Original Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe - New York City
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Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe
(Roman Catholic)

229 West 14th Street
New York, N.Y. 10011





The parish of Nuestra Señora de la Guadalupe, honoring the patron of the Americas, was founded in 1902 to serve the Spanish-speaking population of New York. A church was created in an existing row house on the north side of West 14th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in the area once known as Little Spain. The Spanish Baroque facade that includes a rounded pediment and iron porch was designed by Gustave Steinback and added in 1921.

Original Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe - New York City  
As the city's Latin population changed over the years, Our Lady of Guadalupe has served Spaniards, Spanish-Americans, Puerto Ricans and Mexicans. By the early 2000s, the small church could no longer accomodate the growing Mexican population, and in 2003 the congregation moved to nearby St. Bernard's Church at 330 West 14th, which was renamed Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Bernard's.
           
Reuben Midmer & Sons
Brooklyn, N.Y. (c.1900)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 12 stops, 10 ranks


The Reuben Midmer & Sons organ in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church was originally built around 1900 for a church in the Bronx, and was moved to its present location about 1930. The following specification is from an "organ notebook" kept by Charles Sharpeger, who indicated that the Midmer organ had tubular-pneumatic action. At some time, an unknown builder electrified the organ and provided a Reisner drawknob console. The Pedal Lieblich Gedeckt action (using the Bourdon stop on lower wind pressure) was added at an unknown time, along with a 12-pipe extension for the Pedal 8' Flute.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
8
   Open Diapason
61
8
   Melodia
61
8
   Dulciana
61
4
   Octave
61
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Violin Diapason
61
4
   Flute Harmonic
61
8
   Salicional [1-12 St. Diap.]
49
8
   Oboe
61
8
   Stopped Diapason
61
     Tremolo  
 
      
 
      
Pedal Organ – 30 notes
16
   Bourdon
32
8
   Flute [ext.] *
12
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt [lo-pres.] *
—
    
* Lieblich action & 12-note ext. added later
 
      
 
      
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8'   Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'
    Swell to Pedal 8'   Swell to Swell 16', 4'
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Pedal          
    Crescendo Pedal          
           
Sources:
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     LaJolla, Diego. Electronic mail concerning the Reuben Midmer & Sons organ.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Sharpeger, Charles. Specifications of Midmer-Losh Organ (c.1900). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.

Illustrations:
     Columbia University Archives: exterior (2006).
     eBay.com: postcard of interior (1970).