St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (1914 photo from Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
Click on images to enlarge
Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew
(Episcopal)

520 Clinton Avenue near Fulton Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11238
web site

Organ Specifications:
► IV/58 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 1945 (1915)
► IV/60 Reuben Midmer & Sons (1895)
► II/15 William H. Davis & Son (1889) – Sunday School
► III/32 Reuben Midmer & Son (1881) – Chapel
• IV/ Reuben Midmer? (1865)


St. Luke’s Protestant Episcopal Church was a reorganization, in June 1842, of Trinity Church, which was founded in March, 1835 by Dr. D.V.M. Johnson, who was then a student at the General Theological Seminary. Trinity Church owned eight lots of ground on Clinton Avenue, between Atlantic and Fulton, upon which was erected a stone edifice, sixty feet long by forty-five wide, the cornerstone of which was laid by Bishop B. J. Onderdonk on June 1, 1835, and consecrated in the following year. Dr. Johnson went west to engage in missionary work in 1836, and under his successor the church became "financially embarrassed" because of the panic of 1837, and the church was dissolved in 1841. Dr. Johnson returned to Brooklyn and began a movement to repurchase the property. This was done and the parish took the name of St. Luke. In 1853, the church was improved with the addition of a transept and chancel, at a cost of $15,000, as designed by Mr. Frank Wills. Over the next decade a Sunday school hall, parish house and rectory were added and the church's debt was retired. By the 1860s, the parish had grown from twelve communicants to almost fourteen hundred. Daily services and weekly communion were offered and, in the spring of 1869, St. Luke's abolished the pew system and became a "free" church.

A new chapel and Sunday school room were opened on October 23, 1881. Built of Philadelphia molded brick, two of the chapel's sides were those of the nave and transept walls of the church. No expense was spared in the chapel's furnishings as it included an apsidal sacrarium with four stained glass windows, a marble altar with a carved representation, in alto relievo, of Da Vinci's "Last Supper," an elaborately carved reredos of Caen stone in the Norman style, and elegantly carved oak stalls, cathedral style. A large rood screen divided the chancel from the nave, the latter providing accomodations for 350 persons.

Early in the morning of November 27, 1887, a fire caused by a defective furnace flue severely damaged the chancel of the old stone church, destroying the marble altar, carved oak woodwork, choir stalls and organ. The total loss, estimated to be $25,000, was covered by an insurance of $48,500 on the building and contents.

In May of 1889, a new three-story parish house was dedicated, providing a large hall suitable for dining and entertainment, multiple guild rooms, and a 900-seat Sunday school hall that included a chancel and organ. The old stone church, which had been severely damaged by fire the previous winter but not repaired, was then demolished to make room for a 1,500-seat church, built from 1888-91, that would be 150 feet long and 94 feet wide at the transept. The interior was lighted by a clerestory lantern with a dome 48 feet from the floor, and there was ample room for the boy choir in the large chancel. Architect John W. Welch designed the new parish house and church in the Italian Romanesque style, and joined them with a 144-foot facade which included one large and two smaller towers. The cost of the new church was estimated to be $75,000, but this was reduced by the reuse of blue stone from the old church, and brick of the original Sunday school chapel.

1914 Fire at St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
  
 
1914 Fire at St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)  
 
Reconstruction of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
  
During the evening of March 9, 1914, a fire began in the upper part of the parish house and quickly spread to the adjacent church. Firefighters from three companies smashed several windows in order to get water into the church, and the fire chief ordered that efforts should be concentrated on saving the organ, which had been presented to the church by Col. Henry Martin of the Seventy-first Regiment. While the attempt was being made the pine rafters which supported the slate roof caught fire and suddenly the roof gave way. Tons of slate crashed into the interior of the church, and the blaze leaped up100 feet, and efforts to stop the flames inside were ended. Attention was then directed to saving the parish house, but the deluge of water caused it to be considered almost a total loss. St. Luke's immediately made plans to rebuild and refurbish their church, and nineteen months later, on October 18, 1915, the church was rededicated.

