Mount Washington Presbyterian Church

84 Vermilyea Avenue at 204th Street
New York, N.Y. 10034



Mount Washington Presbyterian Church was established in 1844 by Samuel Thomson (1784-1850), a resident of Inwood, in the northern area of Manhattan. It was named for the site of Fort Washington which is presently located in Bennett Park on Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 185th Streets.

1897 drawing of Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church - New York City  
The first church, a wooden Gothic building with steeple, was located on the northwest corner of Kingsbridge Road and Inwood Street (now Broadway and Dyckman Street) on the property of Mr. Thomson. This church had a grass lot in front with two willow trees that had given the church a framed view from the street. On August 18, 1844, the first services were held in the new church, allowing a more convenient place to worship for those who had previously traveled to churches in the Bronx or in southern parts of Manhattan. The land was later deeded to the church by the heirs of Mr. Thomson, and the building was enlarged in 1856.

In the 1920s, the city formed the Independent Subway (IND) and began planning routes into upper Manhattan. The proposed "A" train was to run under church property, resulting in the condemnation (in 1927) of the church building and property, and the church was forced to relocate. Ground was broken for the present church on June 23, 1928, and the structure was completed in the summer of 1929. The last service in the old church was held on June 16, 1929, and  first services in the new building were held in September 1929. The parish house was built on the present site in 1914. In the 1930s, a portion of the church property was sold, allowing the construction of the Inwood Post Office, located on the corner of 204th Street and Vermilyea Avenue.
               
Hall Organ Company
West Haven, Conn. (1929)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 32 registers, 27 stops, 29 ranks


The status of this organ is unknown.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Diapason  
4
  
Octave
preparation
8
   First Diapason  
4
   Harmonic Flute  
8
   Second Diapason  
8
   Tuba  
8
   Erzahler       Harp  
8
   Clarabella       Chimes  
8
  
Gamba
preparation
       

 

     

 

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon  
4
   Violina  
8
   Horn Diapason       Dolce Cornet III ranks  
8
   Viole d'Orchestre  
8
   Cornopean  
8
   Viole Celeste  
8
   Oboe  
8
   Gedeckt  
8
   Vox Humana  
8
   Aeoline       Tremolo  
4
   Flauto Traverso          
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   English Diapason  
8
   Clarinet  
8
   Concert Flute       Harp  
8
   Dulciana       Chimes  
8
   Unda Maris       Tremolo  
4
   Flute d'Amour          

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Resultant
—
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW?
16
   Diapason
32
8
   Gross Flute [ext.?]  
16
   Grand Principal
GT?
8
   Gedeckt [ext.?]  
16
  Bourdon
32
16
 
Tuba
preparation
               
Sources:
     The Diapason (Feb. 1, 1929). Stoplist of Hall Organ (1929). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Renner, James. "Mount Washington Presbyterian Church," Washington Heights and Inwood Online website: http://www.washington-heights.us/.

Illustrations:
     Washington Heights online. 1897 drawing of church exterior.