Wanamaker Organ, Concert pipe organ at Macy's Center City, Philadelphia, USA.
The Wanamaker Organ is a concert pipe organ installed in Macy's Center City department store in Philadelphia, featuring 28,750 pipes arranged across 464 ranks. The instrument is integrated into a 7-story marble grand court that dominates the central space of the building.
The instrument debuted at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair before John Wanamaker purchased and relocated it to his Philadelphia department store in 1909. The move brought a concert-hall instrument into a commercial space, shaping how retailers presented themselves to the public.
Daily concerts at noon and 5:30 PM present classical music that mixes traditional organ pieces with orchestral arrangements. Visitors experience the sound echoing through the elegant marble hall of the department store, blending music with the retail space.
Visitors can attend free concerts from Monday through Saturday and book guided tours to explore the organ chambers and mechanical components. Arriving early is recommended to secure a good viewing spot in the grand court before performances begin.
The String Division contains 88 ranks of pipes built by the W.W. Kimball Company, occupying the largest organ chamber ever constructed. This specialized section produces sounds resembling orchestral strings, giving the instrument a warm, blended tone throughout its range.
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