Music has always been an integral part of Brooklyn’s history. One could write an entire book about the great musicians who lived here or the legendary venues where they performed. For centuries, Brooklyn has been steeped in music of every kind. Long before the advent of radio, television, and stereo systems, live performances and stage shows were always popular.
The range of musical expression was astonishing—from family gatherings around the piano, to raspy singing in taverns, from the powerful vocals of church choirs to the delicate harmonies of Schubert’s songs performed by German singing societies. And, of course, no musical life in the borough could be complete without the noble, majestic sounds of the mighty church organ. Brooklyn was home to many concert halls, opera houses, theatres, clubs, churches, and salons—and among them were Brooklyn’s organ halls. Music was, and still is, everywhere in the borough. Read more about Brooklyn’s organ halls at brooklyn-trend.com.
The Flourishing of Brooklyn’s Musical Culture
In 19th and early 20th-century Brooklyn, music likely experienced its cultural zenith as both public and private support for musical institutions peaked. A new musical institution emerged, one whose history was particularly revealing. The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) was built in 1861 on Montague Street. However, like many cultural venues of the era that hosted performances, it was not immune to disaster—it burned down in a fire.
This unfortunate event occurred in 1903. But Brooklynites did not dwell on the misfortune for long. A new academy building was swiftly designed, constructed, and opened on Lafayette Avenue just five years after the fire. This was an impressive feat, considering the scale of such an ambitious project. It was a testament to Brooklyn’s deep devotion to music.
After the first Brooklyn Academy of Music building on Montague Street was destroyed, Brooklyn Borough President Martin W. Littleton enlisted prominent Brooklyn residents to rebuild both BAM and its educational partner, the Brooklyn Institute. The architectural firm Herts & Tallant designed a grand and adaptable multi-story building with a Beaux-Arts façade.
Constructing the New Academy
To encourage social interaction, the design included a vast 5,000-square-foot lobby where patrons could gather and stroll before entering the venue’s other spaces. The main attraction of the building, the grand Opera House, featured two balconies and a seating capacity of 2,200—an impressive number by any standard. The Concert Hall, used for both musical performances and lectures, was also accessible through the main vestibule. Today, this space has been divided into four cinemas, with many of the original decorative elements still intact.
The second floor housed an elegant ballroom, which was transformed in 1973 into Lepercq Space, a large black-box theatre. In 1997, architect Hugh Hardy redesigned it into a multipurpose space that now includes an academic café. Part of the third floor, above the Concert Hall and east of the Opera House balcony, was reserved for the Brooklyn Institute’s offices. These included classrooms and a 400-seat lecture hall, later repurposed for administrative use.
Since its opening, BAM’s main building has hosted historic performances and lectures by many notable artists and figures, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and the American debut of dancer Rudolf Nureyev in 1962. In 2004, the building was renamed the Peter Jay Sharp Building. Over the years, BAM has far surpassed its original mission, becoming the borough’s premier venue for innovative artists, intellectually curious audiences, and bold ideas.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Organ
Another key attraction of BAM’s concert hall was its organ, which drew music lovers from across the borough. The venue housed an Austin organ, originally built in 1907 for the Jamestown Exposition, an event marking the 300th anniversary of Norfolk, Virginia, in 1607. Interestingly, this area did not always serve as a military base.
Located at Sewells Point—a region that was nearly inaccessible by land but reachable by water—the exposition opened on April 26 and ran until December 1, 1907. However, due to its poor accessibility and low attendance, the event was a financial disaster. Ten years later, spurred by World War I, the land was repurposed into the Norfolk Naval Base.
Returning to the organ itself, as the official instrument of the exposition, the Austin organ was installed in the auditorium building, where it was played in over 300 solo concerts. The organ received the highest award and a gold medal, with images of both sides of the medal proudly displayed in a special brochure dedicated to the instrument, as well as in Austin Organ Company’s promotional materials.
The organ’s semicircular case, constructed at the back of the stage by the exposition company, featured front pipes provided by Austin, adorned with French gold-bronze finishes. Austin leased the instrument to the Jamestown Exposition Company for $3,000, with an option to purchase it for $10,000. However, given the financial failure of the exposition, the company never finalized the purchase.
The Legacy of John Turnell Austin and His Organs
The Austin Organ Company, which crafted this instrument, was a well-known organ manufacturer. It was founded by John Turnell Austin, born in England in 1869. His father was an amateur organ builder and choir singer. In 1889, John emigrated to the United States, securing a job at the Farrand and Votey Organ Company in Detroit. While working there, he soon developed the now-famous Universal Air Chest system.
At just 23 years old, Austin patented this innovative concept in the U.S. He attempted to sell the patent to Farrand and Votey as well as other organ manufacturers, but instead, he attracted the interest of Clough & Warren, a Detroit-based company specializing in reed organs. They agreed to establish a new organ division under Austin’s leadership.
The first organs patented by Austin were manufactured in 1893—the same year his brother, Basil Austin, also emigrated to the U.S. in search of work. Unfortunately, while installing an organ at the Fourth Congregational Church in Hartford in 1898, the Clough & Warren factory burned down completely and was beyond repair. This forced Austin to start anew. However, thanks to continuous growth and the reliability of the Universal Air Chest system, Austin Organ Company gained national recognition by 1910.
One of Austin’s finest organs, built in March 1908, was sold to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for $12,000. Austin personally transported the instrument to Brooklyn that same year, where it was installed in the Concert Hall. Unfortunately, this organ no longer exists today.
But this was not the only Austin Organ purchased by BAM. In 1905, another unified organ was showcased at the Austin Organ Co. & Works exhibition in Hartford, Connecticut. It was later sold to BAM and installed on the stage of the Opera House. John Austin equipped the instrument with a self-playing mechanism that could produce solo effects. However, this feature did not save the organ, and, like the previous one, it no longer exists today.
