Dave Hennen Morris Residence - New York City (Wurts Bros., c.1915)
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Dave Hennen Morris Residence

19 East 70th Street
New York, N.Y. 10021


Organ Specifications:
19 East 70th Street (1910-?):
► III/20 M.P. Möller, Op. 1054 (1910)
269 West 72nd Street (1901-1910):
• II/17 George S. Hutchings, Op. 449 (c.1898)




David Hennen Morris  
Dave Hennen Morris
  
Dave (he was christened Dave, not David) Hennen Morris (1872-1944) was a New York attorney with business interests in railroads, hotels and other ventures. In 1895, he married Alice Vanderbilt Shepard (1874-1950), daughter of Elliot Fitch Shepard and Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt. Morris was a founder of the Aero Club of America and of the Automobile Club of America. Socially, Dave and Alice Morris moved in rarefied circles, giving support to many political, charitable and civic causes. He also found time, with his brother Alfred, to breed race horses. In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him U.S. ambassador to Belgium.

The Morris house was designed by Thornton Chard and built in 1909-10. The New Music Review described the house as "a marvel of modern architecture and engineering and no expense was spared to secure the greatest comfort on every one of its eight [sic] floors and in every feature from the two automatic elevators to the latest wrinkle in kitchen utensils." As of 2006, the Morris residence is occupied by the Knoedler Gallery.
               
  M.P. Möller organ, Op. 1054 (1912) in David H. Morris Residence - New York City (photo: The Diapason, Nov. 1912)
  Morris organ in case by Art Organ Co.
Organ in Morris residence at 19 East 70th Street:

M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 1054 (1910)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 31 stops, 20 ranks




For his new residence on East 70th Street, Dave H. Morris commissioned the M.P. Möller firm of Hagerstown, Md., to build a new organ. The Agreement (Oct. 14, 1909) shows that this organ would have three manuals with electric action, and would cost $5,500, plus title to the old Hutchings organ at 269 West 72nd Street. Möller also agreed to dismantle and remove the Hutchings organ between June 1 – July 1, 1910; however, if by April 1st the purchaser of the old house wished to retain the organ, Möller would be paid $1,500 cash for the organ. Möller further agreed to pay all commissions or other moneys due to the Art Organ Co. by Mr. Morris as a result of the contract. The organ included a Solo Player that would play "58 note standard music operating on any or all of the stops, couplers, pistons and devices drawn by the performer in any solo combination similar to the effects secured on the 116 note Aeolian tracker board," and Möller agreed to provide "100 rolls of music properly cut for solo from any catalogue of standard 58 note music to be selected by the purchaser, within 10 days after placing order with him at a cost not to exceed 50% above the regular catalogue price of music unprepared for solo. Operationg of solo device shall not require any other personal or mechanical aid on the part of the performer that is required by the said Aeolian 116 note device." Möller stated that the new organ would be ready for use on or before August 1, 1910, or as soon thereafter as possible. The organ was shipped on November 30, 1910.

In a letter to Möller dated March 2, 1911, Morris confirmed a conversation of that same day concerning additions to the organ. First, an Echo Organ having four stops (Vox Humana 8', Fern Flute 4', Quintadena 8', and Viola Aetheria 8' – all with 61 pipes) was to be be installed in the fifth floor broom closet at the head of the stairs. The Echo would be available only on the Swell manual of the Main Organ, with the 16' - 4' couplers controlling the stops. A separate tremolo would be included, and an additional swell pedal would be fitted in the console. Secondly, Morris ordered "a Harp stop in the main instrument equal, or superior to the best devices of the kind made by other builders." Morris agreed to pay a consideration of $2,000 for the additions, plus costs over $100 for the installation of necessary wind trunks, cables, etc.

The Morris organ was favorably described in an article entitled, "An Ideal Home Organ" in an 1912 issue of The New Music Review:
In the organ it was desired to achieve an instrument of a pronounced orchestral type, and the specifications suggested by Möller were submitted for criticism to the late Gustav Mahler, Mr. Walter Damrosch and other eminent orchestral authorities. Some of the ideas resulting were incorporated in the instrument.

The organ is in four divisions, each of which is contained in a structural swell-box of fireproof material. The console is attached to the casework which screens the two main divisions of the organ, and this part of the instrument is on the second floor opposite the staircase. The great stair well disperses the tone effectively through all the principal rooms of the house. About thirty feet away, at the end of the large hall, screened by a tapestry over the opening in the wall, is a special division comprising the Solo Vox Humana, the Harp, the Chimes, and three other solo stops. These have electric swell shades controlled by independent pedal. On the fifth floor adjoining the stair well is the Echo Organ, comprising the Echo Vox Humana and other stops of a distant and ethereal effect,—also controlled by electric swell shades.

