Advent Lutheran Church - NYC (Photo: John Rust)

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Broadway United Church of Christ
(Broadway Tabernacle)

2504 Broadway at 93rd Street
New York, N.Y. 10025
http://www.bwayucc.org





Organ Specifications:
2504 Broadway at 93rd Street (since 2000)
► II/16 Casavant Frères, Op. 3166 (1972)
Broadway at 56th Street (1905-1969):
► IV/64 Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc, Op. 991 (1939/40)
► IV/55 Hutchings-Votey Organ Co., Op. 1536; rev. Skinner (1921)
► IV/53 Hutchings-Votey Organ Co., Op. 1536 (1908)
34th Street and Sixth Avenue (1859-1905):
• III/ L.C. Harrison, Op. 65 (1883)
► III/41 Ferris & Stuart (1859)
Broadway, between Worth and Catherine (1836-1857):
• Unknown builder (1830s-1840s)


The congregation known today as Broadway United Church of Christ was founded in 1836 to provide a pulpit for the Rev. Charles Grandison Finney, a Presbyterian evangelist from western New York. Finney designed the original building, located on Broadway between Worth Street and Catherine Lane, which opened in 1836 and could accomodate 2,400 worshippers. Finney's revival-style oratory and support of anti-slavery sentiment resulted in the church being burned down by a mob. Soon after, Finney left to become minister of the First Congregational Church at Oberlin, Ohio; he was named president of Oberlin College in 1852.

The minister who followed Finney was not sympathetic to the anti-slavery movement, resulting in dispute which caused the church to sever ties with the Presbyterians. A building was purchased by David Hale, a prominent member who reorganized the congregation as a Congregational church. Over the next decades, the church provided a platform for those opposed to slavery, those in favor of women suffrage, and those in favor of the abolition of alcoholic drinks.

 
34th Street and Sixth Avenue
 
In 1857, the church sold its building to the Erie Railroad, and then moved uptown to 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, where a new building was designed by Leopold Eidlitz and built in 1859.

  Broadway Tabernacle Church - New York City (Kidder: Churches and Chapels)
 
Broadway at 56th Street
By the early 1900s, the church outgrew its facilities and moved again, this time to 56th Street and Broadway. J. Stewart Barney designed a large complex as built between 1903-05 which included a 10-story tower over the crossing for the church's offices and classrooms. By the 1960s, the church was faced with mounting costs to maintain and repair the building, so in 1969 the church voted by a narrow margin to sell the property and invest the proceeds for mission.

For the next 12 years, Broadway's "church without walls" worshipped in facilities owned by St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, located a few blocks to the west. Broadway moved further uptown to Rutgers Presbyterian, and then to St. Michael's Episcopal churches.

In 2000, Broadway Church entered a covenant with Advent Lutheran Church on Broadway at 93rd Street: Broadway invested in the renovation and repair of Advent's building.

In 2016, Broadway Church moved to St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 263 West 86th Street at West End Avenue. See the St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church page for information on Broadway United Church of Christ's current location.
             
  Casavant Organ - Advent Lutheran Church - NYC (Photo: John Rust)
Organ in church located on Broadway at 93rd Street:

Casavant Frères, Limitée
St. Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada – Opus 3166 (1972)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 12 stops, 16 ranks



This Casavant Frères organ was originally built in 1972 for Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Tex. In 1988, the organ was moved to Advent Lutheran and installed on the left side of the nave near the chancel. The organ was fully restored in 2000 by Meloni & Farrier. In 2008, the Positiv Scharf III was replaced by a 1-1/3' Larigot.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 56 notes, unenclosed
8
   Rohrflöte
56
2
   Flachflöte
56
4
   Prinzipal
56
1
   Mixture IV ranks
224
               
Positiv Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, unenclosed
8
   Gedeckt
56
2 2/3
   Sesquialtera II ranks (TC)
88
4
   Koppelflöte
56
1 1/3
   Larigot *
56
2
   Prinzipal
56
    
* orig. Scharf III ranks

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Subbass
32
4
   Choralbass
32
8
   Prinzipal
32
        
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal      
    Positiv to Pedal      
    Positiv to Great      
               
Mechanicals
    Great to Pedal Reversible      
    Wind indicator light      
               
   
Casavant Organ - Advent Lutheran Church - NYC (Photo: John Rust)   Casavant Organ - Advent Lutheran Church - NYC (Photo: John Rust)
               
Organ in church located on Broadway at 56th Street:

Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 991 (1939/40)
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 60 registers, 51 stops, 64 ranks


