Palace Cathedral (Christ United Church) - New York City
United Church
"The Palace Cathedral"

175th Street and Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10033
http://www.revike.org/palace.asp







The United Church was founded by the Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II (1935-2009), better known as "Reverend Ike." The church is also known as "The Palace Cathedral" and "Rev. Ike's Prayer Tower." It occupies the former Loew's 175th Street Theatre at 175th Street and Broadway in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. In recent years the building has also been used as a concert venue and is known as the United Palace when booked for such events.

The fifth and last of the Loew’s “Wonder Theatres” to be built in New York, Loew’s 175th Street Theatre was designed by Thomas Lamb in a mixture of styles. Lamb embellished the walls of the 3,661-seat auditorium with Indo-Chinese decoration and created a palatial staircase in the foyer that leads to a grandiose, aurora borealis headed by a goddess decoration. Its facade was decorated in a blocky, stylized version of the Mayan style. Loew's 175th Street opened in February 1930, and closed in March 1969.
         
Interior of the Palace Cathedral (Christ United Church) - New York City
Robert Morton Organ Co.
Van Nuys, Calif. (1930)
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 23 ranks



The Loew's chain purchased five identical (except for console ornamentation) "Wonder Mortons" for their deluxe New York area houses: the Paradise Theatre (1929) in the Bronx; the Kings Theatre (1929) in Brooklyn; the Valencia Theatre (1928) in Jamaica, Queens; the Jersey Theatre (1929) in Jersey City, NJ; and the 175th Street Theatre (1930) in Manhattan. The United Church has preserved the beauty of the Loew's Theatre, and has used the organ in its services. After being silent for nearly a quarter of a century, the Wonder Morton was featured in the 1970 "Fabulous Fifteenth" American Organ Convention, the results of restoration work done by the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS). The organ became unplayable due to water damage. As of 2016, the NYTOS is undertaking a restoration of the organ.
             
Pedal – 32 notes
32
   Resultant Bass  
8
   Gamba
16
   Tuba Profunda  
8
   Viola Celeste
16
   Oboe Horn  
8
   Violin
16
   Diaphone  
8
   Celeste Violin
16
   Solo Tibia Clausa       Bass Drum
16
   Bourdon       Tympani
16
   Gamba       Cymbal
8
   Tuba Mirabilis       Snare Drums
8
   English Horn        
8
   Oboe Horn       Pedal 2nd Touch
8
   Saxophone       Chimes
8
   Diaphone Diapason       Bass Drum
8
   Horn Diapason       Tympani
8
   Tibia Plena       Cymbal
8
   Solo Tibia Clausa       Crash Cymbal
8
   Flute       Snare Drums
             
Accompaniment (Manual I) – 61 notes
16
   Violin (TC)  
2 2/3
   Twelfth
16
   Celeste Violin (TC)  
2
   Piccolo
8
   Tuba Mirabilis  
2
   Fifteenth
8
   English Horn       Harp Marimba
8
   Oboe Horn       Chrysoglott
8
   French Horn       Xylophone
8
   Saxophone       Snare Drums
8
   Diaphonic Diapason       Wood Drums
8
   Horn Diapason       Tom Tom
8
   Solo Tibia Clausa       Tambourine
8
   Foundation Tibia Clausa       Castanets
8
   Flute       Chinese Gong
8
   Gamba  
16
   Accompaniment
8
   Viola Celeste  
8
   Accompaniment
8
   Salicional  
8
   Great
8
   Concert Violin  
8
   Solo
8
   Celeste Violin        
8
   Kinura       Accomp. 2nd Touch
8
   Clarinet  
8
   Tuba Mirabilis
8
   Foundation Vox Humana  
8
   English Horn
4
   Tuba Mirabilis  
8
   Diaphonic Diapason
4
   Diaphonic Diapason  
8
   Horn Diapason
4
   Solo Tibia Clausa  
8
   Solo Tibia Clausa
4
   Flute  
8
   Foundation Tibia Clausa
4
   Gamba  
4
   Tibia Plena
4
   Viola Celeste       Chimes
4
   Concert Violin       Triangle
4
   Celeste Violin       Bird Whistle
4
   Foundation Vox Humana        
             