In March 1943, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, located on Tompkins Avenue and McDonough Street, merged with and moved to St. Luke's Church. Both congregations had experienced reduced attendance due to changes in demographics as many residents moved to the suburbs or other areas of the city. The combined parish was named St. Luke and St. Matthew Episcopal Church.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission considers the church to be "one of the grandest 19th-century ecclesiastical buildings in Brooklyn," and in 1981 designated it as a landmark. In 1982 the church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
       
  Interior showing M.P. Moller Organ, Op. 122 (1905) in St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (1914 photo from Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 1945 (1915)
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 74 stops, 58 ranks



The photo at the right, from the Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 18, 1915), shows the reconstructed church and organ cases.

The following specifications were recorded by Lynnwood Farnam (1885-1930), noted concert organist of the early 20th century, who kept organ "notebooks" with specifications of the many organs he visited or played.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, partially enclosed
16
   Violone  
4
   Octave *  
8
   Open Diapason  
2
   Super Octave *  
8
   Geigen  
8
   Trumpet *  
8
   Gamba *  
8
   Processional Diapason [in Choir Room]
8
   Doppel Flute      
* enclosed with Choir
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt  
2
   Flautina  
8
   Open Diapason       Dolce Cornet 3 ranks  
8
   Stopped Diapason  
16
   Fagotto  
8
   Quintadena  
8
   Cornopean  
8
   Salicional  
8
   Oboe  
8
   Voix Celeste  
8
   Vox Humana  
4
   Zartflöte       Tremulant  
4
   Waldflöte          
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Dulciana  
8
   Melodia  
8
   Violin Diapason  
4
   Flute Harmonique  
8
   Gemshorn  
2
   Piccolo  
8
   Violoncello  
8
   Clarinet  
8
   Dulciana  
8
   Cor Anglais  
8
   Unda Maris       Concert Harp  
               
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed in West Gallery
8
   Stentorphone  
4
   Tuba Clarion  
8
   Violoncello  
8
   Stille Gedeckt  
8
   Cello Celeste  
8
   Viola Concert  
8
   Gross Flute  
8
   Viol Aetheria  
16
   Tuba Major [unit]  
8
   Vox Celeste  
8
   Tuba Mirabilis  
4
   Echo Flute  
               
Echo Organ – 61 notes (duplexed from Solo)
8
   Stille Gedeckt  
8
   Cello Celeste
SO
8
   Viola Concert  
8
   Vox Humana  
8
   Viol Aetheria       Tremulant  
               
Chapel Organ
    Great       Swell  
8
   Open Diapason  
8
   Spitz Flute  
8
   Spitz Flute
CSW
8
   Clarabella  
8
   Clarabella
CSW
4
   Rohr Flute  
4
   Rohr Flute
CSW
8
   Dolce  
    Pedal  
8
   French Horn  
16
   Subbass       Tremulant  
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Contra Bourdon  
8
   Violoncello  
16
   Open Diapason  
8
   Flute  
16
   Violone
GT
16
   Tuba Major
SO
16
   Bourdon  
8
   Tuba Mirabilis
SO
16
   Dulciana
CH
4
   Tuba Clarion
SO
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
   Contra Fagotto
SW
10 2/3
   Quint          
               
Adjustable Combinations
    4 pistons to Choir   4 pistons to Solo
    4 pistons to Great   3 pistons to Pedal
    5 pistons to Swell   3 pistons to Entire organ
       
  1914 Fire at St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
1895 organ after fire in 1914
Reuben Midmer & Son
Brooklyn, N.Y. (1895)
Mechanical and electric action
4 manuals, 60 stops



ST. LUKE'S NEW ORGAN.
————————
A HANDSOME AND COMPREHENSIVE
INSTRUMENT COSTING $30,000.