Aeolian-Skinner installed their Opus 991 in 1940. When the building was closed, the organ was sold to Robert Turner, who used 15 ranks for Op. 762 at First (Munn Avenue) Presbyterian Church of East Orange, N.J. The Aeolian-Skinner console went to Our Lady of Sorrows R.C. Church, South Orange N.J., which was later replaced by a new organ built by Schantz. The console was then purchased by Carl Loeser of Plainfield, N.J., and was later installed at Sacred Heart R.C. Church in Pittsburgh, Penn.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Contra Geigen
61
2 2/3
   Quint
61
8
   Principal
61
2
   Super Octave
61
8
   Spitzflote
61
     Fourniture IV ranks
244
8
   Bourdon
61
     Cymbel II-IV ranks
183
4
   Octave
61
8
   Tuba
SO
4
   Rohrflote
61
4
   Clarion
SO

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
73
2
   Fifteenth
61
8
   Diapason
73
     Plein Jeu VI ranks
366
8
   Stopped Diapason
73
16
   Contra Fagotto
73
8
   Viole de Gambe
73
8
   Trompette
73
8
   Echo Salicional
73
8
   Oboe
73
8
   Echo Salicional Celeste (TC)
61
8
   Vox Humana
73
4
   Principal
73
4
   Clarion
73
4
   Flauto Traverso
73
     Tremolo  
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Contra Dulciana
85
2 2/3
   Nazard
61
8
   Viole
73
2
   Blockflöte
61
8
   Concert Flute
73
8
   Clarinet
73
8
   Dulciana (fr. 16')
—
8
   Orchestral Oboe
73
8
   Unda Maris (TC)
61
     Tremolo  
4
   Flute Ouverte
73
        

     

     
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Gamba
73
8
   French Horn
73
8
   Gamba Celeste
73
4
   Clarion
73
8
   Orchestral Flute
73
     Tremolo  
8
   Tuba
73
     Chimes  
8
   English Horn
73
        
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Diapason
44
5 1/3
   Quint
32
16
   Diapason (fr. 32')
—
4
   Super Octave
32
16
   Bourdon
32
4
   Nachthorn
32
16
   Violone
32
     Fourniture III ranks
96
16
   Gedeckt
SW
16
   Bombarde
56
16
   Dulciana
CH
8
   Trompette (fr. 16' Bombarde)
—
8
   Principal
32
4
   Clairon (fr. 16' Bombarde)
—
8
   Flute Ouverte
32
     Chimes
SO
8
   Gedeckt
SW
        
               
Organ in church located on Broadway at 56th Street:

Hutchings-Votey Organ Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 1536 (1908); rev. E.M. Skinner (1921)
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 61 registers, 51 stops, 55 ranks


In 1921, Ernest M. Skinner made minor changes and additions to the 1908 Hutchings-Votey organ, as recorded by concert organist Lynnwood Farnam in one of his "organ notebooks" that are archived at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Diapason
61
4
   Flute Harmonique *
61
8
   First Diapason
61
2 2/3
   Twelfth
61
8
   Second Diapason
61
2
   Fifteenth
61
8
   Gross Flöte
61
     Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Doppel Flöte
61
16
   Trumpet
61
8
   Gamba
61
8
   Trumpet
61
8
   Gemshorn
61
4
   Clarion
61
4
   Octave
61
    
* orig. Wald Flute
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
61
4
   Violina
61
8
   First Diapason *
61
4
   Flauto Traverso
61
8
   Second Diapason *
61
2
   Flautino
61
8
   Viol d'Orchestre
61
     Solo Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Salicional
61
16
   Fagotto
61
8
   Vox Celestis (TC)
49
8
   Cornopean
61
8
   Quintadena
61
8
   Oboe
61
8
   Æoline
61
8
   Vox Humana
61
8
   Stopped Diapason
61
     Tremolo  
8
   Spitz Flöte
61
    
* one Diapason added by Skinner (1921)
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Gamba
61
4
   Rohr Flute
61
8
   Diapason [orig. Violin Diap.]
61
4
   Fugara
61
8
   Salicional *
61
2
   Piccolo
61
8
   Concert Flute
61
8
   Clarinet
61
8
   Dolce
61
     Tremolo  
8
   Unda Maris (TC)
49
    
* added by E.M. Skinner (1921)
               
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes
8
   Stentorphone
61
8
   Orchestral Oboe [rep. 4' H.pfeife]
61
8
   French Horn [orig. Gross Flöte]
61
8
   Tuba
61
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes (Augmented)
32
   Open Diapason
68
8
   Flute (fr. 32' Op. Diap.)
—
32
   Contra Bass (resultant)
—
8
   Gedackt (fr. 16' Bourdon)
—
          [orig. 32' Bourdon]  
8
   Violoncello (fr. 16')
—
16
   Open Diapason (fr. 32')
—
4
   Flute (fr. 32' Op. Diap.)
—
16
   Violone
44
16
   Trombone
44
16
   Bourdon
44
16
   Fagotto *
SW
16
   Dulciana *
CH
8
   Tromba (fr. 16' Trombone)
—
16
   Lieblich Gedackt
SW
    
