Church Buildings and Organ History

The first home of the Church was built in 1853 on the east side of Broadway. The present, much larger edifice, designed by James Renwick, was erected in 1869. The new church structure consisted essentially of the present sanctuary and, behind it, a larger lecture room, where the present church parlor is located. Beneath the sanctuary was a partial basement. Much of the beautiful stone used in the construction was quarried right from the site. Among those who contributed to the $53,000 cost of the building were Jay Gould, Cyrus Field, George Morgan and Charles Tiffany.

In 1900 the present Manse was build on a piece of property purchased by Jay Gould (in order to thwart a commercial venture) and donated half to the Presbyterian Church and half to the Episcopal Church of St. Barnabas next door. In 1913 the church interior was redecorated, and the magnificent windows of blending pastel colors, created by Louis Comfort Tiffany, were installed.

In 1933 the area behind the building was converted into a large bowling green, following the formation of a Lawn Bowling Club among the Church members. This popular Scottish sport was played there regularly for over thirty-five years. A portion of this area is now a Memorial Garden (added in 1984) for interment of ashes of church families, and the remainder is used as a playground for Good Shepherd Early Childhood Center school children and for church picnics.

A major expansion and renovation of the church was undertaken in 1946, when the basement was enlarged and made into an assembly room and classrooms. A kitchen was added at the northwest corner. In 1960 an electronic system of carillonic bells was installed.

John Knox Hall was built in 1963, and contains classrooms, administrative offices, and an auditorium with a stage. On the lower level, large classrooms for very young children are used as a nursery and Sunday school classrooms on Sunday and as the home of the Good Shepherd Early Childhood Center on weekdays.

In 1966 a new, taller spire, topped by an ornamental Celtic cross of gold, replaced an earlier spire damaged by the 1938 hurricane. In 1969, in celebration of the Church Building centennial, a custom-built electronic organ was installed, and the choir loft was transferred from the northern transept to the center of the newly raised chancel area, behind the moveable organ console.

A handicapped access ramp was added on to the entryway to the sanctuary in 1994. Stone columns were built in 1996 at the entrance to the church driveway and parking lot. The stone for these columns was taken from the dismantling of the original old stone church built in 1853.

In 1999, the sanctuary was renovated to accommodate a world-class pipe organ, which was installed in 2001. The organ was built by Klais Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany, according to design specifications developed for our church. Building and instrument sustain congregational worship to the glory of God.

NEW ORGAN

The Organ Study Committee was formed in 1995 to look into replacing the electronic organ, which had outlived its usefulness. After three years of Committee meetings, research, and meeting with experts in many fields, it was determined that a pipe organ be built for us by Johannes Klais Orgelbau, located in Bonn, Germany. A Building Committee then oversaw two years of construction.

In order for the organ to be placed properly, it was necessary to modify the Sanctuary and Parlor. The 1890 Mary Tillinghast painting in the Chancel was removed and remounted on the reverse side of the wall facing into the Parlor. The arches on either side of the Chancel in the Sanctuary were opened up revealing Tiffany windows, which had been closed up. These two arches lead to a new center opening into the Parlor.

Our new organ is a mechanical tracker-action instrument with slider windchests, utilizing natural materials like solid oak, solid fir, tin and lead as well as leather for most of its parts. It has 29 stops and 35 ranks for a total of 1,931 pipes; 213 are made of wood, 16 are made of copper and 1,702 are made of tin/lead. The organ console was designed following standards set by the American Guild of Organists and has three manuals, each with 61 keys. The pedal board has 32 notes.

The Organ was installed and played for the first time on Easter 2001. A series of nine Dedication Programs were performed during the first year. These Programs consisted of the Dedication on September 23, 2001, organ recitals, Christmas and Holy Week Services, organ, brass and strings concerts, and culminating with the Brahms Requiem performed by the Chancel Choir and soloists. The Concerts were attended by people from ten States.

We are thankful to everyone who has helped bring this to fruition. We are truly blessed.