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Williamsburg Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ

Lee Avenue, SE corner of Keap Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211


In 1934, the Williamsburg Christian Church, a member of the Disciples of Christ denomination, purchased the former edifice built in 1885 for the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg. In 2001, the congregation sold the building to developers and moved to new facilities on Myrtle Avenue.
             
  Johnson & Son organ, Op. 638 (1885) in the Williamsburg Christian Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (credit: Organ Clearing House)
Johnson & Son
Westfield, Mass. – Opus 638 (1885)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 25 stops, 27 ranks



The following specification was recorded by F.R. Webber, whose "Organ Scrapbooks" are in the possession of The Organ Historical Society Archives in Princeton, N.J. Webber visited the organ on February 24, 1955, and wrote:
The organ appears to be in its original condition, and the attached console is as Johnson & Son built it. No tonal changes appear to have been made.
In 1990, the church began to use only contemporary music in their services and the century-old organ was no longer played or maintained. A decade later, the organ was unplayable due to many broken mechanical parts but was otherwise unaltered and still in excellent condition. In July 2001, just prior to the sale of the church building to developers (and its subsequent demolition), the Johnson & Son organ was removed to storage by the Organ Clearing House, an organization devoted to the preservation of historic pipe organs. The Johnson & Son organ was thus rescued in the hope that a future owner will restore the instrument.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
16
   Bourdon
58
4
   Flauto Traverso
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2 2/3
   Twelfth
58
8
   Dulciana
58
2
   Fifteenth
58
8
   Viola da Gamba
58
     Mixture, 3 ranks
174
8
   Melodia
58
8
   Trumpet
58
4
   Octave
58
      
               
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt Bass
12
8
   Stopped Diapason
58
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt Treble [TC]
46
4
   Fugara
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Flute Harmonique
58
8
   Salicional
58
     Cornet Dolce, 2 ranks
116
8
   Dolcissimo
58
8
   Oboe and Bassoon
58
8
   Quintadena
58
     Tremulant  
               
Pedale Organ – 32 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
32
8
   Violoncello
32
16
   Bourdon
32
        
               
Couplers
    Swell to Great       Great to Pedal Reversible
    Swell to Pedale       Pedale check  
    Great to Pedale       Bellows signal  
               
Johnson & Son organ, Op. 638 (1885) in the Williamsburg Christian Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (credit: Organ Clearing House)
Johnson & Son organ, Op. 638 (1885) in the Williamsburg Christian Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (credit: Organ Clearing House)
Johnson & Son organ, Op. 638 (1885) in the Williamsburg Christian Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (credit: Organ Clearing House)
             
Sources:
     Organ Clearing House web site: www.organclearinghouse.com
     Pogrebin, Robin. "A Second Life for Historic Pipe Organs," The New York Times (July 7, 2001).
     Webber, F.R. "Organ scrapbook" at Organ Historical Society Archives, Princeton, N.J. Specifications of Johnson & Son organ, Op. 638 (1885). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.

Illustrations:
     Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection. Exterior (c.1905).
     Organ Clearing House. Johnson & Son organ, Op. 638 (1885). Courtesy John Bishop.