* added by E.M. Skinner (1921)
               
  Hutchings-Votey Organ, Op. 1536 (1908) in Broadway Tabernacle - New York City (photo: Hutchings-Votey catalogue, courtesy Jonathan Bowen)
   
Organ in church located on Broadway at 56th Street:

Hutchings-Votey Organ Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 1536 (1908)
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 57 registers, 49 stops, 53 ranks


The original organ for the Broadway Tabernacle located at Broadway and 56th Street was built in 1908 as Opus 1536 by Hutchings-Votey of Boston. Hutchings-Votey used electro-pneumatic action and provided a movable four-manual console.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Diapason
61
4
   Wald Flute
61
8
   First Diapason
61
2 2/3
   Twelfth
61
8
   Second Diapason
61
2
   Fifteenth
61
8
   Gross Flöte
61
     Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Doppel Flöte
61
16
   Trumpet
61
8
   Gamba
61
8
   Trumpet
61
8
   Gemshorn
61
4
   Clarion
61
4
   Octave
61
      
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
61
4
   Violina
61
8
   Diapason
61
4
   Flauto Traverso
61
8
   Viol d'Orchestre
61
2
   Flautino
61
8
   Salicional
61
     Solo Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Quintadena
61
16
   Fagotto
61
8
   Vox Celestis (TC)
49
8
   Cornopean
61
8
   Aeoline
61
8
   Oboe
61
8
   Spitz Flöte
61
8
   Vox Humana
61
8
   Stopped Diapason
61
     Tremolo  
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Gamba
61
4
   Rohr Flute
61
8
   Violin Diapason
61
4
   Fugara
61
8
   Concert Flute
61
2
   Piccolo
61
8
   Dolce
61
8
   Clarinet
61
8
   Unda Maris (TC)
49
     Tremolo  
               
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes
8
   Stentorphone
61
4
   Hohlpfeife
61
8
   Gross Flöte
61
8
   Tuba
61
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes (Augmented)
32
   Open Diapason
68
8
   Flute (fr. 32' Op. Diap.)
—
32
   Bourdon
56
8
   Gedackt (fr. 16' Bourdon)
—
16
   Open Diapason (fr. 32' Op. Diap.)
—
8
   Violoncello (fr. 16' Violone)
—
16
   Violone
44
4
   Flute (fr. 32' Op. Diap.)
—
16
   Bourdon
—
16
   Trombone
44
16
   Lieblich Gedackt
SW
8
   Tromba (fr. 16' Trombone)
—
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal       Great to Swell  
    Swell to Pedal       Swell to Choir  
    Choir to Pedal       Great to Solo  
    Solo to Pedal       Swell to Solo  
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'       Solo 16', 4', Unison Release
    Choir to Great 16', 8'       Solo Off  
               
Combinations
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5 operating on Great and Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 operating on Swell and Pedal stops
    Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 operating on Choir and Pedal stops
    General Release          
    Pedal Release          
               
Pedal Movements
    Great to Pedal Reversible     Sforzando (Full Organ)
    Balanced Swell     Wind Indicator
    Balanced Choir     Crescendo Indicator
    Balanced Crescendo      
               
  Ferris & Stuart/Harrison organ (1859) at the Broadway Tabernacle - New York City
Organ in church located at 34th Street and Sixth Avenue:

L.C. Harrison
Bloomfield, N.J. – Opus 65 (1883)
Mechanical action





In 1883, the enlarged Ferris & Stuart organ was rebuilt by L.C. Harrison of Bloomfield, N.J. Specifications of the revised organ have not been located.

Methuen Organ Company Chapel Organ (c.1916) in Library of Pine Lodge Estate - Methuen, Mass.   Methuen Organ Company Organ (c.1916) in Library of Pine Lodge Estate - Methuen, Mass.  
Pine Lodge Chapel Organ
   Pine Lodge Library Organ  
When Broadway Tabernacle relocated to Broadway and 56th Street in 1905, the Ferris & Stuart/Harrison organ was placed in storage. Around 1915, the organ was purchased by Edward Searles for additions to his Pine Lodge estate in Metheun, Mass., and it was subsequently rebuilt as two instruments by the Methuen Organ Company. The Great, Swell and Pedal divisions of the original organ were refashioned as one instrument that was installed behind a new case in what was probably a ballroom (and in the mid-1950s became a convent chapel for the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, who had purchased the estate). The original Choir division with its rückpositiv-style case was remade as a one-manual instrument and installed in the Tapestry Hall (now the Library) of the estate.
               
