The present sanctuary organ dates from 1961, when it was rebuilt by Austin Organs, Inc., of Hartford, Connecticut. Several ranks of pipes from the previous E.M. Skinner organ were retained. It consists of 117 ranks of pipes, 27 digital stops and 4 combination stops which combine pipe and digital sound. It has 9 divisions and is three stories high, housing approximately 7,000 pipes.
A Brief History
The first organ built for our congregation was by George Jardine & Son in 1855. It contained 40 stops and was played from a 3 manual console. This was located at the church's former location, 5th Avenue and 19th Street. The Jardine organ was an important step toward strengthening congregational singing.
Between 1873 and 1875, the church moved to its present location (5th Avenue and 55th Street). Jardine was asked to move the organ and rebuild it. At this time he added the large wooden 32' Diapason stop to the Pedal, which is still in use today.
In 1893, an Odell organ replaced the Jardine instrument. Unfortunately, little is known of this instrument. We do know, though, that this organ – like its predecessors – was built to use water power. A steam engine piped water to a water tank located above the old E. Howard & Co. clock in the steeple on the tower level. As the water flowed down by gravity to a basement cistern, the feeders of the bellows were operated. It was shortly after this time that the organ gradually began to be converted to electric power.
In 1913, a new organ was built by E.M. Skinner, who supplied the organ case (shown above.) He oversaw the immense task of carving this case, which is admired by all who enter the Sanctuary today. It is believed that the case was modeled after the Schulze organ in St. Bartholomew's, Armley, Leeds, England, which Skinner admired. The pipes, although real, do not speak. The choir loft built into the case was at this time much smaller, housing only a quartet of singers used to lead the congregation.
In 1961 Austin Organs, Inc. rebuilt the organ. The Skinner case was modified to its present state in order to accommodate a choir and instrumentalists. Several ranks of pipes from the Skinner organ were retained. It was at this time that the English ivory was imported for the keys comprising the four manual keyboards.
In 1996, the Wicks Organ Company installed a new console. The English ivory keys comprising the four manuals were retained, although the entire wooden cabinet and all inside mechanisms were newly built. During the summer of 1998, Austin Organs, Inc. rebuilt and releathered the air reservoirs, stop actions, borrow actions and note actions.
By Easter of 1999, Daniel L. Angerstein completed a tonal renovation of the organ. This included the revoicing of many of the organ pipes, the installation of many new pipes to replace ineffective sounds and the addition of the digital Antiphonal division.
For more information on the FAPC organs visit the NYC chapter of the American Guild of Organists click here.
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church Organists
Lyman Abbott (on a small rented instrument) 1854-1855
William Mason 1855-1860
John Warner 1860-1864
"Mr. Flint" 1864-1865
Sigismond Lasar 1865-1868
John Pound 1868-1871
Otis Boise 1871-1876
William Scharfenberg 1876-1879
John White 1879-1880
William Dayas 1880-1881
Eugene Thayer 1881-1885
Albert Ross Parsons 1885-1894
W. S. Wheeler 1894-1897
C. L. Harrington 1898-1899
Frank L. Sealy 1900-1918
Harold Gleason 1918-1919
W. Lynnwood Farnam 1919-1920
Harry Gilbert 1920-1953
Robert S. Baker 1953-1962
Richard Bouchett 1962-1972
Mrs. Eugenia Glover (interim) -1972
George Wilson (interim) -1973
William Whitehead 1973-1989
Terence J. Flanagan (interim) 1989-1990
Terence J. Flanagan 1990-2007
K. Scott Warren (interim) 2007
Don McManus (interim) 2008
Mitchell Crawford (interim) 2009- Present
* A note of thanks to the late Elfrieda A. Kraege, church historian, who compiled much of this information.
