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Charlier Institute
108 West 59th Street at Sixth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10019
The Charlier Institute was founded by Elie Charlier (1826-1896), son of a French Protestant clergyman. Charlier was educated in the College of Neuchatel, in Switzerland. In 1852 he came to New York with $36 in cash and letters of introduction, including one to James Harper, then Mayor of New York. The mayor advised: "Young man, in this country we are all busy, and we all help ourselves.” Charlier found employment as a French instructor in a leading private school in the city. In a short three years he opened up a small school for boarding and day scholars, which gradually expanded and became widely known as the "Charlier Institute." According to an article in the New York Observer, his success was without any parallel in the history of educational institutions, "Without any board of trustees, with no funds from charity or the State, relying only on his own exertions, Mr. Elie Charlier has prospered in his work.”
In 1872 he purchased land at 108 West 59th Street and erected an elegant and modern educational facility overlooking Central Park at a cost of $400,000. His twenty-five teachers prepared students for the Naval Academy, Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia. However, the cost of the building made it unprofitable, and in 1887 it was sold to the De La Salle Institute. Charlier then returned to France and never saw New York again. He died in Paris at the age of 70 in 1896. |
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Hilborne L. Roosevelt
New York City – Opus 13 (1876)
Mechanical action
1 manual, 5 stops
In the Charlier Institute was an organ built in 1876 by Hilborne L. Roosevelt. This organ had one manual and five stops, so it is likely one of Roosevelt's standard models, either a "Style Six" or "Style Seven." Both styles had the same stops and a 13-note pedalboard, the only difference being that the stops were divided (treble and bass) on the Style Seven. |
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Style Six |
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Manual – 58 notes
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8 |
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Open Diapason |
58 |
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8 |
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Dulciana |
46 |
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(lowest 8ve grooved to Rohr Flute) |
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8 |
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Rohr Flöte |
58 |
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4 |
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Gemshorn |
58 |
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16 |
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Bourdon, Bass |
13 |
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Couplers
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Manual Octaves |
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Manual to Pedal |
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Mechanical Accessories
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Tremulant |
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Bellows Signal |
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Pedal Movement
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Balanced Swell Pedal |
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Style Seven |
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Manual – 58 notes
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8 |
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Open Diapason, Treble |
29 |
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8 |
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Open Diapason, Bass |
29 |
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8 |
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Dulciana, Treble |
29 |
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8 |
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Dulciana, Bass |
29 |
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8 |
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Rohr Flöte, Treble |
29 |
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8 |
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Rohr Flöte, Bass |
29 |
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4 |
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Gemshorn, Treble |
29 |
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4 |
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Gemshorn, Bass |
29 |
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16 |
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Bourdon, Bass |
13 |
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Couplers
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Manual Octaves |
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Manual to Pedal |
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Mechanical Accessories
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Tremulant |
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Bellows Signal |
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Pedal Movement
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Balanced Swell Pedal |
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Sources:
"Before Mad Men: Advertising in 19th Century New York," New York City Bar Association web site: http://www.nycbar.org/library/featured-exhibitions/before-mad-men
"Death List of a Day," The New York Times (Sep. 23, 1896). Obituary.
"Hilborne L. Roosevelt, Manufacturer of Church, Chapel, Concert and Chamber Organs," catalog pub. by Roosevelt Organ Works (Dec. 1888); republished by The Organ Literature Foundation, Braintree, Mass., 1978.
Lamb, Mrs. Martha J. and Mrs. Burton Harrison. History of the City of New York: Its Origin Rise, and Progress (Vol. III). New York: The A. S. Barnes Company, 1896.
Illustration:
New York City Bar Association web site. Advertisement (1876) for Charlier Institute. |
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