St. Mary's Catholic Church - Long Island City, NY
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Church of St. Mary
(Roman Catholic)

10-08 49th Avenue at Vernon Boulevard
Long Island City, N.Y. 11101
http://StMaryRCChurchLIC.blogspot.com 


Organ Specifications:
Present building (since 1894)
► III/21 Rodgers Instruments electronic (Model 950B) with pipes (2002)
► II/21 Reuben Midmer & Son (1894); elec. by Midmer-Light (1934)
First building (1869-burned 1893)
• unknown



St. Mary's Church in Long Island City was founded in December 1868, by the Rev. John Crimmins. An old public schoolhouse on Sixth Street was the site of the first Mass, attended by about 50 persons. The first church was a 45 by 90 foot wooden building on Fifth Street (now 49th Avenue) that was dedicated in September 1869. Following the appointment in 1879 of the Rev. John McGuire as pastor, this structure was enlarged and improved, and the completed edifice was dedicated on December 20, 1891. Father McGuire also built a parochial school that had four stories and a basement, but the nearly completed building was destroyed by fire on July 21, 1893, along with the church and rectory. A total of thirty buildings on three blocks were engulfed by flames as the fire department struggled in vain against low water pressure and a brisk wind. Following the fire, the pastor and trustees of the East Avenue Baptist Church offered the unreserved use of their edifice to St. Mary's congregation, an offer that was gratefully accepted by Rev. McGuire.

Work on the present church began shortly after the fire, and by Christmas Eve 1893, the basement had progressed sufficiently for it to be used for Mass. Designed in the Gothic style and built of brick, the completed church was dedicated by Bishop Charles E. McDonnell on October 29, 1894. In 1897, Father McGuire built St. Mary's Lyceum for young men, located on Fifth Street, from his own funds and deeded it to the church. In February 1902, St. Mary's School, a four-story brick and stone structure, opened with 400 pupils in the charge of seven sisters of the order of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Father McGuire continued as St. Mary's pastor for thirty-three years until his death in 1912 at the age of 70.
           
  Organ case at St. Mary's Catholic Church - Long Island City, NY
Rodgers Instruments LLC
Hillsboro, Ore. – Model 950B (2002)
Solid-state key, stop and combination action
3 manuals, 50 stops, 21 pipe ranks, 41 digital ranks




By late 1999, the 110-year-old Midmer organ had become unplayable due to various mechanical problems and wind leaks. Over a period of three years, the organ was rebuilt with new reservoirs, stop motors, swell shade motors, and the Swell Oboe was revoiced. A new three-manual console, built by Rodgers Instruments, was installed to interface the existing pipe ranks and to provide additional digital stops. The resulting instrument, known as a "hybrid" or "combo" organ, was installed in time for Christmas 2002. On March 3, 2003, the organ was dedicated in a concert by St. Mary's organist, Stephanie Larkin, and guest organists Lydia Morrongiello and Rick Tripodi.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
61
2 2/3
   Twelfth
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
2
   Fifteenth
61
8
   Melodia
61
     Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Gamba
61
8
   Trompette
61
4
   Octave
61
     Tremulant  
4
   Spitz Floete
digital
     Chimes
digital
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon Doux
digital
1 3/5
   Tierce
digital
8
   Open Diapason
61
     Plein Jeu IV ranks
digital
8
   Stopped Diapason
61
16
   Basson
digital
8
   Voix Celeste II ranks
110
8
   Trompette
digital
8
   Flute Celeste II ranks
digital
8
   Oboe
61
4
   Principal
61
8
   Voix Humaine
digital
4
   Harmonic Flute
61
4
   Clarion
digital
2 2/3
   Nazard
digital
     Tremulant  
2
   Piccolo
61
      
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, expressive
8
   Spitz Geigen
digital
1 1/3
   Larigot
digital
8
   Holz Gedackt
digital
     Mixture IV ranks
digital
8
   Erzaehler Celeste II ranks
digital
8
   Cromorne
digital
4
   Principal
digital
     Tremulant  
4
   Koppel Floete
digital
8
   Festival Trumpet
digital
2
   Oktav
digital
      
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Contre Bourdon
digital
4
   Choral Bass
digital
16
   Double Open Wood
32
     Mixture IV ranks
digital
16
   Bourdon
32
32
   Contre Dulzian
digital
16
   Violone
digital
16
   Bombarde
digital
16
   Bourdon Doux
SW
16
   Basson
SW
8
   Octave
digital
8
   Trompette
digital
8
   Gedackt
digital
4
   Rohr Schalmei
digital
               
