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The organ in its original home, the 1904 World's Fair. This facade was formerly installed at Macy's, it used to be behind the current facade. The organ languished in storage at the Handlan warehouse in St. Louis until 1909, when it was bought by John Wanamaker for his new department store at 13th and Market Streets in Center City, Philadelphia.
In 1992, a nonprofit group, the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, was founded to promote the preservation, restoration and presentation of the famous pipe organ. [17] The store directory of Macy's Center City in February 2024. As a retail site, the Philadelphia flagship store has proved profitable for later tenants Lord & Taylor and now Macy's.
In Philadelphia, Friends of the Wanamaker Organ acts as a caretaker organization and works closely with Macy's to keep the holiday traditions going. "It was never just about shopping," he said.
A local and highly respected musical novelty is the Wanamaker Organ, located in the Center City Macy's department store at 1300 Market. Its organ was built in 1904, designed by organ architect George Ashdown Audsley. The organ was so large it required thirteen freight cars to bring it from St. Louis.
Wanamaker bought the organ in 1909 and had it transported from St. Louis aboard 13 freight cars. The organ's installation in Philadelphia took two years. It was played for the first time on June 22, 1911, to coincide with England's King George V's coronation. More than 8,000 pipes were added to the organ between 1911 and 1917.
Most notably, Galloway was the official organist for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, where he debuted the great organ in Festival Hall (now preserved as the nucleus of the Wanamaker Organ at Macy's Center City in Philadelphia) which was the largest organ in the world at that time. [3]
The Wanamaker Organ, the world's largest playing pipe organ famed for its daily recitals, is located in the Grand Court of Macy's, just where Broad Street traffic circles Penn Square. Philadelphia International Records' offices and gift shop is also located along this strip.
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