Salem United Methodist Church - New York City (photo: June DeLairre Truesdale)
 
Click on images to enlarge
Salem United Methodist Church

2190 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. at 129th Street
New York, N.Y. 10027


Organ Specifications:
2190 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. (since 1923)
► IV/26 M. P. Möller, Op. R-442 (1952)
► III/32 George Jardine & Son (1887)
102 West 133rd Street (1908-1923)
► I/9 George Jardine & Son (1859?)






Salem United Methodist Church was founded in 1881 as a mission of St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal Church. The mission first met in a storefront at 250 St. Nicholas Avenue, and later moved to 232 West 124th Street, a private home. In 1908, the New York City Missionary and Church Extension Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church purchased six brownstones on 133rd Street and Lenox Avenue, renovating them to create a chapel and meeting rooms for the Salem mission. That same year, Salem was reorganized as a separate church.

Salem United Methodist Church - New York City  
By the early 1920s, Salem's membership had grown to over 600 and larger facilities were needed. In 1923, Salem purchased the imposing Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church (also known as the West Harlem M.E. Church) for $258,000, after Calvary decided to relocate to the Bronx. Salem Church has been home to many of Harlem's cultural and intellectual elite, including singer Marian Anderson and poet Countee Cullen.
           
M. P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus R-442 (1952)
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 33 stops, 26 ranks


This organ was originally built in 1931 by the Möller Organ Company as Opus 5796, and was one of two Möller organs installed in the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue. As built, Opus 5796 had three manuals, 75 registers, and 22 ranks, plus an Artiste Reproducing Roll Player. The location of this organ in the hotel is unknown, but it may have been installed in a smallar ballroom or in the M.P. Möller Company Showroom on the 4th floor. The larger organ, Opus 5795, was installed in the Grand Ballroom and had four manuals, 102 registers and 76 ranks, plus an Artiste Reproducing Rolle Player.

In 1952, Möller's Opus 5796 was removed from the hotel and rebuilt for Salem Methodist Church. All parts that were to be releathered or rebuilt were returned to the Möller factory, and the organ was thoroughly cleaned, tonally regulated, repitched and tuned for its new home at Salem Methodist Church. Möller added two stops on the Great (4' Octave and III-rank Mixture) and a new 10 HP blower and blower reservoir were installed. Möller also built a new four-manual console that included many blank drawknobs for future additions; it is believed that Virgil Fox had input on the console design, as evident by the inclusion of a Swell to Great 2' coupler. In later years, additions and changes to the organ were carried out by the Schantz Organ Company.

Click here to view the Möller Factory Specification for Op. R-442. Note that Möller incorrectly refers to the original Waldorf organ as Op. 5766 instead of Op. 5796. (Op. 5766 went to First Evangelical Church in Indianapolis, Ind.)
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Choir
8
   Diapason
61
8
   Solo Trumpet
61
8
   Doppel Flute
73
     Tremolo  
4
   Octave
61
    
Chimes
21 tubes
4
   Harmonic Flute
49
     4 blank drawknobs  
    Mixture III ranks
183
        

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bass Flute
97
8
   Voix Celeste [TC]
61
8
   Geigen Principal
73
4
   Violina [Violin]
—
8
   Traverse Flute [Bass Flute]
—
8
   Oboe
61
8
   Orchestral Strings II ranks
134
8
   Vox Humana
61
8
   Violin
73
     Tremolo  
8
   Salicional
73
     7 blank drawknobs  
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   English Diapason
73
8
   Flute [Concert Flute]
—
8
   Concert Flute
85
8
   French Horn
61
8
   Viola
73
8
   Clarinet
61
8
   Viola Celeste [TC]
61
     Tremolo  
8
   Viole Dolce
73
    
Harp [TC]
61 bars
8
   Vox Angelica
73
     4 blank drawknobs  
               
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed
    7 blank drawknobs          
               
Anitphonal Organ – 61 notes, enclosed
(Playable from Great through coupler pistons placed on key jambs. Stops to be affected by Great couplers.)
    7 blank drawknobs          
               
Anitphonal Pedal – 32 notes
    4 blank drawknobs          

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Resultant
—
8
   Viola
CH
16
   Violone
32
8
   Dolce Flute
SW
16
   Bourdon [ext. GT Dop. Fl.]
12
8
   Tromba
GT
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
     14 blank drawknobs  
8
   Major Flute
GT
        
