St. Alban Episcopal Church - Eltingville (Staten Island), NY
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St. Alban Episcopal Church

76 St. Alban's Place
Eltingville, Staten Island, N.Y. 10312
http://stalbanssi.dioceseny.org/


Organ Specifications:
► II/10 Hook & Hastings, Op. 1192 (1883)
• Henry Erben (1856) – moved (1903)


The parish known today as St. Alban's Episcopal Church was formed in 1951 when St. Anne’s Church in Great Kills was absorbed by the Church of the Holy Comforter in Eltingville. St. Anne's had been founded in 1929 as an offshoot of Holy Comforter. Hence, its roots go back as far as 1865, when a group of farmers joined together to form Holy Comforter, and erected a small wooden Gothic structure at the present site of the South Shore YMCA on Richmond Avenue. In 1873, this building was divided, moved to the present location, and enlarged with the transepts and tower.

St. Alban’s was designed by architect Richard Mitchell Upjohn (1828-1903), son of the noted church architect and Gothic Revivalist Richard Upjohn (1802-1878). Although born in Shaftesbury, England, R.M. Upjohn lived most of his life in Brooklyn. He entered his father's architectural firm in 1846. R.M. Upjohn is known primarily for his Victorian Gothic Style, which uses eccentric angular details. A major portion of the Upjohns' practice consisted of the design of small Gothic Revival-style churches for Episcopal parishes of modest means located in rural areas. Most were made of wood and the exterior of many, like St. Alban’s, have board-and-battan siding.

In the 1980s the interior of the church was renovated to meet new liturgical practices which use a freestanding altar, and the exterior was repainted in historically authentic Victorian colors. Restoration of the church was completed in 1990 by Li-Saltzman Architects.

St. Alban’s Church is a New York State Landmark, was designated a New York City Landmark in 1980, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
           
  E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1192 (1883) in St. Alban Episcopal Church - Eltingville (Staten Island), NY
Hook & Hastings
Boston, Mass. – Opus 1192 (1883) – moved (1984)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 18 registers, 10 ranks



The Hook & Hastings organ in St. Alban's Church was originally built in 1883 for the First Baptist (Federated) Church of Trumansburg, N.Y. Marketed as the firm's "Size No. 7" design, the organ has ten stops played by an attached two-manual keydesk. Richly decorated front pipes are from the Great 8' Open Diapason, while the Pedal 16' Bourdon is visible on both sides. The case is about 16 feet tall by 10 feet wide by 6½ feet deep. When First Baptist Church moved to a new location, the organ was acquired by St. Alban’s Church directly from First Baptist Church in Trumansburg, NY from an advertisement in the American Organist Magazine. Angerstein & Associates of Stoughton, Mass., refurbished the organ and moved it to St. Alban's in 1984.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
8
  Open Diapason
58
8
   Melodia (TC)
46
8
   Dulciana (TC)
46
4
   Octave
58
8
   Unison Bass
12
2
   Fifteenth
58
 
     
 
     
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed
8
   Viola (TC)
46
4
   Flute (harmonic)
58
8
  Stopped Diapason Bass
12
8
   Bassoon
12
8
  Stopped Diapason Treble
46
8
   Oboe (TC)
46
 
     
 
     
Pedal Organ – 27 notes
16
  Bourdon
27
      
               
Mechanicals
    Swell to Great Coupler     Tremolo
    Great to Pedal Coupler     Bellows Signal
    Swell to Pedal Coupler     Swell Pedal
    Swell to Great at Octaves Coupler      
           
Henry Erben
New York City (1848)
Mechanical action


The first known organ for St. Alban's Church was built in 1848 by Henry Erben for Christ Church in New Brighton. In 1903, the organ was purchased and moved to St. Alban's. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
           
Sources:
     Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.
     Hoffman, Jeffrey G. Specification of Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1192 (1883).
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     St. Alban's Church website: http://stalbanssi.dioceseny.org/
     Van Pelt, William T., comp. The Hook Opus List, 1829-1916 in Facsimile. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1991.
     Vogel, Robert. Brochure about the Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1192 (1883).

Illustrations:
     St. Alban's Church website. E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1192 (1883).
     Wikipedia.com. Exterior (credit: Dmadeo).