Humana |
58 |
4 |
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Echo Flute |
58 |
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Tremolo |
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Choir Organ (Manual III) – 58 notes
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8 |
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Dulciana |
58 |
4 |
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Gemshorn |
58 |
8 |
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Claribella |
58 |
2 |
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Flageolet |
58 |
8 |
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Stopped Diapason |
58 |
8 |
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Cremona |
58 |
4 |
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Boehm Flute |
58 |
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Pedal Organ – 30 notes *
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16 |
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G'd Double Open Diapason |
30 |
16 |
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Grand Trombone |
30 |
16 |
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G'd Double Stop Diapason |
30 |
4 |
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Flute |
30 |
8 |
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Violoncello |
30 |
* 29 notes per Brooklyn Eagle specifications |
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Campanile
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8 |
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Chime of bells, 2½ octaves |
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Couplers (knobs under Choir manual)
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Swell to Great |
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Swell to Pedal |
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Swell to Choir |
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Choir to Pedal |
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Great to Pedal |
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Combination Pedals
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Pedal Forte to Great |
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Pedal Forte to Swell |
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Pedal Piano to Great |
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Pedal Piano to Swell |
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Balance Swell |
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Graffiti by Reuben Midmer |
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Low C of the 4' Clarine (Keraulophon) showing what remains of the famous Henri Zimmerman, Paris label |
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George Jardine & Son
New York City (c.1871)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 16 stops
This organ was installed in the chapel that was located on Vanderbilt Avenue. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located. |
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Sources:
Cameron, Peter T. "A Chronology of the Organ Builders Working in New York City", The Bicentennial Tracker. Richmond: Organ Historical Society, Inc., 1976.
The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X, Vol. III. New York: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914.
"Church of the Sacred Heart. Its New Organ and Beautiful Altar and Interior," The Brooklyn Eagle (Sep. 5, 1876).
"Corner Stone. Grand Procession and Ceremony Yesterday," The Brooklyn Eagle (May 12, 1874).
"Dedicated. The Church of the Sacred Heart and St. Joseph's Home for Boys," The Brooklyn Eagle (June 25, 1877).
Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database, Seattle, Wash.
Ogasapian, John. Organ Building in New York City: 1700-1900. Braintree, Mass.: The Organ Literature Foundation, 1977.
"Organ Concert. Formal Opening of the New Instrument of the Church of the Sacred Heart," The Brooklyn Eagle, September 18, 1876.
"The Sacred Heart Parish," The Brooklyn Eagle (Sep. 25, 1881).
Illustrations:
Murray, Thomas. Case and keyboards of George Jardine & Son organ, Op. 1019 (1876).
Schmauch, David. Console, Clarine pipe, and graffiti of George Jardine & Son organ, Op. 1019 (1876). |
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