The organ is also playable by the Solo-tone automatic devise [sic], using ordinary 65-note [sic] perforated rolls,—an exclusive Möller feature. This plays melody throughout the entire register of one manual, accompanying at the same time independently on another manual full compass, providing at the same time a single pedal note regardless of the position of the chord. In other words three independent voices are played simultaneously. This is absolutely unique in player mechanism.

In 1936, Mr. Morris donated this organ to the College of the City of New York. M.P. Möller rebuilt and moved the organ (as Op. 6211) to the auditorium (aka Pauline Edwards Theatre) in the "Downtown Campus" located at 17 Lexington Avenue at 23rd Street.

               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Open Diapason *
61
8
   Gemshorn
61
8
   Dulciana
61
4
   Flute Harmonique
73
8
   Doppel Floete
73
8
   Harmonic Tuba
73
 
      
 
  
* unenclosed
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Lieblich Gedackt
73
4
   Rohr Flute
73
8
   Geigen Principal
73
8
   Oboe
73
8
   Concert Flute
73
8
   Clarinet **
73
8
   Viol d'Orchestre
73
8
   Vox Humana ** [with sep. trem.]
73
8
   Viol Celeste [TC]
61
    
** in separate chest and swell box
 
      
 
      
Solo Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Geigen Principal
SW
8
   Clarinet
SW
8
   Concert Flute
SW
8
   Oboe
SW
8
   Viol d'Orchestre
SW
8
   Vox Humana
SW
8
   Doppel Floete
GT
    
Carillons (Tubular Chimes)
20 Bells
4
   Flute Harmonique
GT
    
Harp [added 1911]
37 Bars
8
   Harmonic Tuba
GT
      
               
Echo Organ – 61 notes, enclosed (playable from Swell Manual) – added 1911
8
   Viola Aetheria
61
4
   Fern Flute
61
8
   Quintadena
61
8
   Vox Humana
61
               
Pedal Organ – 30 notes
16
   Sub Bass
42
8
   Bass Flute [ext.]
—
16
   Lieblich Gedackt
SW
        
               
Couplers
    Swell to Pedal   Swell 4', 16' [also affects Echo]
    Great to Pedal   Solo 4', 16'
    Solo to Pedal   Swell Unison Cancel
    Swell to Great 16', 8'   Solo Unison Cancel
    Solo to Great 16', 8'    
               
Mechanicals
    Swell Tremulant   Wind Indicator
    Solo Tremulant   Crescendo Indicator
    Echo Tremulant [added 1911]    
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Swell & Pedal Pistons No. 1-2-3
Great & Pedal Pistons No. 1-2
Solo & Pedal Pistons No. 1-2-3-4
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Pedal   Grand Crescendo Pedal
    Balanced Great Pedal   Great to Pedal Reversible
    Balanced Echo Pedal [added 1911]   9 Combination Pedal Pistons
               
Organ in Morris residence at 269 West 72nd Street:

George S. Hutchings
Boston, Mass. – Opus 449 (1898)
Tubular?-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 17 stops


For his residence on West 72nd Street, Dave Morris commissioned an organ to be built by George S. Hutchings of Boston. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.

When Mr. Morris moved to a new residence on East 70th Street in 1910, this organ was moved by M.P. Möller (as their Op. 1201) to the Bedford Heights Baptist Church, Brooklyn, for a consideration of $1,500.
               
Sources:
     "An Ideal Home Organ", The New Music Review (c.1912):478. Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     The New York Times (May 14, 1939). Wedding announcement of Alice Vanderbilt Morris 2d.
     Nixon, Stuart: "100th Anniversary" of National Aeronautic Association, web site: http://www.naa.aero
     "$150,000 House For John F. Carroll," The New York Times (Oct. 31, 1901).
     "Orchestral Type Pronounced Here," The Diapason (Nov. 1, 1912). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications (Dec. 12, 1936) for M.P. Möller organ, Op. 6211 for the City College of New York.
     Trupiano, Larry. Letter of Agreement (Oct. 14, 1909) for M.P. Möller organ, Op. 1054; Letter from Dave H. Morris (Mar. 2, 1911) for addition of Echo and Harp.
     Trupiano, Larry. Letter of Agreement (Dec. 8, 1910) between M.P. Möller and Bedford Heights Baptist Church, Brooklyn, concerning move of the Geo. S. Hutchings organ from Morris residence to the church.

Illustrations:
     The Diapason (Nov. 1912). Photo of M.P. Möller organ, Op. 1054 (1910). Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
               
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