     The grand new organ for St. Lukes P.E. church, work on which has been pushed all summer, is rapidly approaching completion. The organ originally cost $15,000 and improvements making, which render it practically a new organ, will cost $15,000, making a total of $30,000, at which the instrument is valued, being therefore one of the finest in the country. The $15,000 was given by a man, who desires his name withheld, as a memorial to his deceased wife.
     The pitch of the organ has been lowered nearly a half tone, sundry stops have been added, the pedals have been increased to thirty, a sub octave coupler has been gained and numerous other details have been accomplished. The solo organ will be placed in the upper part of the baptistery and the part of its equipment will be a set of tubular chimes, consisting of thirty-four notes. Handsome cases have been provided and are now being placed. The organ is sub divided as follows: Great organ, swell organ, choir organ, echo organ, electric: solo organ, electric, and pedal organ. There are sixteen mechanical registers and twelve pedal movements. A summary of the stops and pedals is as follows: Great organ, 16 stops, 1,160 pipes; swell, 14 stops, 928 pipes; choir, 9 stops, 522 pipes; echo, 6 stops, 290 pipes; solo, 6 stops [sic], 312 pipes; pedal, 10 stops, 300 pipes.
     The organ will be opened with a service of benediction and an organ recital by Professor Horatio M. Parker, Mus. Doc., of Yale university, on All Saints' day, November 1.
Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 19, 1895)

Professor Parker's recital included selections of classical music from Stainer, West, Bach, Guilmant, Rheinberger, Dubois and others. Two vocalists each sang a solo and combined forces for a duet.

The church was devastated by fire on March 9, 1914. Although the firefighters tried to save the organ, it undoubtedly received water and smoke damage, although the cases seem to have survived.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
58
4
   Flute Harmonique
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Flute d'Amor
58
8
   Second Open Diapason
58
4
   Gambette
58
8
   Viola da Gamba
58
2 2/3
   Octave Quint
58
8
   Gemshorn
58
2
   Super Octave
58
8
   Doppel Flöte
58
     Mixture (5 ranks)
290
8
   Principal Flöte
58
8
   Trumpet
58
4
   Octave
58
4
   Clarion
58
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 58 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
58
4
   Flute Traverso
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2
   Flautino
58
8
   Salicional
58
     Cornet (3 ranks)
174
8
   Dolce d'Amour
58
16
   Contra Fagotto
58
8
   Vox Celeste
58
8
   Cornopean
58
8
   Stopped Diapason
58
8
   Oboe
58
4
   Principal
58
8
   Vox Humana
58
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes, enclosed
16
   Double Gamba
58
4
   Flute à Cheminée
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Violina
58
8
   Geigen Principal
58
2
   Piccolo
58
8
   Dulciana
58
8
   Clarinet
58
8
   Melodia
58
        
               
Echo Organ (Floating?) – 58 notes, enclosed (Electric)
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Flute Harmonique
58
8
   Dulcissimo
58
8
   Saxophone
58
8
   Flauto Amabile
58
     Tremulant  
               
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 58 notes, enclosed (Electric) – "312 pipes"
8
   Dolce  
8
   Concert Flute  
8
   Keraulophon  
4
   Fugara  
8
   Spitz Flöte  
8
   Tuba Mirabilis  
               
Pedal Organ – 30 notes ("10 stops, 300 pipes")
    Stops not given          
       
Organ in Sunday school hall of 1889 Parish House:

William H. Davis & Son
New York City (1889)
Mechanical action?
2 manuals, 16 stops, 15 ranks



From the Brooklyn Eagle, (May 12, 1889)
St Luke’s Episcopal Church has secured for its parish hall on Clinton Ave, near Fulton Street, a pipe organ built by Davis & Son, of New York. The case is California red wood, and is twenty feet broad, from thirteen to seventeen feet high and six and one-half feet deep. It contains as stops an open diapason, gamba, melodia, flute harmonica, fifteenth, dulciana, in the lowest manuel, and in the upper manual an open diapason, dulciana, stopped diapason, unison bass, principal, piccolo, oboe, vox humana and bourdon. The pedal organ is sixteen feet tone, bourdon of extra scale, pipes very deep and powerful and a balanced swell pedal adjusted to the closest nicety. The front pipes are decorated in polychrome. There are sixteen stops, three couplers and ninety-one [sic] sounding pipes. The organ cost $2,000.
               