Great (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Tuba Profunda  
4
   Tuba Mirabilis
16
   Oboe Horn  
4
   Oboe Horn
16
   Saxophone (TC)  
4
   Diaphonic Diapason
16
   Diaphone  
4
   Horn Diapason
16
   Tibia Plena (TC)  
4
   Tibia Plena
16
   Solo Tibia Clausa  
4
   Solo Tibia Clausa
16
   Bourdon  
4
   Foundation Tibia Clausa
16
   Gamba  
4
   Flute
16
   Concert Viol (TC)  
4
   Gamba
16
   Celeste Violin (TC)  
4
   Viola Celeste
16
   Foundation Vox Humana (TC)  
4
   Concert Violin
8
   Tuba Mirabilis  
4
   Celeste Violin
8
   English Horn  
4
   Foundation Vox Humana
8
   Oboe Horn  
2 2/3
   Twelfth
8
   Trumpet  
2
   Piccolo
8
   French Horn  
2
   Fifteenth
8
   Saxophone  
1 3/5
   Tierce
8
   Diaphonic Diapason       Harp Marimba
8
   Horn Diapason       Chrysoglott
8
   Tibia Plena       Glockenspiel
8
   Solo Tibia Clausa       Orchestra Bells
8
   Foundation Tibia Clausa       Xylophone
8
   Flute       Chimes
8
   Gamba  
4
   Great
8
   Viola Celeste      
8
   Salicional       Great 2nd Touch
8
   Concert Violin  
16
   Tuba Profunda
8
   Celeste Violin  
16
   Oboe Horn
8
   Kinura  
16
   Diaphone
8
   Clarinet  
16
   Tibia Plena (TC)
8
   Krumet  
16
   Gamba
8
   Foundation Vox Humana        
             
Orchestral (Manual III) – 61 notes
8
   Tuba Mirabilis  
4
   Solo Tibia Clausa
8
   English Horn  
4
   Foundation Tibia Clausa
8
   Oboe Horn  
4
   Flute
8
   Trumpet  
4
   Concert Violin
8
   French Horn  
4
   Celeste Violin
8
   Saxophone  
2
   Piccolo
8
   Diaphonic Diapason  
2
   Violin
8
   Horn Diapason  
 
   Harp Marimba
8
   Solo Tibia Clausa  
 
   Chrysoglott
8
   Flute  
 
   Glockenspiel
8
   Salicional       Orchestra Bells
8
   Concert Violin       Xylophone
8
   Celeste Violin       Chimes
8
   Kinura  
16
   Orchestral
8
   Clarinet  
4
   Orchestral
8
   Krumet  
8
   Great
4
   Tuba Mirabilis        
             
Solo (Manual IV) – 61 notes
8
   Tuba Mirabilis  
8
   Kinura
8
   English Horn  
8
   Clarinet
8
   Oboe Horn  
8
   Krumet
8
   Trumpet  
8
   Solo Vox Humana
8
   French Horn  
4
   Tibia Plena
8
   Saxophone  
 
   Harp Marimba
8
   Diaphonic Diapason  
 
   Chrysoglott
8
   Horn Diapason  
 
   Glockenspiel
8
   Tibia Plena  
 
   Orchestra Bells
8
   Solo Tibia Clausa  
 
   Xylophone
8
   Foundation Tibia Clausa  
 
   Chimes
8
   Flute  
16
   Solo
8
   Gamba  
4
   Solo
8
   Viola Celeste  
16
   Great
8
   Concert Violin  
8
   Great
8
   Celeste Violin  
4
   Great
             
Tremolos
  Effect Buttons
    Left       Grand Crash
    Tibia Plena       Cymbal
    Foundation Tibia Clausa       Triangle
    Foundation Vox Humana       Bird
    Right       Sleigh Bells
    Right Reeds       Telephone
    Tuba Mirabilis       Door Bell
    English Horn       Steamboat
    Solo Tibia Clausa       Fire Gong
    Solo Vox Humana       Bell Low
            Bell High
             
Stop Key Colors
  Toe Levers
Reeds and diapasons: red  
Sforzando: 1st touch stops
  2nd touch percussions
Tibias, flutes, strings and couplers: white  
Tremolos: black   Surf
Traps: amber   Wind
Tuned percussions: brown   Thunder
      Aeroplane
      Horse Hoof
       
Stop Analysis
Foundation Chamber
16
   Tuba Mirabilis
85 pipes
16
   Flute
97 pipes
16
   Oboe Horn
85 pipes
8
   Gamba
97 pipes
8
   Salicional
73 pipes
8
   Viola Celeste
73 pipes
8
   Tibia Clausa
73 pipes
8
   Horn Diapason
73 pipes
8
   French Horn
61 pipes
8
   Clarinet
61 pipes
8
   Krumet
61 pipes
8
   Vox Humana
73 pipes
 
Solo Chamber
16
   Diaphonic Diapason
85 pipes
16
   Tibia Clausa
85 pipes
8
   Tibia Plena
73 pipes
8
   Concert Violin
73 pipes
8
   Violin Celeste
73 pipes
8
   Violin Celeste II
73 pipes
8
   English Horn
61 pipes
8
   Trumpet
61 pipes
8
   Saxophone
61 pipes
8
   Kinura
61 pipes
8
   Vox Humana
73 pipes
         
Sources:
     Cinema Treasures web site: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/44
     Junchen, David. Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. 2. Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1989.
     The Palace Cathedral web site: http://www.revike.org/palace.asp

Illustrations:
     The Palace Cathedral web site.