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Renaissance Theatre
2343 Seventh Avenue at 137th Street
New York, N.Y. 10030
The Renaissance Theatre, located on the northeast corner of Seventh Avenue (now Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.) and 137th Street, was built in 1921 by William C. Roach, an immigrant from Montserrat who owned a housecleaning service. Roach was partners with Joseph H. Sweeney, also from Montserrat, and Cleophus Charity, an Antiguan. Thus, the Renaissance Theatre was the first theatre in New York that was built, owned and controlled by blacks.
Harry Creighton Ingalls designed the 900-seat theatre, employing a simple tile and brick exterior described by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as “inspired by the Islamic architecture of North Africa.”
In 1923, the partners built the Renaissance Casino at the 138th Street corner of the block and adjacent to the theatre. The casino, which had a ballroom on the second floor, was used for public meetings, like a 1923 anti-lynching meeting held by the N.A.A.C.P., and it was also the home court of the Harlem Renaissance Big-Five, the black professional basketball team known as the Harlem Rens.
The Renaissance closed in 1979, and the property was purchased by the Abyssinian Development Corporation, who planned to restore the ballroom and provide a place "to laugh, sing and dance." In 1991, the Landmarks Preservation Commission sought to designate the complex, not because the buildings were architecturally significant, but because, unlike most of Harlem, they were built by blacks, not whites. The Abyssinian Development Corporation successfully fought the landmark designation, and is developing the property to include a 13-story apartment house on the site of the theatre, and a performance and community space in the casino building. |
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M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 3496 (1922)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 37 registers, 14 stops, 14 ranks
The contract dated September 21, 1922 shows that the M.P. Möller Company agreed to build a three-manual organ with a stop-key console. The organ was to be completd by December 10, 1922, and cost $9,000. |
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Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Solo
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16 |
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Diapason Phonon |
61 |
4 |
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Solo Flute [Dop. Fl.] |
— |
8 |
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Doppel Flute |
73 |
4 |
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Traverse Flute [Conc. Fl] |
SO |
8 |
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Concert Flute |
SO |
8 |
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Tuba |
73 |
8 |
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Solo Violin |
85 |
16 |
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Clarinet (TC) |
SO |
4 |
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Violin |
— |
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2 2/3 |
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String Twelfth |
— |
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Tremulant |
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2 |
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Fifteenth |
— |
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Orchestral Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
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16 |
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Tibia Clausa |
97 |
8 |
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Viole Celeste (TC) |
61 |
8 |
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Stopped Flute |
— |
16 |
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Fagott (TC, fr. Oboe) |
— |
4 |
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Orchestral Flute |
— |
8 |
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Orchestral Oboe |
73 |
2 2/3 |
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Quint |
— |
8 |
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Vox Humana |
73 |
2 |
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Piccolo |
— |
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1 3/5 |
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Tiercena |
— |
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8 |
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Clarabel Flute |
73 |
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4 |
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Clarabel Flute |
— |
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8 |
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Viole d'Orchestre |
73 |
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4 |
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Violin |
— |
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Tremulant |
— |
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Solo Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
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8 |
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Viola |
73 |
8 |
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Tuba |
GT |
8 |
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Concert Flute |
73 |
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Snare Drum |
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8 |
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Violin |
GT |
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Tambourine |
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4 |
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Violin |
GT |
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Tom Tom |
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2 |
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Fifteenth |
GT |
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Chinese Block |
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4 |
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Flute Traverso [Conc. Fl.] |
— |
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Tremulant |
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8 |
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Clarinet |
73 |
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Pedal Organ – 32 notes
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16 |
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Bourdon |
OR |
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Thunder Sheet |
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16 |
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Lieblich Gedeckt [ext. SO] |
12 |
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Bass Drum |
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8 |
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Flute [Tibia Clausa] |
OR |
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Cymbal |
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8 |
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Violoncello |
GT |
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Tympani |
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Crash Cymbal |
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Couplers
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Great to Pedal 8', 4' |
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Orchestral to Solo 8' |
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Solo to Pedal 8' |
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Solo to Orchestral 8' |
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Orchestral to Pedal 8' |
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Great 4' |
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Solo to Great 16', 8', 4' |
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Solo 16', 4' |
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Orchestral to Great 16', 8', 4' |
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Orchestral 16', 4' |
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Mechanicals
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Orchestral Tremulant |
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Solo Tremulant |
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Crescendo Indicator |
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Adjustable Combinations
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Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
affecting Great and Pedal stops |
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Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
affecting Orchestral and Pedal stops |
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Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
affecting Solo and Pedal stops |
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Pistons No. 1-2-3 |
affecting Full Organ |
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Pedal Movements
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Balanced Solo Pedal |
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Great to Pedal Reversible |
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Balanced Orchestral Pedal |
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Orchestral to Pedal Reversible |
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Grand Crescendo Pedal |
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Sources:
Adams, Michael Henry. Harlem Lost and Found: An Architectural and Social History, 1765-1915. New York: Monacelli Press, 2002.
The Black Fives Blog: http://blackfivesblog.com
Cinema Treasures website: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/12575
Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes: A Harlem Landmark in All But Name," The New York Times (Feb. 18, 2007).
Junchen, David L. Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. I. Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1985.
Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications of M.P. Möller organ, Op. 3496 (1922).
Illustrations:
The Black Fives Blog. Grand Opening Ad for the Renaissance Theatre.
Byron and Company (New York, N.Y.). Photo (1901) of Roof Garden of New York Theatre. Collection of the Museum of the City of New York. |
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