The New Church (Swedenborgian) - New York City
 
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The New Church
(Swedenborgian)

114 East 35th Street
New York, N.Y. 10016

Organ Specifications:
114 East 35th Street (since 1859)
► III/38 Hall Organ Company (1919)
• III/34 Reuben Midmer & Sons (1888)
► II/15 Ferris & Stuart (1859)
Broadway near Rector Street (1838-1845)
• unknown
Pearl Street (1816-1838)
• unknown


The New Church, also known as The Church of the New Jerusalem, or Swedenborgian, is a denomination based on the the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), a Swedish scientist, philosopher, Christian mystic, and theologian who rejected or challenged traditional church doctrines. The movement came to New York in 1805 when Edward Riley emmigrated from England, and in 1816 the society was organized as "The Association of the City of New York for the Dissemination of the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem." In the early years the society met for worship and study in various locations in lower Manhattan until 1821, when a small church on Pearl Street was purchased. The society remained there until 1838 when the edifice was sold to the Zion Baptist society. After that time, the Swedenborgians met on Broadway, near Rector Street, until about 1845.

For the next several years, the society met in different locations. In the 1850s, James Chesterman offered the society three lots on 35th Street, near Fourth Avenue, on the condition that a new church building be erected on the property. On July 1, 1858, the cornerstone was laid for a Gothic-style edifice that would measure 75 by 50 feet and cost about $15,000. Designed by James Hoe, the church occupied the rear of the property and was actually in the Italianate Renaissance style. In 1866, Gambrill & Post designed an addition on the right side that extended to the front of the lot.

In 1990, the sanctuary was closed when water damage caused roof timbers to fall and services were moved to a smaller meeting room. By this time, the congregation had dwindled to 18 members. Ultimately, an adjacent row house was sold for $3 million to finance the $1.6 million restoration of the church, as designed by Alexander Gorlin. Since the reopening of the church, the congregation has encouraged the use of its 220-seat church as a wedding venue.
           
Hall Organ Company
West Haven, Conn. (1919)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 40 stops, 38 ranks
               
Great Organ Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Open Diapason  
8
   Gamba  
8
   1st Open Diapason  
8
   Dulciana  
8
   2nd Open Diapason  
4
   Octave  
8
   Gross Flute  
4
   Harmonic Flute  
8
   Doppel Flute  
8
   Harmonic Tuba  

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Gedeckt  
4
   Flute d'Amour  
8
   Open Diapason  
2
   Flageolet  
8
   Stopped Diapason       Dolce Cornet III ranks  
8
   Clarabella  
8
   Cornopean  
8
   Viol d'Orchestre  
8
   Oboe  
8
   Vox Celeste  
8
   Orchestral Oboe  
8
   Salicional  
8
   Vox Humana  
8
   Aeoline       Tremolo  
4
   Salicet          

     

     
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Open Diapason  
8
   Keraulophon  
8
   Melodia  
4
   Traverse Flute  
8
   Quintadena  
8
   Clarinet  
8
   Dolce       Tremolo  

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Open Diapason [unit]
44
8
   Octave
—
16
   Bourdon [unit]
44
8
   Flute
—
16
   Violone [unit]
44
8
   Violon
—
16
   Gedeckt
SW
        
           
Reuben Midmer & Sons
Brooklyn, N.Y. (1888)
Tracker-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 34 ranks


In 1911, Louis F. Mohr, an organ serviceman in the area, described this organ as having three manuals and 34 ranks. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.
           
Ferris & Stuart
New York City (1859)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 15 stops, 15 ranks


The original organ in the present church was built in 1859 by Richard M. Ferris and Levi U. Suart of New York City. After almost three decades of service, the organ was replaced in 1888 by a new instrument built by Reuben Midmer & Sons. In 1889, the Ferris & Stuart organ was acquired for a consideration of $825 by John Lathrop Burdett, a vestryman of St. James' Protestant Episcopal Church, Arlington, Vt., where it served until being replaced by an Estey organ (Op. 3259) in 1959. The Ferris & Stuart organ was then purchased by the Rev. Harry Ford of Exeter, N.H.

The specifications that follow, recorded by an unknown person, were retained by the rector of St. James Church, Arlington, Vt., and sent to Larry Trupiano of Brooklyn.
   
Great Organ (Manual I) – 56 notes
8
   Open Diapason
56
4
   Rohr Flute [TC]
44
8
   Stop Diapason Treble
44
3
   Twelfth
56
8
   Dolce [TC]
44
2
   Fifteenth
56
8
   Stop Diapason Bass
12
8
   Trumpet [TC]
44
4
   Principal
56
        

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 56 notes, enclosed
8
   Open Diapason [TC]
44
4
   Principal [TC]
44
8
   Stop Diapason Treble [TC]
44
4
   Principal Bass
12
8
   Dulciana [TC]
44
2
   Fifteenth [TC]
44
8
   Stop Diapason Bass
12
8
   Hautboy [TC]
44

     

     
Pedal Organ – 25 notes
16
   Double Stop Diapason Bass
25
        
               
Couplers
    Great to Swell          
    Pedal to Great          
           
Sources:
     "City Items," The New York Times (July 2, 1858).
     The Diapason (December 1919). Specifications of Hall Organ (1919). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Dunlap, David. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes: The New Church Lives Up to Its Name," The New York Times (Oct. 7, 2007).
     King, Moses. King's Handbook of New York City: An Outline History & Description of the American Metropolis. Boston: Moses King, 1892.
     Mohr, Louis F. & Co. Description of Reuben Midmer & Sons organ (1888). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Trupiano, Larry. Specifications of Ferris & Stuart organ (1859).

Illustration:
     Google Street View. Exterior.