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8', 4'       Solo to Great 16', 8', 4'  
    Swell to Pedal 8', 4'       Great 16', 4'  
    Choir to Pedal 8', 4'       Swell 16', 4', Unison  
    Solo to Pedal 8', 4'       Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'  
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4', 2'       Choir 16', 4', Unison  
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'       Solo 16', 4', Unison  
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Choir Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Solo Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
Antiphonal Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
Couplers Pistons 1-2-3-0 (thumb)
Pedal Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb & toe)
Full Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (thumb & toe)
               
Pedal Movements
    Great to Pedal Reversible (duplicated by manual piston)
    Swell to Pedal Reversible (duplicated by manual piston)
    Choir to Pedal Reversible (duplicated by manual piston)
    Solo to Pedal Reversible (duplicated by manual piston)
    Balanced Expression Pedal – Great-Choir Organ
    Balanced Expression Pedal – Swell Organ
    Balanced Expression Pedal – Solo Organ
    Balanced Expression Pedal – Antiphonal Organ
    Balanced Crescendo Pedal
    Sforzando Reversible (duplicated by manual piston)
    All Swells to Swell Reversible (duplicated by manual piston)
               
Accessories
    Action Current Indicator (light)
    Expression Indicator (light)
    Crescendo Indicator (thermometer type with light)
    Sforzando Indicator (light)
    All Swells Indicator (light)
           
George Jardine & Son
New York City (1887)
Tracker-pneumatic and mechanical action
3 manuals, 28 stops, 32 ranks


The organ built by George Jardine & Son was located on the platform behind the pulpit and featured a fan trumpet in the facade. Jardine used tracker-pneumatic action for the Great and Swell organs, and straight tracker for the Choir and Pedal. The following specifications were recorded in 1924 by Louis F. Mohr, Sr. (1862-1949), who serviced organs in the area for many years.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
58
4
   Principal
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2
   Piccolo
58
8
   Gamba
58
     Sesquialtera, 3 ranks
174
8
   Doppel Flöte
58
8
   Trumpet
58
8
   Claribella
58
        

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 58 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
58
2
   Flageolet
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
     Cornet, 3 ranks
174
8
   Salicional
58
8
   Trumpet
58
8
   Lieblich Gedackt
58
8
   Oboe
58
4
   Echo Flute
58
8
   Vox Humana
58
4
   Violino
58
     Tremulant  
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
8
   Viola
58
4
   Flute Harmonic
58
8
   Melodia
58
8
   Clarinet
58
8
   Clariana
58
        

     

     
Pedal Organ – 30 notes
16
   Open Diapason
30
8
   Violoncello
30
16
   Bourdon
30
        
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal       Swell to Great  
    Swell to Pedal       Choir to Great  
    Choir to Pedal       Swell to Choir  
               
Pedal Movements
    Great to Pedal reversible  
    3 combinations to Great Organ  
    2 combinations to Swell Organ  
    Balanced Swell Pedal          
           
Organ located in church located at 102 West 133rd Street:

George Jardine & Son
New York City (1859?)
Mechanical action
1 manual, 9 stops, 8 ranks


At an unknown time, George Jardine & Son built an organ for the 37th Street Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 225 East 37th Street. The following specifications are from Louis F. Mohr, Sr., who for many years operated an organ service company in the area. Mohr indicated that the case was 13 feet wide, 12 feet high, and nearly 7 feet deep with pedals. There were 17 front pipes covering a space of 7 feet 7 inches, and on either side were two painted flats measuring 2 feet 10 inches. This organ was moved (probably when the church disbanded in 1911) to Salem Methodist Episcopal Church, then located at 102 West 133rd Street.
               
Manual – 54 notes
8
   Open Diapason
37
4
   Flute *
37
8
   Stopped Diapason Bass
17
4
   Principal Bass
17
8
   Stopped Diapason Treble
37
4
   Principal Treble
37
8
   Gamba [TC]
42
3
   Twelfth
37
8
   Dulciana *
37
2
   Fifteenth
54
           
* in Swell box
Pedal Organ – 20 notes [always on]
16
   Bourdon
20
        
               
Coupler and Accessories
    Manual to Pedal Coupler       Bellows Signal  
    Swell Pedal [hook-down]          
               
           
Sources:
     "Another Jardine Organ", The Musical Courier (Oct. 10, 1888). Courtesy Dale W. Hansen, Archivist, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Hickman, Cynthia. Harlem Churches At the End of the 20th Century. New York City: Dunbar Press, 2001.
     Mohr, Louis F. Specifications of George Jardine & Son organ (1859?). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Mohr, Louis F. Specifications of George Jardine & Son organ (1887). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Stern, Robert A.M., Thomas Mellins, and David Fishman. New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age. New York City: The Monacelli Press, 1999.
     Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications of M.P. Möller organ, Op. R-442 (1952).  

Illustrations:
     eBay.com. Postcard of church interior.