Great Organ (Manual I)
8
   Open Diapason  
8
   Dulciana  
8
   Melodia  
4
   Flute Harmonique  
8
   Gamba  
2
   Fifteenth  
               
Swell Organ (Manual II) enclosed
16
   Bourdon  
4
   Principal  
8
   Open Diapason  
2
   Piccolo  
8
   Stopped Diapason  
8
   Oboe  
8
   Dulciana  
8
   Vox Humana  
8
   Unison Bass          
               
Pedal Organ
16
  Bourdon          
     
Organ in Chapel:

Reuben Midmer & Son
Brooklyn, N.Y. (1881)
Mechanical action
3 manuals, 32 stops


The Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 23, 1881) reported that the new organ in St. Luke's Chapel was built by Reuben Midmer & Son, "comprised of three manuals, each of fifty-two [sic] notes, thirty-two speaking stops, seven mechanical registers and four pedal movements for combinations, &c." The article listed the stops of the Great Organ as follows, and descriptions of the Swell, Choir and Pedal organs.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes
8
   Tenoroon [TC]
46
4
   Wald flute [TC]
46
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Principal
58
8
   Clariana
58
2 2/3
   Twelfth
58
8
   Melodia [TC]
46
2
   Fifteenth
58
8
   Stopped Diapason bass
12
     Sesquialtera, 3 ranks
174
4
   Violina
58
8
   Trumpet
58
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 58 notes, enclosed
   
"The swell organ has 10 stops, 116 wooden and 580 metal pipes."
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
    "In the choir organ there are 7 stops and 406 metal pipes."
    "On the choir organ a 16 foot open diapason bass is on a separate wind chest and has pneumatic action."
               
Pedal Organ
    3 stops (27 metal and 34 wooden pipes)
     
Accessories

 

  
"All the manual couplers are controlled by knobs between the keys."
"The organ is blown by a Backus water motor situated in the cellar."
       
Reuben Midmer?
Brooklyn, N.Y. (1865)
Mechanical action
4 manuals


An unofficial Midmer company opus list shows that a four-manual organ was built in 1865 for St. Luke's Episcopal in Brooklyn. Another source references an organ by an "unknown builder, ca. 1855," which would coincide with the 1853 date when the chancel and transept were added to the church. It is possible that the year given on the unofficial Midmer list is incorrect. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
       
Sources:
     "American Musical Notes," The Organist and Choirmaster (Jan. 15, 1897). Partial stoplist of Reuben Midmer & Son organ (1895).
     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.
      "Episcopal Churches Merge in Brooklyn," The New York Times (Mar. 18, 1943): 15.
     Farnam, Lynnwood. "Organ Notebook," p. 1045. Specification of M.P. Möller organ, Op. 1945 (1915). John de Lancie Library, The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; Sally Branca, archivist. Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     "In a New Home," Brooklyn Eagle (May 27, 1889): 1.
     "Prosperous Churches," Brooklyn Eagle (May 12, 1889): 1. Courtesy Michael A. Toscano.
     "Ruined by Fire," Brooklyn Eagle (Nov. 28, 1887): 4.
     "St. Luke's, Brooklyn Destroyed by Fire," The New York Times (Mar. 10, 1914): 3.
     "St. Luke's New Organ," Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 19, 1895): 10.
     "Saturday Church News," Brooklyn Eagle (Nov. 2, 1895): 10.
     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.
     "The Improvements at St. Luke's P.E. Church," Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 19, 1895): 1.

Illustrations:
     Brooklyn Eagle (Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection). Church exterior and interior.