According to a number of sources ...
The world's largest WORKING pipe-organ is the Wanamaker Organ in the Lord and Taylor Store at 13th and Market Street in Philadelphia - 6 Manuals, 461 ranks, 28,482 pipes.
The world's largest NON-working pipe-organ is located in Convention Hall Atlantic City NJ - 7 Manuals, 449 ranks, 33,114 pipes. This organ is the only pipe-organ in the world with 64 foot pipes! (There are only two with 64 foot reeds.)
The Curtis Organ (Austin Opus 1416) at Penn has 4 manuals, 168 ranks, 10,731 pipes.
I don't know for certain, (since it seems to only be listed on one list of organs, and not with much detail), but the Civic Center Auditorium Organ (Moller Opus 5819) appears to have two independent consoles -- apparently with two 4 manual theater consoles (101 ranks) and a 4 manual (87 rank) classical console. No indication as to the number of pipes. I suspect that the reason none of the various organ groups list anything about it is the fact that it has apparently not been operational for the past 10 years.
there was a letter in the dp which gives more info about the organ:
http://tinyurl.com/4sp3z
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6 december 2004
To the Editor:
I write to correct misinformation given in your article in the Dec. 2, 2004 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian ("Health System unable to save Convention Hall in expansion.")
The pipe organ in the Philadelphia Convention Hall is not larger than the one in Irvine Auditorium and its removal has not been completed, nor is it assured preservation. The M. P. Mšller Pipe Organ in Convention Hall, built in 1930, is the most significant concert instrument built by the largest organbuilding firm in American organbuilding history. The organ however, is about 2/3 the size of the Austin pipe organ in Irvine Auditorium (approximately. 6600 pipes vs. 10,731).
Its lesser size, however, does not diminish its important value to the pipe organ community and the theater organ community. The organ was built with two consoles on screw lifts with classical concert organ specifications and theater organ stops, as well as an automatic roll player which played the organ, changed stops and even controlled expression. It was 100 percent original and in 100 percent working condition.
With the enormous amounts of money the Penn Health System is spending, they bear a responsibility to see this organ protected, preserved and sent intact to a new home. Unfortunately, that is unlikely. The problem is, the instrument was tremendous in size and scope (its pipes were made in a very large proportion to fill that room with sound, which it did admirably). In fact, it will be very difficult to find a new home for this instrument, and the world will likely never hear it again. You can be sure that it was played at Franklin Roosevelt's nomination at the Democratic Convention of 1936!
It is sad that this "study" claiming that removable seats support the roof didn't pay closer attention to the several sub-basement levels in the building, easily convertible to parking, and with at least three stories below the floor, it is unlikely that the radiology equipment could possibly be larger than equipment that has been in the building before, both for movies and otherwise. It is also sad that the stealth surrounding this project kept the information from the public until it was too late to react to it.
I am disappointed and disturbed by this turn of events. It does not demonstrate much care for anything but profiteering in my opinion.
Paul Marcesano
The writer is an administrative assistant in the Department of Chemistry and a member of the American Institute of Organbuilders
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......... laserbeam® [aka ray]
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