Pipe Organ Database

a project of the organ historical society

Hilborne L. Roosevelt (Opus 148, 1884)

Exhibited in the 2016 OHS convention

Location:

Highway Tabernacle Church
Spring Garden and 21st
Philadelphia, PA US
Organ ID: 5283

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Status and Condition:

  • The organ has an unknown or unreported status.
  • The organ's condition is unknown.
We received the most recent update for this instrument's status from Database Manager on May 13, 2018.

Technical Details:

  • Chests: Slider
  • 27 ranks. 2 manuals. 23 stops.
All:
  • Chest Type(s): Slider chests
We received the most recent update for this division from Database Manager on May 13, 2018.
Main:
  • Manuals: 2
  • Stops: 23
  • Key Action: Mechanical connection from key to chest (tracker, sticker or mix).
We received the most recent update for this console from Database Manager on May 13, 2018.
Database Manager on May 07, 2018:
We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on May 13, 2018.
Database Manager on February 01, 2016:

Updated through online information from John Igoe.
Web Site notes: Hilborne L. Roosevelt built their Opus 148 for what is now Highway Tabernacle Church in their Philadelphia shops in 1884. It remained virtually untouched in its original location for another 102 years until being restored by Patrick J. Murphy in 1986.

What makes this story truly remarkable is that on the night of August 21, 1986 the church was all but destroyed by fire. The manual pipes had all been removed and stored in the adjoining parish hall and the reservoir had been removed to a hallway to be sent out for releathering when the fire hit. The metal façade pipes, still in place, were damaged beyond repair as were a number of the wooden bourdon pipes in the façade to the sides of the metal pipes.

Recycled Bourdon pipes from Roosevelt Opus 100, 1883, were located to replace the damaged ones. A. R. Schopp constructed new metal façade pipes drawings to match the ones destroyed in the fire. The windchests were re-tabled and repaired and the fire-damaged action restored. The result is an organ that is much as Hilborne Roosevelt left it in 1884.

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on February 11, 2019.
Database Manager on October 30, 2004:

Status Note: There 1996

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.
Database Manager on October 30, 2004:

Formerly Fifth Baptist. Restored by Patrick J. Murphy & Assoc. after fire damage in 1987.

We received the most recent update for this note from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.
Source not recorded: Open In New Tab Stoplist provided by the 2016 OHS National Convention committee
We received the most recent update for this stoplist from Database Manager on April 09, 2020.

Instrument Images:

Balcony and Organ Case: Photograph by Len Levasseur. Taken on 2015-02-16

Organ in balcony: Photograph by Playing and Preserving, submitted by John Roper. Taken approx. 2019

Building: Photograph by Playing and Preserving, submitted by John Roper. Taken approx. 2019

Room: Photograph by Playing and Preserving, submitted by John Roper. Taken approx. 2019

Trackers: Photograph by Playing and Preserving, submitted by John Roper. Taken approx. 2019

Console: Photograph by Playing and Preserving, submitted by John Roper. Taken approx. 2019

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