Grand Central Palace - New York City
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Exposition of Architecture and Allied Arts

Grand Central Palace
Lexington Avenue between 46rd and 47th Streets
New York, N.Y. 10017






The Exposition of Architecture and Allied Arts was held from February 21 to March 5, 1927, in the Grand Central Palace, an exhibition hall occupying the entire block front on Lexington Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets. This thirteen-story building, which opened in 1911, was the first one to be completed of several imposing structures planned by the New York Central Railroad to cover the track yards on both sides of Lexington Avenue, north of the station to 50th Street. Three floors were devoted to exhibition and entertainment purposes, while the other ten floors were occupied by large industrial concerns.

Over the years, the Grand Central Palace was the scene for many auto and flower shows and other public events. The 1911 building was the successor to the old Grand Central Palace, located at Lexington Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets, that opened in 1893. The original 1893 building was razed to make way for improvements to the tracks leading into the new Grand Central Terminal that was completed in 1913. The Grand Central Palace of 1911 was torn down in 1964 and replaced by a 47-story office building known as 245 Park Avenue.
            
Welte-Mignon Corp.
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (1927)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 101 registers, 9 ranks


From a brochure published by the Welte-Mignon Corporation:

"The Organ in the Exposition of Architecture and Allie Arts, Grand Central Palace, New York, February 21 to March 5, 1927, is a WELTE Orchestral Unit, built for the Wakefield Theatre, [Bronx] New York, to which the Welte reproducing action has been applied temporarily, for this exhibition only. The manual console is of a modified unit type, the reproducing action in this instance being in a small separate console.

"Provision is made in the console for an Echo Organ, for which there is no place in the Grand Central Palace, but which will be installed in the theatre. The specification follows:"
               
Pedal – 32 notes
32
   Acoustic Bass       Bass Drum (band)  
16
   Diaphone       Cymbal  
16
   Bourdon       Bass Drum (orchestra)  
8
   Trumpet       Snare Drum, roll  
8
   Diapason          
8
   Tibia Clausa       Second Touch  
8
   Cello  
8
   Chimes  
8
   Flute       Chinese Gong  
8
   Viola       Bass Drum (band)  
4
   Cornet       Cymbal  
4
   Violin       Tympani  
               
Accompaniment (Manual I) – 61 notes
16
  Bourdon       Muffled Drum  
8
  Trumpet       Chinese Block, roll  
8
  Diapason Phonon       Chinese Block, tap  
8
  Tibia Clausa       Tom Tom  
8
   Violin       Castanet  
8
   Clarinet       Tambourine  
8
   Vox Humana       Shuffle  
8
   Kinura          
8
   Flute       Second Touch  
8
   Viola  
8
   Trumpet  
4
   Tibia Flute  
8
   Diapason Phonon  
4
   Violin  
8
   Tibia Clausa  
4
   Vox Humana  
8
   Clarinet  
4
   Forest Flute  
4
   Tibia Flute  
4
   Viola  
2
   Glockenspiel  
2
   Piccolo  
8
   Chimes  
4
   Celesta       Snare Drum, roll  
4
   Xylophone       Chinese Block, roll  
2
   Glockenspiel       Triangle  
    Snare Drum, roll       Bird  
    Snare Drum, tap          
               
Solo (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Trombone  
4
   Cornet  
16
   Tibia Clausa  
4
   Octave  
16
   Contre Viole  
4
   Tibia Flute  
16
   Bass Clarinet  
4
   Violin  
16
   Vox Humana  
4
   Forest Flute  
8
   Trumpet  
4
   Viola  
8
   Diapason Phonon  
2 2/3
   Nazard  
8
   Tibia Clausa  
2
   Fifteenth  
8
   Violin  
2
   Piccolo  
8
   Clarinet  
1 3/5
  Tierce  
8
   Orchestral Oboe  
4
   Celesta  
8
   Vox Humana  
4
   Xylophone  
8
   Kinura  
2
   Glockenspiel  
8
   Flute  
2
   Orchestra Bells  
8
   Viola          
               
Percussion (Manual III) – 32 notes
8
   Tibia Clausa  
4
   Celesta  
4
   Solo Piccolo  
4
   Xylophone  
8
   Trumpet  
2
   Xylophone  
8
   Clarinet  
2
   Glockenspiel  
8
   Kinura  
2
   Orchestra Bells  
8
   Vox Humana  
8
   Chimes  
8
   Harp          
               
Vibratos
   
Main, left Main, right Vox Humana  
               
Adjustable Combinations
    5 toe pistons affecting pedal
    7 double touch pistons affecting accompaniment and pedal
    7 double touch pistons affecting solo and accompaniment
    5 pistons affecting percussion manual
    3 cancel pistons affecting respective manual groups
    Vibrato cancel piston
               
Traps
    Pistons    
    Drum piston; military drums and cymbal, manual and pedal
    Trap cancel piston    
         
    Pedals    
    Chinese Gong: roll, first touch; stroke, second touch
    Grand Crash
         
    Toe Pistons    
    Triangle    
    Two Birds    
         
    Push Buttons    
    Two Birds (duplicating toe pistons)    
    Two Sleigh Bells, different notes    
               
Accessories
    Two balanced expression pedals   Celesta sustaining pedal
    Balanced crescendo pedal   Muffled drum pedal
    Sforzando   Signal button
    Chimes soft pedal   Signal light
    Chimes sustaining pedal   Change-title button (dup. by toe)
         
Stop Analysis
Name
Pitch
Pipes
Pedal
Accomp.
Solo
Perc.
B
 Trumpet
8    
73    
8-4
8-8
16-8-4-16
8
A
 Diapason Phonon
16    
85    
16-8
8-8
8-4-8
B
 Tibia Clausa
8    
73    
8
8-4-8-4
16-8-4
8-4
A
 Violin
8    
85    
8-4
8-4
16-8-4-2
A
 Clarinet
8    
61    
8-8
16-8
8
A
 Orchestral Oboe
8    
Syn    
8
B
 Vox Humana
8    
73    
8-4
16-8
8
A
 Kinura
8    
61    
8
8
8
A
 Flute
16    
101    
32R-16-8
16-8-4-2
8-4-2 2/3-2-1 3/5
A
 Viola
8    
73    
8
8-4
8-4
B
 Celesta
4    
49    
4
4
8-4
B
 Xylophone
4    
37    
4
4
4-2
A
Glockenspiel }
Orchestra Bells }
2    
37    
2-2
2
2
A
2
2
A
 Chimes
8    
20    
8
8
8
A
 Bass Drum/Band Orch.
x-x
B
 Tympani
x
B
 Cymbal
x-x
B
 Chinese Gong
x
B
Snare Drum { Tap
{ Roll
{ Muffled
x
B
x
x-x
B
x
B
 Triangle
x
B
 Tom Tom
x
B
 Castanet
x
B
 Tambourine
x
B
 Chinese Block, Tap
x
B
 Chinese Block, Roll
x-x
B
 Shuffle
x
B
 Bird
x
 
NOTE: Italic figures indicate second touch.    
           
Sources:
     "A Great New Building," The New York Times (Feb. 27, 1893).
     "New Grand Central Palace," The New York Times (May 20, 1911).
     Welte-Mignon Corp. brochure describing Welte Orchestral Unit organ (1927). Courtesy James Lewis.
     "Work Begun on Razing Grand Central Palace," The New York Times (June 5, 1964).

Illustration:
     Undated postcard: Grand Central Palace, New York City.