– June 22, 1911 –
After being salvaged from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and transported in 13 separate railroad cars, the largest functioning pipe organ in the world was played for the very first time seven years later inside the Grand Court of Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia. John Wanamaker had purchased the instrument to provide a sophisticated, uplifting atmosphere for his retail shoppers. The organ was so massive that it required its own specialized workshop inside the store just to maintain its thousands of pipes and intricate pneumatic valves.
Over the next two decades, Wanamaker expanded the instrument into what is officially known today as the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ. Growing to an astonishing 28,750 pipes, it created an unparalleled wall of sound that could shake the building’s massive seven-story atrium. This magnificent instrument survives today inside what is now a Macy’s department store, where it is still played by a dedicated organist twice a day, six days a week. It stands as a living bridge to the golden age of American retail showmanship and civic art.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