  Ferris & Stuart organ (1859) at the Broadway Tabernacle - New York City
Organ in church located at 34th Street and Sixth Avenue:

Ferris & Stuart
New York City (1859)
Mechanical action
3 manuals, 37 stops, 41 ranks



For the new Broadway Tabernacle at 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, a organ was built by Ferris & Stuart of New York City. The three-manual organ had 37 stops and was installed behind a large Gothic case above and behind the pulpit platform, and the Choir division was behind the organist in a separate case on the gallery rail. Levi U. Stuart enlarged the organ in 1865, and the organ was rebuilt by L.C. Harrison in 1883.

Following is the original specification of the 1859 Ferris & Stuart organ.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 56 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
56
4
   Night Horn
56
8
   Open Diapason
56
2 2/3
   Twelfth
56
8
   Gamba
56
2
   Fifteenth
56
8
   Stopped Diapason
56
     Sesquialtera, 3 ranks
168
8
   Melodia
56
8
   Trumpet
56
4
   Principal
56
4
   Clarion
56

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 56 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
56
     Cornet, 2 ranks
112
8
   Open Diapason
56
     Mixture, 3 ranks
168
8
   Dulciana
56
8
   Hautboy
56
8
   Stop Diapason
56
8
   Trumpet
56
4
   Principal
56
4
   Clarion
56
2
   Fifteenth
56
     Tremulant  

     

     
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 56 notes
8
   Open Diapason
56
4
   Flute Harmonique
56
8
   Stop Diapason
56
2
   Piccolo
56
4
   Principal
56
8
   Cremona
56
               
Pedal Organ – 29 notes [CC-e]
32
   Double Open Diapason
29
12
   Quint
29
16
   Open Diapason
29
8
   Violoncello
29
16
   Grand Open Diapason
29
16
   Trombone
29
16
   Gamba
29
        
               
Couplers
    Swell to Great       Great to Pedal  
    Choir to Great       Swell to Pedal  
    Swell to Choir       Choir to Pedal  
               
Composition Stops
    Full        
    Chorus          
    Solo          
               
  1848 Lithograph of the first Broadway Tabernacle - New York City
Organ in church located on Anthony (now Worth) Street:

Unknown Builder (1830s-1840s)
Mechanical action



The lithograph at the right shows a view of the 1836 building. Behind the pulpit is a large, free-standing organ with a five-section case. Surprisingly, there is no information about this organ in any lists or documents of the period. John Ogasapian suggests that the organ might have been an early instrument by Thomas Hall, or perhaps an early organ by Richard Ferris.
               
Sources:
     Aeolian-Skinner Archives web site: http://aeolianskinner.organsociety.org/Specs/Op00991.html
     American Musical Directory. New York: Thomas Hutchinson, 1861.
     Broadway United Church of Christ web site: http://www.bwayucc.org
     The Church Music Review (c.1908), p.396. Specification of Hutchings-Votey organ, Op. 1536 (1908). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Farnam, Lynnwood. "Organ Notebook," p.1420. Stoplist of Hutchings-Votey organ, Op. 1536 (1908) as revised by E.M. Skinner (1921 ). John de Lancie Library, The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; Sally Branca, Archivist. Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     Graveline, Michelle. "Two from One: The Organs at Edward Searles' Pine Lodge Estate," The Tracker (Vol 28, No. 4, 1984). Courtesy James Lewis.
     Ogasapian, John. Organ Building in New York City: 1700-1900. Braintree: The Organ Literature Foundation, 1977.
     Scheer, Stanley. Factory Specification of Casavant Frères Organ, Op. 3166 (1972).
     Ward, Susan Hayes. The History of the Broadway Tabernacle Church: 1840-1900. Published by Broadway Tabernacle. New York: The Trow Press, 1901.
     Webber, F.R. "Organ scrapbook" at Organ Historical Society Archives, Princeton, N.J. Specifications of Ferris & Stuart organ. Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.

Illustrations:
     Glück, Sebastian M. Undated photo (Wurts Bros.?) showing Ferris & Stuart/Harrison organ.
     Graveline, Michelle. "Two from One: The Organs at Edward Searles' Pine Lodge Estate," The Tracker (Vol 28, No. 4, 1984). Pine Lodge Estate Chapel organ.
     Hutchings-Votey Catalogue. Photo of Hutchings-Votey organ, Op. 1536 (1908), Organ Historical Society Archives. Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     Kidder, Frank Eugene. Churches and Chapels. New York: William T. Comstock, 1906. Exterior (c.1905).
     Lewis, James. Pine Lodge Estate Chapel Organ case.
     Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online: Exterior of Broadway Tabernacle at 56th Street & Broadway.
     Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online. Broadway Tabernacle (lithograph by Sarony & Major, 1848, after Davignon).
     Rust, John. Exterior and interior; organs.
     Ward, Susan Hayes. The History of the Broadway Tabernacle Church - 1840-1900. Published by Broadway Tabernacle. New York: The Trow Press, 1901. Interior photo of church (1900). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.