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History of Our Church and Organs

Our Church Buildings

Originally called "The First Independent Church of Baltimore," our church has the distinction of being the oldest building in the United States built for, and used ever since by, a Unitarian congregation.

Built in 1817 from a design by Maximilien Godefroy, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Godefry also designed Baltimore's St. Mary's Seminary Chapel and Battle Monument.

Antonio Capellano made the original terra cotta relief "Angel of Truth" on the front of the church. The Greek inscription on the scroll translates "To the One God". Noted Baltimore sculptor, Henry Berge (1908-1998), constructed a replica of the "Angel of Truth" in the late 1950s to replace the decayed original.

It was from our pulpit on May 5, 1819 that William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) delivered the pivotal "Baltimore Sermon" staking out the theological claims of the soon-to-emerge Unitarian denomination in America.

Because of the poor acoustics of the hemispherical dome, the architect, Joseph E. Sperry, added a lower barrel vault ceiling as part of his 1893 renovation. Sperry also designed the Bromo-Seltzer tower.

The glass mosaic of the Last Supper as well as the stained glass windows are from the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Prominent member, Enoch Pratt (1808 - 1896), donated the Parish Hall and our beautiful church organ. And speaking of Enoch Pratt, you can learn more about the history of our church by going to the Maryland history room of the Enoch Pratt Free Library around the corner. There is also an excellent history of the church called A Heritage to Hold in Fee by Rebecca Funk.

View historic photos of the church.
 

The Niemann Organs

(Organ Historical Society 1991 Organ Handbook)

Sanctuary Organ

The present organ, installed when the interior of the church was altered in 1893, was the gift of Enoch Pratt, Treasurer of the church and a well known philanthropist. On 14 May 1894, Enoch Pratt wrote the following testimonial. "The organ Mr. Henry Niemann built and put in the First Independent Church, Corner Franklin and Charles Streets, is pronounced by all the professionals as well as the congregation, a first-class instrument, and equal to any other organ in the city, and in my opinion no one ought to go out of the city to have an organ built."

The bass notes of the great and swell chests have double pallets. A Barker lever affects the entire Great, including the Swell to Great unison and octave couplers. The Great Forte pedal brings on all stops on the Great, the Gr. to Ped. Coupler, the Ped. Open 16', and also opens the swell box!

A Melodia 8' from the Niemann organ formerly in the Church of the Fourteen Holy Martyrs in Baltimore is now on the toe board originally occupied by the Doppel Floete 8', the pipes of which are in storage. Notes 1-8 of the Sw. Bourdon 16', the Violin Diapason 8', and the Salicional 8', are unenclosed. The bottom octave of the Vox Celestis 8' is grooved from the Salicional 8'. The Cornopean 8' is gone, and a mongrel set of harmonic Trumpet pipes occupies its place. The Bassoon 8' now draws with the Oboe 8'; its knob now controls a Pedal Trombone 16'. The resonators are from a Trombone 16' in an 1866 Hall & Labagh organ formerly in Immaculate Conception Church in Baltimore; the wind chest, from Fourteen Holy Martyrs. is now fitted with electric action.

Parish Hall Organ

This organ was for many years in Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in Annapolis, Maryland. It may have been built for St. Mary's Industrial School in Baltimore. It was installed in its present location in 1895. The original reservoir is gone, replaced by a supply house regulator. The manual wind chest is chromatic.