This essay appeared in the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia and was contributed by Brianna Ransome.
Originally designed for the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the organ purchased by John Wanamaker, who lived from 1838 to 1922, for his unprecedented Philadelphia department store at 13th and Market Streets, expanded over time to produce the sound power of three symphony orchestras. Regarded as the largest playable instrument in the world, the Wanamaker Grand Court organ remained a highlight of the Center City store that became Macy's in 2006.
Renowned artist and architect George Ashton Audsley designed the organ, which was built by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company for the St. Louis World's Fair, held from April 30th to December 1st in 1904. Construction of the organ cost $105,000, which in today's world would be over $2 million. After the fair, plans to have it permanently installed at the Kansas City Convention Center or exhibited at Coney Island fell through, and the organ was kept in storage and unused for the next five years.
Wanamaker went through great lengths to implement innovative policies and architectural features in his store, not only to draw customers, but more importantly, to ensure their satisfaction with their overall experience. For example, after attending the St. Louis Fair, he purchased Germany's six-foot-six-inch bronze eagle, an emblem of craftsmanship by August Gaul. A firm believer in the ability of music to improve employee and shopper disposition and store atmosphere, Wanamaker proceeded to purchase the organ in 1909.
Transporting it to Philadelphia required thirteen freight cars. It took two years to complete the installation of the organ in the store's 149-foot high marble-clad center, the Grand Court of Honor. John's son, Rodman Wanamaker, who lived from 1863 to 1928, considered the store an architectural marvel of its era, the ideal place for the finest organ in the world.
Wanamaker's official opening of the newly remodeled store and the Wanamaker organ's dedication in 1911 drew a crowd of over forty thousand people, including President William Howard Taft.
Even with its more than ten thousand pipes, Rodman deemed the organ insufficient in size and sonority. He ordered extensive enlargement resulting in 17,222 pipes by 1917 to increase the organ's efficiency. Subsequent expansions eventually produced a 287 ton organ with almost 29,000 pipes.
The store changed multiple times and the organ fell into disrepair. The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, a non-profit organization, formed a group in 1991 to provide tours and information and raise funds for the organ maintenance. The organ has been fully refurbished more than a century after the organ arrived at John Wanamaker's department store.
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