Wanamaker

After the flower show, we had a tour of Wanamaker's Department Store (now Macy's) and a behind-the-scenes tour of the repair shop for the Wanamaker organ. The organ was originally built in 1904 for the St. Louis World's Fair. It had more than 10,000 pipes. In 1909, John Wanamaker bought the organ and had it installed in his department store. It was first heard on June 22, 1911, at the exact moment when England's King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey. 8,000 more pipes were added between 1911 and 1917, then from 1924 to 1930, another 10,000 pipes were installed.

The total number of installed pipes today is 28,482. The gold pipes that you see on the 3rd floor are not functional; they are only decorational. All the other pipes are behind the walls from the 3rd to the 7th floors. The pipes range in size from those of a drinking straw to over 32 feet in length with wood made 3" thick.

The organ is played daily with some days having two performances. Each performance is about an hour long.