Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori - New York City (from old postcard)
 
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Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori
(Roman Catholic)

310 West Broadway (near Canal Street)
New York, N.Y. 10012


Organ Specifications:
310 West Broadway (1872-1980)
► III/55 E. & G.G. Hook, Op. 576 (1871);
     elec. Hook & Hastings, Op. 2514 (1925)
10 Thompson Street (1847-1872)
• I/10 J.H. Willcox & Co., Op. 6 (1870)
• I/ George Jardine (<1869)
• Henry Erben (1848)





Established in 1847 by the Redemptorist Fathers, the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori was a parish for German Catholics. The first church was built in 1847 at 10 Thompson Street. A new church, designed in Lombard Romanesque style by Francis G. Hempler, was built from 1870-72 when the lot was extended to 310 West Broadway. In 1980, the church building settled into the bed of an underground stream and was closed; it was razed in 1981. The Soho Grand Hotel now occupies the site.
           
  E. & G.G. Hook Organ, Opus 576 (1871) in St. Mary's Catholic Church - New Haven, Conn. (photo: Music Magazine)
E. & G.G. Hook
Boston, Mass. – Opus 576 (1871)
Mechanical action
Pneumatic couplers for each manual
Electrified by Hook & Hastings – Opus 2514 (1925)
3 manuals, 45 stops, 55 ranks


This large organ by E. & G.G. Hook of Boston was noted for the completeness of its principal and reed choruses on the Great division. In 1925, the Hook & Hastings Company electrified the organ and provided a new console as their Op. 2514. When the church was slated for demolition, the organ was relocated through the Organ Clearing House to St. Mary's Catholic Church in New Haven, CT, after being restored in 1982 by a consortium of builders under the direction of Mann & Trupiano of Brooklyn.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
16
   Open Diapason
58
3
   Twelfth
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2
   Fifteenth
58
8
   Viol de Gamba
58
     Mixture 4 ranks
232
8
   Viol d'Amour
58
     Acuta 4 ranks
232
8
   Doppel Flöte
58
16
   Trumpet
58
4
   Octave
58
8
   Trumpet
58
4
   Flute Harmonique
58
4
   Clarion
58
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
58
3
   Twelfth
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2
   Fifteenth
58
8
   Salicional
58
     Mixture 5 ranks
290
8
   Stopped Diapason
58
8
   Cornopean
58
8
   Quintadena
58
8
   Oboe
58
4
   Octave
58
8
   Vox Humana
58
4
   Flauto Traverso
58
4
   Clarion
58
4
   Violina
58
        
               
Solo Organ (Manual III) – 58 notes
16
   Lieblich Gedackt
58
4
   Flute d'Amour
58
8
   Geigen Principal
58
4
   Fugara
58
8
   Dulciana
58
2
   Piccolo
58
8
   Stopped Diapason
58
8
   Clarinet (bell)
58
8
   Melodia
58
        
 
      
 
      
Pedale Organ – 30 notes
16
   Open Diapason
30
8
   Violoncello
30
16
   Violone
30
8
   Octave
30
16
   Bourdon
30
16
   Trombone (maple shallots)
30
12
   Quintflöte
30
        
               
Mechanical Registers (pneumatic powered, thumb-knobs above Manual I)
    Manual I Pneumatic Coupler      
    Manual II Pneumatic Coupler      
    Manual III Pneumatic Coupler      
               
Couplers and Accessories
    Swell to Great       Swell Tremolo  
    Solo to Pedal       Bellows Signal  
    Great to Pedal          
    Swell to Pedal          
               
Pedal Movements
    I Forte – Full Great   Great to Pedal Reversible
    I Piano – Great 8'-4' flutes and strings   Balanced Swell Pedal
    II Forte – Full Swell less Vox Humana    
    II Piano – Swell 8'-4' flutes and strings    
    Pedal Forte Rev. – full pedal/soft stops      
               
E. & G.G. Hook Organ, Opus 576 (1871) in St. Mary's Catholic Church - New Haven, Conn. (photo: William T. Van Pelt)
Opus 576 as relocated to St. Mary's Catholic Church, New Haven, Conn.
         
Organ in previous church at 10 Thompson Street:

J.H. Willcox & Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 6 (1870)
Mechanical action
1 manual, 10 registers


This organ was moved to St. Michael's Church, Chicago. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
         
Organ in previous church at 10 Thompson Street:

George Jardine
New York City (<1869)
Mechanical action
1 manual


The Jardine Opus List shows that a one-manual organ was built for St. Alphonsus Church, although the year was not indicated. It may be that this organ was installed in the previous church at 10 Thompson Street. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
         
Organ in previous church at 10 Thompson Street:

Henry Erben
New York City (1848)
Mechanical action
1 manual


The first known organ for St. Alphonsus Liguori Church was built by Henry Erben in 1848. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
           
Sources:
     Blanchard, Homer D. "The Organ in the United States: A Study in Design", The Bicentennial Tracker. Richmond: Organ Historical Society, Inc., 1976.
     Dunlap, David. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Fox, David H. A Guide to North American Organbuilders (Rev. ed.). Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1997.
     George S. Hutchings Catalog 1869–1897 with Supplement through 1899. Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Van Pelt, William T., compiler. The Hook Opus List, 1829-1916 in Facsimile. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1991.

Illustrations:
     Music / The AGO-RCCO Magazine (March 1976). E. & G.G. Hook Organ, Op. 576 (1871) in St. Alphonsus Liguori Church, New York City.
     Van Pelt, William T.: E. & G.G. Hook Organ, Op. 576 (1871) in St. Mary's Catholic Church, New Haven, Conn.