St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church - The Bronx, NY
  Click on images to enlarge
Church of St. Anthony of Padua
(Roman Catholic)

832 East 166th Street at Prospect Avenue
The Bronx, N.Y. 10459

Organ Specifications:
Present building (since 1928)
► III/25 Midmer-Losh Organ Company (1928)
First building (1905-1928)
• unknown

The Parish of St. Anthony of Padua was established in 1903 to serve German Catholics in the Bronx. At the time, most German-Americans in New York were bilingual but some still wanted their own church. Indeed, the pastor of nearby St. John of Chrysostom Church opposed the establishment of St. Anthony of Padua, asserting that ninety-five percent of the German-Americans in the area were fluent in English. In fact, St. Anthony of Padua was one of the last two German national parishes created by the Archdiocese, the other being St. John the Baptist de la Salle in Stapleton, Staten Island.

Original St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and School - The Bronx, NY  
Original Church and School  
Father Otto F. Strack, the founding pastor, said the first Mass in a store. In November 1903, property was purchased on East 166th Street for $24,000, and in May 1904, construction began on a combination building that would provide space for a church, school and convent. The three-story brick structure had a basement that was used as a hall, a church on the first floor, five classrooms on the second floor, and classrooms and the sisters' residences on the third floor. The completed building was dedicated by Cardinal Farley in May 1905. Property behind the new building was purchased for $15,000 and on it a frame rectory was built. Total cost of the combination building and rectory was $70,000.

Under the leadership of Rev. Joseph F. Rummel, pastor, funds totalling $300,000 were raised to build a larger church on corner lots adjacent to the 1905 building. Construction on the brick Italianate building began in 1927, and the completed church was dedicated on June 10, 1928, by the Rt. Rev. Joseph F. Rummel, the former pastor of ten years who had recently been consecrated as Bishop of Omaha.

As the demographics of the Morrisania neighborood have evolved over the years, so has the membership of St. Anthony of Padua Church. Today, the congregation is largely comprised of Hispanic people.
         
Midmer-Losh Organ Company
Merrick, N.Y. (1928)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 27 registers, 25 stops, 25 ranks


The stoplist that follows was recorded (May 25, 1939) by Charles Scharpeger, an organ serviceman in the area. Scharpeger noted that the organ was divided with the console in the center. No compasses or pipecounts were given but are suggested, based on Midmer-Losh organs of that era.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
8
   First Open Diapason
61
4
   Octave
61
8
   Second Open Diapason
61
4
   Flute Harmonique
61
8
   Doppel Flute
61
2
   Piccolo
61
8
   Viole d'Gamba
61
8
   Tuba
61
8
   Gemshorn
61
     Great to Great 4'  

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
8
   Open Diapason
73
     Tremulant  
8
   Stopped Diapason
73
     Chimes  
8
   Salicional
73
     Swell to Swell 16'  
8
   Vox Celeste (TC)
61
     Swell Unison  
4
   Violina
73
     Swell to Swell 4'  
8
   Oboe
73
        
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Geigen Principal
73
8
   French Horn
73
8
   Concert Flute
73
     Tremulant  
8
   Dulciana
73
     Choir to Choir 16'  
8
   Unda Maris (TC)
61
     Choir Unison  
4
   Flute d'Amour
73
     Choir to Choir 4'  
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Open Diapason
32
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
   Bourdon
44
8
   Flute (fr. 16' Bdn.)
—
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8'   Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'
    Swell to Pedal 8'   Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'
    Choir to Pedal 8'   Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Great Pistons 1-5 affecting Great (& Pedal?) stops (thumb)
Swell Pistons 1-5 affecting Swell (& Pedal?) stops (thumb)
Choir Pistons 1-5 affecting Choir (& Pedal?) stops (thumb)
General Pistons 1-5 affecting all stops and couplers (thumb & toe)
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Expression Pedal   Great to Pedal Reversible
    Balanced Choir Expression Pedal   Sforzando Reversible
    Crescendo Pedal      
           
Sources:
     Bronx Catholic Blogspot: http://bronxcatholic.blogspot.com
     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 Dedicated by Bishop Rummel," The New York Times (June 11, 1928: 24).
     Haberstroh, Richard. The German Churches of Metropolitan New York: A Research Guide. New York: The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, 2000.
     Scharpeger, Charles. Specification of Midmer-Losh Organ (1928). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Shelley, Thomas J. The Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York 1808-2008. Strasbourg: Éditions du Signe, 2007.

Illustrations:
     The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X, Vol. III. Exterior of original church.
     Google.com Street View: Exterior of present church.