St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church (Williamsburg) - Brooklyn, N.Y. (photo: Christopher D. Brazee, 2011)
 
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St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church

334 South Fifth Street at Rodney Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211



Organ Specifications:
334 South 5th Street at Ninth (Rodney) Street (since 1885)
► II/23 Hook & Hastings Co., Op. 1271 (1885)
9th Street at South First Street (1853-1885)
• Ferris & Stuart (1853)






St. Paul Lutheran Church (1852) - Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.  
First building (1852-1885)  
The German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Paul, located in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, was established in 1852 by a group of 14 men. In June of that same year, lots on the southeast corner of South First Street and 9th (now Rodney) Street were purchased for $2,000, upon which the first church edifice would be erected. The lots totalled 50 feet fronting South First Street by 100 feet along 9th Street. Since the society was not yet organized, the property was purchased by and the deed recorded in the names of three men. By Chrismas 1852 the brick building was under cover and the interior furnishings were gradually installed, but in order to furnish the church completely, a mortgage for $3,000 was put on the property in January 1853. The main floor provided seating for 400 persons, and 250 could be accomodated in the basement rooms. The structure was completed sometime before a meeting of the society on May 5, 1853. At that meeting the society, which had been known as "The new Lutheran Church of Williamsburgh," unanimously agreed to change the name to "St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church." The congregation was also familiarly known as the South First Street Lutheran Church. On May 12, 1853 (Ascension Day) the completed edifice was dedicated with two services: at 10 o'clock in the morning the solemn ceremony of dedication was conducted in German, and at 3 o'clock the formal installation of the pastor, Rev. E. F. Schlueter, was conducted in English. To accomodate larger congregations, a small gallery was added in 1866. The congregation worshipped here for over 30 years, but by the 1880s business concerns had encroached upon the area, and church trustees decided to sell the property and purchased a new location only a few blocks away.

St. Paul Lutheran Church (1920) - Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.  
Present Church in 1920  
On October 11, 1885, exactly one year after laying the cornerstone, the new church was dedicated with a service in German that included the singing of Luther's hymn, "Ein' feste Burg is unser Gott." Designed by J.C. Cady, the massive church fronts Ninth Street (now known as Rodney Street) and is built of Holland and Philadelphia brick with terra cotta trimming. At the corner is a square tower surmounted by a slate spire that rises to a total of 135 feet. Three half-round towers, each 75 feet high, are both ornamental and serve as ventilators. The church interior was originally decorated in a deep orange tint, done over with a tracery of foliage in a lighter color, and the pulpit and pews are of cherry. There are galleries on all sides, each one framed by a great rounded arch, and the total seating capacity is 1,000 persons. Lighting was provided by an immense brass chandelier that had six branches; on each branch was a crown with twelve gas jets that appeared to be jewels when lighted. Adjoining the church are a chapel and parsonage, and the total cost of the complex, including the property, was $100,000.

As the Germans moved out of the area, the church has evolved to have a largely Latino congregation.

In April 2011, the church complex was designed a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
               
  Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1271 (1885) in St. Paul Lutheran Church - Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  Hook & Hastings Organ (c.1885)
Hook & Hastings Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 1271 (1885)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 20 stops, 23 ranks, 1,341 pipes





For their new edifice completed in 1885, the trustees of St. Paul's Lutheran Church ordered an organ from the Hook & Hastings Company of Boston. The mechanical-action organ was installed in a loft behind the altar and cost $4,500.

The original specification that follows was recorded by F.R. Webber (1887-1963), whose "Organ Scrapbooks" are in the possession of The Organ Historical Society Archives in Princeton, N.J. Click here to view the page from Webber's scrapbook.

According to the 1903 history of the church, in the 1890s several unnamed stops were added to the organ, in 1898 there were repairs costing $215, and in 1899 nearly $250 was spent for repairs and improvements. In 1902 the organ was cleaned.

The status of this organ in 2007 is unknown.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
16
   Open Diapason
61
4
   Principal
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
3
   Twelfth
61
8
   Dolce
61
2
   Fifteenth
61
8
   Melodia
61
     Mixture, 2 ranks
122
4
   Harmonic Flute
61
8
   Trumpet
61
               
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
61
8
   Aeoline
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
4
   Violina
61
8
   Dulciana
61
     Mixture, 3 ranks
183
8
   Stopped Diapason
61
8
   Oboe
61
               
Pedal Organ – 30 notes
16
   Open Diapason
30
        
16
   Bourdon
30
        
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal       Swell to Great  
    Swell to Pedal          
               
Ferris & Stuart
New York City (1853)
Mechanical action


In the 1903 history of the church, we read that there was a small organ in the rear gallery of the first church building. This organ was built in 1853 by Ferris & Stuart of New York City. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.
               
Sources:
     "Dedicating a Church. The Lutheran Congregation of St. Paul's in a New Edifice," The New York Times (Oct. 12, 1885).
     "Dedication. The New Edifice of St. Paul's Lutheran Church," The Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 12, 1885).
     Hoffmann, Hugo W. The History of St. Paul's Ev. Luth. Church, Brooklyn, N.Y., from 1853 – 1903. Mount Vernon, N.Y.: Wartburg Printing House, 1903.
     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.
     Van Pelt, William T., comp. The Hook Opus List, 1829-1916 in Facsimile. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1991.
     Webber, F.R. "Organ scrapbook" at Organ Historical Society Archives, Princeton, N.J. Specifications of Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1271 (1885). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     "Williamsburg Lutheran Church Complex Named a New York City Landmark," New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (April 12, 2011).

Illustrations:
     Brazee, Christopher D. Exterior, 2011.
     The History of St. Paul's Ev. Luth. Church, Brooklyn, N.Y., from 1853 – 1903. Original Church (1852); Interior, showing Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1271 (1885).