William W. Laws (1926)

2022 - Interior (Photograph by Parish Facebook page, submitted by Andrew Scanlon/Andrew Scanlon)

2022 - Exterior 2 (Photograph by New Bedford Facebook page, submitted by Andrew Scanlon/Andrew Scanlon)

2022 - Exterior (Photograph by New Bedford Facebook page, submitted by Andrew Scanlon/Andrew Scanlon)

2023-08-10 - Console, photographed in poor lighting conditions (Photograph by Andrew Scanlon/Andrew Scanlon)

various - Trio of historic images (Photograph from an archival source: New Bedford Historic Photo Club Facebook Page, submitted by Andrew Scanlon/Andrew Scanlon)

2004-05-10 - Console, some facade visible, in loft (Photograph from an archival source: 2005 OHS Handbook, William T. Van Pelt, submitted by Paul R. Marchesano/Paul R. Marchesano)

2004-05-10 - Organ facade in rear gallery (Photograph from an archival source: 2005 OHS Handbook, William T. Van Pelt, submitted by Paul R. Marchesano/Paul R. Marchesano)

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Notes

2013-11-18 - Updated through online information from Matthew Dion. -- (From AGO Convention Article) Saint James Church (Our Lady of Guadalupe):<br> This parish was started in 1888 to serve the growing number of Catholics working in the nearby textile mills. The present granite Gothic structure, begun in 1890, was dedicated in 1907. ... In 1877 Hilborne Roosevelt of New York built a forty-seven stop, three-manual organ (Opus 29) for H.H. Richardson-s new building for Trinity Church in Boston. This organ was controlled by pneumatic action, save for a Vox Humana on an electric chest in the ceiling. In 1926, when E.M. Skinner installed a new organ (Opus 536) in Trinity, the Roosevelt was acquired by St. James and electrified by W.W. Laws. <br> For its new home Laws provided a four-manual Austin-style console, and added an Echo division of six ranks, located in the south triforium at the front of the nave. Laws fitted electric primaries to the Roosevelt slider chests and slide motors, and added treble extension chests to extend the manual compass to sixty-one notes. In the 1970s a clogged drain in the tower caused severe water damage to the Great windchests. The pipes, pallets and pulldown pneumatics were removed to allow the chests to dry out, but never reinstalled. The organ gradually lapsed into silence as a shrinking base of parishioners precluded spending money on its repair. <br> Last year, four parishes in the south end were merged into one, with St. James the surviving church. At the time of this writing, a group of convention committee members and volunteers have, with the approval of the new pastor, begun to implement repairs to make some of the organ playable for our visit. This important organ, a rare survival from Roosevelt-s early career, may yet have a new lease on life. -Database Manager

Stoplist

Great (unenclosed, Man. II, CC-c4) Open Diapason 16 (58, Original; 1-12 stopped wood; 13-58 rescaled 1 note; 13-30 zinc, 31-58 spotted metal), 1st Diapason 8 (58, 1-17 zinc, with soldered-on extensions; 18-58 spotted metal, slide-tuned; F scribed ''Putnam Clark"), 2nd Diapason 8 (58, Pipes marked "Op. English;" 1-17 zinc, with soldered-on extensions; 18-58 spotted metal, slide-tuned; F inscribed "Putnam Clark"), Gamba 8 (58, 1-12 zinc, 13-58 spotted metal; slots with slide tuners; C marked "1492/Gr. Gross Gamba," back seam inscribed "H.H. Bartlett voicer 1902"), Melodia 8 (58, Original; 1-57 open wood, inverted mouths, inset walnut upper lips; 1-12 lengthened; 14- 57 rescaled 1 note; 38-57 pear wood fronts; 25-57 regulating screws; C# marked "No. 29/Great Melodia''), Dopple Flute 8 (58, Original; 1-12 stopped wood; 13-58 twin mouths, 25-58 pear fronts, pine sides), Octave 4 (58, Original; rescaled 1 note; 1-6 zinc, 7-58 spotted metal; slide-tuned; 1-37 slotted), Wald Flute 4 (58, 1-12 stopped wood; 13-58 tapered (3/4) common metal; C signed "P. Clark"), Twelfth 2⅔ (58, Pipes removed from chest) unexamined), Fifteenth 2 (58, Pipes removed from chest) unexamined), Mixture IV (232, Pipes removed from chest) unexamined. Breaks at C and cl (Originally V ranks at t.C ; top rank holes plugged)), Trumpet [t.C] 16 (46, Pipes removed from chest1 unexamined), Trumpet 8 (58, Pipes removed from chest1 unexamined), Clarion 4 (58, Pipes removed from chest1 unexamined), SW 16, 8, 4, CH 16, 8, 4, EC 8, 4

