Union Methodist Episcopal Church - New York City
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Union Methodist Episcopal Church

229 West 48th Street, West of Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10036



The Union Methodist Episcopal Church was formed by the consolidation in 1893 of the Bloomington Methodist Episcopal Church, located on West Forty-third Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, and St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church, located on Fifty-third Street, between Broadway and Ninth Avenue. The combined congregation purchased property on West Forty-eighth Street and, on October 31, 1894, laid the cornerstone for a new church. The Neoclassical edifice, designed by Weary & Kramer, was opened on June 2, 1895.

As the church was located in the theatre district, it became known as "The Protestant Actors' Chapel" and was host to many social events and programs for the benefit of actors. A theatre was located in the church attic, and in the basement was a restaurant. In 1920, a large sign was erected outside the church, through the efforts of the Rev. Dr. John G. Benson, pastor, who was a champion for actors. Measuring twenty feet high, the sign was surmounted by a cross six feet tall and four feet broad that was illuminated by white nitrogen lamps. Under the cross were intertwined the American flag and church flag, and in the middle, large gold letters proclaimed, "Union Church Social Centre Always Open." During the Depression, unemployed actors were fed in the church's social centre.

It has not been determined when the church ceased to exist, but the building was purchased in 1948 by Eugene and Celestine Leone, owners of Leone's restaurant next door at 239 West Forty-eighth Street, who wished to expand their restaurant. "Mama Leone's" restaurant—known for its Italian-American cuisine at moderate prices—was a familiar theatre-district destination for 90 years until it left the location in 1994.
           
 

J.H. & C.S. Odell Organ, Op. 328 (1894) in Union Methodist Episcopal Church - New York City
  Wurts Bros. (New York, N.Y.) 1897
J.H. & C.S. Odell
New York City – Opus 328 (1894)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 20 stops, 21 ranks



For their new edifice, Union M.E. Church contracted with the Odell Company to build a two-manual organ. The organ contained "Odell Pneumatic Compensating Valves to be applied to Great, Swell, and Pedal Organs, thereby giving each pipe a full supply to wind, and an easy touch and quick response to the keys."

The specifications were also recorded (Aug. 8, 1927) by Louis F. Mohr & Co., an organ service firm in the area. Mohr noted that organ had a Zephyr blower.
               
Great Organ(Manual I) – 58 notes
8
   Open Diapason
58
4
   Hohl Flute
58
8
   Dulciana
58
2 2/3
  Octave Quint
58
8
   Melodia [Stopped Bass]
58
2
   Flageolet
58
4
   Octave
58
8
   Trumpet
58

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon Bass
12
4
   Rohr Flöte
58
16
   Bourdon Treble
46
4
   Violina
58
8
   Open Diapason [St. Bass]
58
2
   Flautino
58
8
   Salicional
58
     Cornet, 3 ranks
174
8
   Stopped Diapason
58
8
   Oboe and Bassoon
58
               
Pedal Organ – 30 notes
16
   Bourdon [large scale]
30
        
8
   Violoncello
30
        
               
Couplers
    Swell to Great       Reversible, Swell to Great (piston)
    Swell to Pedal          
    Great to Pedal          
               
Mechanical Accessories
    Bellows Signal       Tremulant  
    Wind Indicator       Balance Swell Pedal  
               
Pedal Movements
    Piano on Great Organ   Great to Pedal, Reversing Pedal
    Forte on Great Organ      
           
Sources:
     "A New Church Edifice Begun," The New York Times (Nov. 1, 1894).
     "Churches Allowed to Consolitate," The New York Times (Sep. 29, 1893).
     "Church Sign Dims Great White Way," The New York Times (Oct. 4, 1920).
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Kramer, George W. The What How and Why of Church Building. New York: Geo. W. Kramer, F.A.I.A., 1897.
     Mohr, Louis F. & Co. Specifications (Aug. 8, 1927) of J.H. & C.S. Odell Organ, Op. 328 (1894). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     "New Churches Dedicated," The New York Times (June 3, 1895).
     Prewitt, Milford. "Mamma Leone's closes, shops for new quarter – restaurant in New York, New York," Nation's Restaurant News (Jan. 24, 1994).
     Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications of J.H. & C.S. Odell Organ, Op. 328 (1894).

Illustrations:
     Kramer, George W. The What How and Why of Church Building. 1897 photos of exterior and interior.
     Sperr, Percy Loomis. 1930 photo of church exterior.
     Wurts Bros. (New York, N.Y.) 1897 photo of church interior. Collection of the Museum of the City of New York.