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House of the Redeemer
(originally Ernesto and Edith Fabbri Townhouse)
7 East 95th Street
New York, N.Y. 10128
http://www.houseoftheredeemer.org
The mansion known today as the House of the Redeemer was originally built as the town residence of Ernesto G. Fabbri, an Italian count and associate of J. Pierpont Morgan, and his wife, Edith Shepard Fabbri, great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The L-shaped Italian Renaissance-inspired house was designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, an American architect and town planner trained at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, noted for the 1908 restoration of New York’s City Hall. The interior decoration was by Egisto Fabbri, Ernesto Fabbri’s brother, who incorporated Edith Fabbri’s collection of Italian Renaissance and Baroque furnishings and architectural fragments into his designs. In celebration of the completion of the townhouse, violinist Fritz Kreisler performed at the housewarming party in 1916.
The House of the Redeemer’s outstanding architectural feature is the library, a treasure built in the 1400s for the Ducal palace in Urbino, Italy. The Duke was a patron of Raphael, who is said to have painted the medallion of the coat of arms on the vaulted 25-foot high ceiling. There is a monumental fireplace, exquisite paneling, a balustrade gallery, and even a secret passageway.
In 1949, inspired by a sermon preached by the Right Reverend Austin Pardue on the necessity of silence and prayer in one's spiritual life, Edith Fabbri deeded the building to the Episcopal Church for use as a religious retreat center. The House of the Redeemer was operated by Episcopal nuns (the Sisters of St. Mary) from 1949 until 1980, after which a residential Warden was appointed to run the center. Today, the House of the Redeemer is run by a Board of Trustees, and spiritual care is provided by Episcopal priests-in-residence. |
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Aeolian Company
New York City – Opus 1398 (1916)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 33 stops, 21 ranks
The Aeolian organ, built in 1916 at a cost of $11,500, is installed on the gallery level at one end of the elegant library, with the console and chamber directly beneath the projection room. A Duo-Art player is contained in the console, and there is a fold-down foot rest which prevents accidental playing of the pedals. Provisions were made in the console for an Echo division, but it was never installed; its stops and expression pedal are immovable.
Unfortunately, the organ is now unplayable. |
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Manual I – 61 notes, enclosed
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16 |
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Deep Flute |
61 |
8 |
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Flute P |
61 |
8 |
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Diapason |
61 |
4 |
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High Flute |
61 |
8 |
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String F |
61 |
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Mixture String P [5 ranks] |
305 |
8 |
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Vibrato String F [TC] |
49 |
8 |
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Trumpet |
61 |
8 |
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String P |
61 |
8 |
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Oboe |
61 |
8 |
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Vibrato String P [TC] |
49 |
8 |
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Clarinet |
61 |
8 |
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String PP |
61 |
8 |
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Vox Humana |
61 |
8 |
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Flute F |
61 |
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Tremolo |
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Manual II – 61 notes, enclosed (duplexed)
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16 |
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Deep Flute |
— |
8 |
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Flute P |
— |
8 |
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Diapason |
— |
4 |
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High Flute |
— |
8 |
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String F |
— |
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Mixture String P [5 ranks] |
— |
8 |
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Vibrato String F [TC] |
— |
8 |
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Trumpet |
— |
8 |
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String P |
— |
8 |
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Oboe |
— |
8 |
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Vibrato String P [TC] |
— |
8 |
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Clarinet |
— |
8 |
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String PP |
— |
8 |
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Vox Humana |
— |
8 |
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Flute F |
— |
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Tremolo |
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Echo Organ (floating) – console preparation only
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8 |
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Flute |
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8 |
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Oboe |
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8 |
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String P |
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8 |
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Vox Humana |
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4 |
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High Flute |
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Tremolo |
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Pedal Organ – 30 notes
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16 |
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Deep Flute F |
30 |
16 |
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Deep Flute P |
MAN |
16 |
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Deep Flute MF |
30 |
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Percussions
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| Harp |
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(Manual I – Off – Manual II) |
| Chimes |
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(Manual I – Off – Manual II) |
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Couplers
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Manual I to Pedal |
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Manual I Octave |
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Manual II to Pedal |
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Manual I Unison Release |
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Manual II to Manual I |
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Manual II Sub Octave |
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Manual II to Manual I Octave |
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Manual II Octave |
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Manual I Sub Octave |
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Manual II Unison Release |
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Combination Pistons
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Manual I Forte |
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Manual II Forte |
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Manual I Mezzo |
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Manual II Mezzo |
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Manual I Piano |
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Manual II Piano |
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Manual I Release |
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Manual II Release |
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Aeolienne
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| Normal |
} |
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| Reverse |
} |
Aeolienne Control, 116-note music |
| Unison |
} |
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Pedal Augment |
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Aeolian Tempo |
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Aeolian Ventil |
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Control, 58-note music |
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Aeolian Reroll |
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Accessories
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Tonal Pedal |
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Great to Pedal Reversible |
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Expression Pedal Swell 1 |
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Sforzando Reversible |
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Expression Pedal Swell 2 |
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Expression Pedal Echo |
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Duo-Art mechanism |
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Chamber view |
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Sources:
Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.
House of the Redeemer web site: http://www.houseoftheredeemer.org
Smith, Rollin. The Aeolian Pipe Organ and its Music. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1998.
Illustrations:
John Rust. |
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