Swell (enclosed, Man. III, CC-c4) Bourdon 16 (58, Stopped wood, with cherry caps; 1-36 pine, 37-58 mahogany fronts, pine sides; 25-58 slanted blocks), Open Diapason 8 (58, Rescaled one note; F# marked ''Organ #29/Swl. Open F/WF.G. June 1876;" 1-18 zinc; 19-58 common metal, slotted; 13-58 slide-tuned), Stopped Diapason 8 (58, Roosevelt; stopped wood, hardwood caps; 1-19 pine, slanted blocks; 20-58 twin mouths, mahogany fronts, pine sides, scooped blocks), Salicional 8 (58, 1-12 modern zinc, slide-tuned; 13-58 original, spotted metal, with tuning scrolls replaced by slide tuners; C marked "1876/H.L.R."), Viole D'Orchestre 8 (58, Hutchings; C foot stamped "Alf. Peterson," inscribed "#1492/#1469;" wood roller beards to 44), Voix Celeste 8 (58, Hutchings; 1-12 zinc, 13-58 spotted metal; 1-48 wood roller beards, slots with slide tuners; 49-58 slide-tuned; C marked "Viol d'Orch," stamped "Alf. Peterson," scribed "#1492/#1469"), Praestant 4 (58, Pipes marked "Echo Diap. Ch;" 1-5 zinc, 6-58 spotted metal), Harmonic Flute 4 (58, 1-6 open wood with metal tuning flaps; 7-44 spotted metal with scribed and flatted mouths, slots and slide tuners, original tuning ears removed; 19-44 harmonic, stamped "H;" 19 inscribed "Reprise;" 45-58 tapered common metal), Viola 4 (58, Modern (Skinner?); 1-6 zinc, 7-58 spotted metal; slide tuners; FF# scribed "524/65/Sw Violina"), Dolce Cornet [12-15-17] III (174, Common metal; rescaled 1 note; 12th and 17th have 2/2 taper; 15th is wide-scaled cylindrical; CC# pipes signed "Moritz Robert Mohr/1876 New York/#29"), Fagotto 16 (58, 1-45 spotted metal bells on zinc stems; 46-58 spotted metal), Cornopean 8 (58, 1-53 spotted metal bells on zinc stems; 37-53 harmonic; 54-58 open spotted metal flues), Oboe 8 (58, 1-53 spotted metal bells on zinc stems; 54-58 open spotted metal flues), Vox Humana 8 (58, 1-49 tin, twist caps, long boots; 50-58 common metal flues, scroll-tuned), Tremolo, SW 16, 4, EC 8

Choir (enclosed, Man. I, CC-c4) Dulciana [t.C] 16 (46, 13-24 modern zinc, stamped "Dul," scribed "Gamba;" 25-58 spotted metal; #25 marked "Dolce I 58 I 498"), Open Diapason 8 (58, Rescaled 1 note; 1-18 zinc, slotted; 19-58 spotted metal, slots and scrolls replaced with tuning slides), Dulciana 8 (58, 1-12 zinc, 13-58 spotted metal, pipes marked "Dul" and "V. Dolce;" slotted, with tuning slides), Unda Maris 8 (58, metal; tuning scrolls replaced with tuning slides), Concert Flute 8 (58, Marked "Solo C. Fl.;" open wood (pine, with maple fronts), inverted mouths; 31-58 harmonic), Fugara 4 (58, Marked "Ch. Violina;" rescaled 1 note; spotted metal with tuning slides; 1-38 slotted), Chimney Flute 4 (58, Stamped "B;" 1-5 stopped wood, 6-44 common metal; 13-44 canistered with exterior chimneys, ear-tuned; 45-58 open spotted metal, slide-tuned), Piccolo 2 (58, Common metal; slide-tuned 1-13 slotted), Clarionette 8 (58, 1-50 belled clarinet construction, 5 1-58 common metal flues, slide-tuned), Tremolo, CH 16, 4, SW 16, 8, 4

Echo (enclosed, Man. IV, CC-c4; Laws; unplayable, unexamined) Open Diapason 8, Gamba 8, Concert Flute 8, Dulcet 8, Octave 4, Vox Humana 8, EC 16, 4

Pedal (unenclosed, CC-g1) Contra Bourdon 32 (1-12 Bourdon at 16' and 10⅔'; 13-32 Bourdon at 32'), Resultant 32 (1-12 Open Diapason at 16' and 10⅔'; 13-32 Open Diapason at 32'), Open Diapason 16 (56, 1-30 Roosevelt; 31-56 Laws), Bourdon 16 (56, Stopped wood; 1-30 Roosevelt; 3 1 -56 Laws), Major Flute 8 ([from Open Diapason]), Violoncello 8 (44, 1-30 Roosevelt; 31-44 Laws), Gedeckt 8 ([from Bourdon]), Flute 4 ([from Open Diapason]), Violina 4 ([from Violoncello]), Stopped Flute 4 ([from Bourdon]), Tuba 16 (1-30 Roosevelt Trombone, wood resonators and boots, maple shallots; 32-56 Laws, spotted metal), Tuba 8 ([from 16' Tuba]), Tuba 4 ([from 16' Tuba]), GR 8,4, SW 8,4, CH 8,4, EC 8,4

Combinations General 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb), General 9-10-11-12 (thumb and toe), Great 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb), Swell 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb), Choir 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb), Echo 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb), Pedal 1-2-3-4 (toe), Gr-P (toe reversible), Sw-P (toe reversible), Ch-P (toe reversible), Sforzando (toe reversible), Cancel

Balanced Pedals Choir Expression, Swell Expression, Echo Expression, Register Crescendo

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