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Prince Hall Masonic Temple
(originally William McKinley Masonic Temple)
454 West 155th Street
New York, N.Y. 10032
The building now occupied by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge was built in 1925 as the Masonic Temple for William McKinley Lodge No. 840, F. and A. M. Previously located at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, the new temple was built in Harlem on West 155th Street between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas Avenues. In September, 1936, the property was foreclosed, but it seems that the lodge and other associations continued to meet in the building.
In March, 1938, the building was leased by Manufacturers Trust Company to the Savage School for Physical Education, previously at 308-10 West 59th Street for almost 50 years.
As some point, the building was acquired by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, who moved from a temple built in 1926 at 144th Street and Seventh Avenue. The Prince Hall Masons are a benevolent service organization dedicated to the uplifting of people of color. A driving force in the struggle for African American civil rights, the Prince Hall Masons continue to organize and participate in social service projects to improve the lives of people in Northern Manhattan. |
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M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 4405 and 4406 (1925)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 10 stops, 7 ranks
Two identical organs were built by the M. P. Möller firm for the new McKinley Temple on West 155th Street. The contract, dated June 12, 1925, states that the organs had detached stop-key consoles, operated on 5" wind pressure, cost $3,225.00 each, and included the notation, "Voice Soft". Both organs were to be completed by December 1, 1925. The status of these organs in 2007 is unknown. |
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Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed with Swell
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8 |
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Open Diapason |
73 |
4 |
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Flute Harmonic |
61 |
8 |
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Stopped Diapason |
73 |
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8 |
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Dulciana |
73 |
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* deleted from contract |
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Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Great
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8 |
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Stopped Diapason |
GT |
8 |
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Viole d'Orchestre |
73 |
8 |
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Dulciana |
GT |
8 |
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Vox Celeste [TC] |
49 |
4 |
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Flute |
GT |
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Tremulant |
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Pedal Organ – 32 notes
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16 |
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Bourdon |
32 |
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Couplers
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Great to Pedal 8' |
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Great 16', 4', Unison Separation |
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Swell to Pedal 8', 4' |
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Swell 16', 4', Unison Separation |
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Swell to Great 16', 8', 4' |
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Mechanicals
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Crescendo Indicator |
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Adjustable Combinations
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Pistons No. 1-2-3 |
affecting Great and Pedal Stops |
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Pistons No. 1-2-3 |
affecting Swell and Pedal Stops |
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Pedal Movements
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Great to Pedal Reversible |
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Balanced Swell Pedal |
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Grand Crescendo Pedal |
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Sources:
"Gets New Location After Fifty Years," The New York Times (Mar. 4, 1938).
"Negroes Lay Stone For Masonic Temple," The New York Times (May 31, 1926).
Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specification for M.P. Möller organ, Op. 4406 (1925).
"Variety of Buildings Bid in at Auctions," The New York Times (Sept. 11, 1936).
Illustration:
Bridge and Tunnel Club web site: http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com: Exterior. |
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