Percussions
   
Zimbelstern
5 bells
   
Chimes *
20 tubes
         
* not connected
Adjustable Combinations (four memory levels)
   
Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 (thumb)
Choir Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 (thumb)
Pedal Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 (thumb)
Full Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (thumb)
           
Reversibles
    Swell to Pedal (thumb & toe)     Festival Trumpet to Swell (thumb)
    Great to Pedal (thumb & toe)     Festival Trumpet to Great (thumb)
    Choir to Pedal (thumb & toe)     Festival Trumpet to Pedal (thumb)
    Great-Choir transfer (thumb)      
           
Reuben Midmer & Son
Brooklyn, N.Y. (1894)
Mechanical action; elec. by Midmer-Light (1934)
2 manuals, 19 stops, 21 ranks


The original organ in St. Mary's Church was built in 1894 by Reuben Midmer & Son of Brooklyn. Midmer installed the Great and Swell divisions on the same level, with the Swell placed in the tower recess, and the two Pedal stops flanking the Great. The mechanical console was attached to the case. In 1906, an electric blower was installed by Midmer & Son. In the files of Louis F. Mohr & Co., an organ service concern in the area, is a paper (June 8, 1922) identifying the organ as G9 S8 P2 with tracker action. Mohr noted the blower was installed by Reed Midmer.

In a ledger book of the Midmer-Losh Company, successor firm to Midmer & Son, there is an entry (Apr. 23, 1934) showing that Midmer-Light installed pneumatic actions at a cost of $850. At some point, perhaps when the organ was electrified, a detached console was installed on the left side of the gallery. Two stops were changed: the Great Trumpet was replaced with new pipes, and the Swell Bourdon Treble was replaced with a Voix Celeste rank that extended down to tenor c. In the fall of 1965 the Kilgen Organ Service Co., operated by Ludwig Zentmaier, took over the maintenance of the organ; it appears they installed the new divisional reservoirs that replaced the original single Midmer reservoir.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason * +
58
2 2/3
   Twelfth
58
8
   Open Diapason +
58
2
   Fifteenth
58
8
   Viola di Gamba
58
     Mixture III ranks [12-19-22]
174
8
   Melodia (wood)
58
8
   Trumpet [orig. replaced]
58
4
   Principal
58
    
* 1-12 stopped wood
 
      
 
  
+ basses in facade
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes (notes 1-12 tracker-pneumatic), enclosed
16
   Bourdon Bass (wood)
12
4
   Principal
58
16
   Bourdon Treble (wood) [TC] #
46
4
   Harmonic Flute
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2
   Flageolet
58
8
   Salicional
58
8
   Oboe
58
8
   Stopped Diapason (wood)
58
     Tremulant  
           
# replaced by 8' Voix Celeste
Pedal Organ – 27 notes
16
   Open DIapason (wood)
27
        
16
   Bourdon (wood)
27
        
           
Sources:
     "A New Church on an Old Site," The New York Times (Oct. 28, 1894).
     "Beloved 'Father John' Dead," The New York Times (May 3, 1912).
     Church of St. Mary blogspot: http://StMaryRCChurchLIC.blogspot.com
     "Hundred Families Homeless," The New York Times (July 22, 1893).
     Kelsey, J. S. History of Long Island City, New York, A Record of Its Early Settlement and Corporate Progress. New York: Long Island Star Publishing Company, 1896.
     Midmer-Losh Company Ledger Book (Apr. 23, 1934). Entry with information about the organ. Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Mohr, Louis F. & Co. Paper (June 8, 1922) with information about the organ. Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     Rodgers Instruments LLC web site: www.rodgersinstruments.com
     "St. Mary's Congregation Home Again," The New York Times (Dec. 25, 1893).
     The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X, Vol. III. New York: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914.
     "Three Creeds in One Church," The New York Times (July 31, 1893).
     Trupiano, Larry. Specifications (reconstructed) of Reuben Midmer & Son organ (1894).
     Vogel, Robert G. Specifications of Rodgers Model 950B organ (2002).

Illustrations:
     Bridge and Tunnel Club web site: www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com: Church exterior.
     Rodgers Instruments LLC web site: Reuben Midmer & Sons organ case.