St. John Episcopal Church - Far Rockaway (Queens), NY
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Trinity Chapel – St. John Episcopal Church

1894 Mott Avenue
Far Rockaway (Queens), N.Y. 11691


Organ Specifications:
► III/38 Austin Organs Inc., Op. 1754 (1930s)
• II/ Johnson & Son, Op. 715 (1889)


The Protestant Episcopal Church of St. John at Far Rockaway was established in 1860 as a chapel or mission from Trinity Church, Hewlett, by the Rev. Samuel W. Sayres, rector of that parish. Prior to that time there was a Sunday school conducted by Mrs. Frances Hewlett Bolton in her home on Jarvis Lane. A chapel was erected on land donated by Benjamin B. Mott, and in November 1860 it was consecrated by Bishop Potter. In 1882, Trinity Chapel became a separate parish, with the name, "St. John's Church, Far Rockaway," and Mr. Sayres became its first rector, leaving Trinity Church in Hewett. The original structure was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style, as designed by Richard Upjohn, with additions at both ends. In 1900, the parish house was erected to accomodate lectures and the Sunday school.

In 1974, the building was purchased by Beth-El Temple Church of God in Christ.

St. John's Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
               
Austin Organs Inc.
Hartford, Conn. – Opus 1754 (1930s)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 40 stops, 38 ranks


The following stoplist was recorded by Charles Scharpeger, an employee of Louis F. Mohr & Co., who visited the organ in 1934. Originally, the Echo division was a console preparation, but it is believed that the division was eventually installed. Sharpeger did not include pipecounts, but the following are suggested, based on Austin organs from that period.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
73
8
   Doppel Flute
73
8
   First Open Diapason
73
4
   Principal
73
8
   Second Open Diapason [ext.]
12
4
   Flute Harmonique
73
8
   Gamba
73
     Mixture II ranks
122
8
   Gross Flute
73
8
   Trumpet
73
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
4
  Fugara
73
8
  Open Diapason
73
4
   Flauto Traverso
73
8
   Stopped Diapason
73
2
   Flautino
61
8
  Viole d'Orchestre
73
     Mixture IV ranks
244
8
   Salicional
73
8
   Cornopean
73
8
   Voix Celeste [TC]
61
     Tremolo  
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Geigen Principal
73
4
   Flute d'Amour
73
8
   Concert Flute
73
2
   Piccolo Harmonique
61
8
   Quintadena
73
8
   Clarinet
73
8
   Dolce
73
     Tremolo  
               
Echo Organ – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Gedeckt
73
8
   Vox Humana
61
8
   Viole Aetheria
73
     Tremolo  
8
   Unda Maris [TC]
61
        
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Resultant
—
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
   First Open Diapason
44
8
   Octave [ext.]
—
16
   Second Open Diapason
GT
8
   Flute [ext.]
—
16
   Bourdon
44
16
   Trombone
32
               
Johnson & Son
Westfield, Mass. – Opus 715 (1889)
Mechanical action
2 manuals


The first known organ for St. John's Church was built in 1889 by Johnson & Son of Westfield, Mass. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
Sources:
     Bellot, Alfred H. History of the Rockaways From the year 1685 to 1917. Far Rockaway, N.Y.: Bellot's Histories, Inc., 1917.
     "Forty Years of Ministry Celebrated," The Wave (Rockaway Newspaper, Sept. 26, 2003).
     Nelson, George.Organs in the United States and Canada Database, Seattle. Wash.
     New York Local History web site: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyqueen2/Churches/EpiscopalChurch.htm
     Ochse, Orpha. Austin Organs. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 2001.
     Scharpeger, Charles. Organ Notebook with stoplist of Austin Organ, Op. 1754 (1930s). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.

Illustration:
     Forgotten New York web site: http://www.forgotten-ny.com. Exterior of Beth El Temple.