Wanamaker Organ
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| Wanamaker Organ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Wanamaker Organ |
| Type | Pipe organ |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Installed | 1911–1919 |
| Builder | William E. Wanamaker (commission), originally built by George Ashdown Audsley and the Los Angeles Art Organ Company components, later consolidated by the Wanamaker-Kellogg firm and others |
| Console | Five manuals, pedalboard |
| Ranks | 28–28? (see Design and Specifications) |
| Pipes | Over 28,000 |
Wanamaker Organ
The Wanamaker Organ is a landmark pipe organ housed in Philadelphia's historic retail and cultural landmark. Commissioned during the Progressive Era by industrialist William E. Wanamaker, it has become entwined with institutions such as the John Wanamaker Department Store, the Macy's Center City building, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The instrument's scale and provenance connect it to figures and organizations including George Ashdown Audsley, the Los Angeles Art Organ Company, the Aeolian Company, and organists associated with the Wanamaker tradition such as Virgil Fox and Keith Chapman.
History
The organ's conception arose from the ambitions of William E. Wanamaker and the Wanamaker Department Store amid contemporaries like John Wanamaker, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Early consultations involved architects and designers linked to firms such as Furness, Evans & Company, Louis Sullivan associates, and organmaker George Ashdown Audsley, whose prior work referenced collaborations with the Walker Organ Company and St. Paul's Cathedral advocates. Construction spanned the 1910s, intersecting with World War I-era supply chains involving companies like the American Bridge Company, Baldwin Locomotive Works (materials suppliers), and Philadelphia's shipyards. During the interwar period the organ's expansion paralleled developments at the Carnegie Institution, the Smithsonian Institution, and concert venues like the Metropolitan Opera House and Carnegie Hall, reflecting broader cultural trends involving the Philadelphia Orchestra, conductor Leopold Stokowski, and impresarios such as Arthur Judson. Mid-century custodianship saw involvement from institutions including the Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University partners, and the National Music Council. The building's acquisition by Hecht's and later by Federated Department Stores (Macy's) tied the instrument's fate to corporate guardians like Rodale, Wanamaker family descendants, and municipal actors including the City of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Design and Specifications
The organ's tonal design drew upon the philosophies of George Ashdown Audsley, who referenced European casework traditions exemplified by St. Sulpice, Notre-Dame de Paris, and the Royal Albert Hall organs, while integrating American innovation seen at firms like E.M. Skinner, the Aeolian Company, and the Skinner-Steeple union projects. The instrument's console features five manuals and a full pedalboard with stop-action systems influenced by Barker lever concepts debated by organ builders including Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, Henry Willis, and Robert Hope-Jones. Its pipework encompasses flue ranks, reed ranks, and harmonic devices comparable to instruments at Westminster Abbey, King's College Chapel, and the Salt Lake Tabernacle, containing mixtures, mutation stops, and unit ranks. Wind pressures, reservoirs, and bellows technology reflect advances by companies such as the T. W. J. Ord-Hume workshops and organ blower manufacturers like Spencer Turbine Company. The organ's casework and façade treatments recall architectural firms such as Furness & Sons and decorative artisans who worked alongside sculptors referenced in commissions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Installation and Maintenance
Initial installation phases involved coordination with contractors such as the Philadelphia Shipyards for rigging, the American Bridge Company for steel, and specialty firms including the J. W. Fiske Ironworks for metalwork. Maintenance programs have engaged organ restorers and firms like the Austin Organ Company, M. P. Möller, and independent conservators who have liaised with academic institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music, Bryn Mawr College, and the University of Pennsylvania's historic preservation programs. Long-term tuning and voicing have required collaboration with unions and guilds such as the American Guild of Organists, and partnerships with municipal entities including the Philadelphia Historical Commission and state preservation offices. Events such as building renovations by architects from firms tied to the National Trust for Historic Preservation necessitated logistical arrangements with engineers from Arup and Thornton Tomasetti-style consultancies and acoustic analysis by specialists associated with the Acoustical Society of America.
Musical and Cultural Significance
The instrument has played roles in civic, liturgical, and concert contexts connecting to institutions like the Philadelphia Orchestra, Curtis Institute of Music, Penn State, and academic series at the University of Pennsylvania. Its repertoire and programming have intersected with composers and conductors including Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky (through festival ties), Samuel Barber, and Aaron Copland, and recitalists connected to the American Conservatory movement and European organ traditions represented by Marcel Dupré and Louis Vierne. The organ has hosted civic ceremonies related to Philadelphia's Independence Hall events, collaborations with the Philadelphia Orchestra's holiday seasons, and broadcasts that involved networks like the National Broadcasting Company and public radio affiliates. Cultural advocacy from organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Musicological Society, and the Organ Historical Society has emphasized its role comparable to other iconic instruments like the Wanamaker-era comparisons to organs in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity Church, and the Royal Concertgebouw.
Notable Performances and Recordings
Prominent organists including Virgil Fox, Keith Chapman, John Smith, and Simon Nieminski (and historical figures who toured from conservatories like the New England Conservatory) have given landmark recitals. Recorded projects have involved labels and producers akin to RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and archival efforts coordinated with institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Historical Performance Review. The organ has accompanied choral forces from the Philadelphia Singers, choral societies like the Mendelssohn Club, and collaborations with ensembles resembling the Handel Choir and the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra. Broadcasts and televised events involved partners such as WRTI, WHYY, and network specials that drew patrons including members of the Philadelphia City Council, cultural foundations like the Pew Charitable Trusts, and donors associated with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Preservation and Restoration Efforts
Preservation campaigns have mobilized the Organ Historical Society, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Philadelphia Historical Commission, and local advocacy groups that include the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ and university preservation programs. Restoration funding streams involved philanthropic entities such as the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and corporate donors from Macy's and Federated Department Stores, alongside grant applications to the National Endowment for the Arts and state arts councils. Technical restorations consulted with firms experienced in projects at Westminster Abbey, King's College, and American churches—engaging specialists in pipe restoration, windchest reconstruction, and historic electro-pneumatic action undertaken by conservators trained in practices promoted by the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and the National Park Service's preservation guidelines.
Category:Pipe organs Category:Musical instruments in Philadelphia Category:Historic preservation in Pennsylvania