The Church of the Gesu
18th & Girard
North Philadelphia
The Gesu Church is a Victorian Cathedralesque Basilica administered by the Jesuits. In the opinion of some it is the grandest church in the city. It was built over a nine year period starting in March of 1879, under the direction of Father Burchard Villiger S.J. on ground originally purchased in Nov. 1866 by Father Felix Barbelin S.J. for the construction of a Catholic University of Philadelphia. This Institution now is known as St Josephs University located in Overbrook on the western border of Philadelphia.
At the time of its purchase, most of the land north of Girard Avenue was just being settled, and to go too much further north was to venture into wilderness. The city of Philadelphia was quite small at the time, and the present day forest of houses which now surround the Gesu were built coincident with and after the construction of the church and the school.
The following paragraphs were taken from the 1888 – 1938 Golden Jubilee booklet and the authors in turn quoted from “a Philadelphia Newspaper”, most likely the Public Ledger which is no longer published.
A Preview of the Gesu Church from a Philadelphia Newspaper
1882
The foundations of the new Roman Catholic Church of the Gesu, corner of Eighteenth and Stiles Streets, are completed and work upon the structure will begin at once. The Church, when finished, will be one of the largest and handsomest in Philadelphia. The Old Church of the Holy Family will be merged into the large Academy building, now standing on Stiles Street, and to be known as St Joseph’s College. The new Church will after the Roman style of architecture similar in general design to the Church of the Gesu in Rome. It will have a front of 115 feet on Stiles Street, and a length of 230 feet on Eighteenth Street. From the corners of the front will rise two spires to a height of 200 feet (never completed), both surrounded by ornamented crosses. There will be five main doors, one under each tower leading to the choir and the main church. In the center will be three main doors also leading to the main church. Directly over the doors will be two niches containing statues with three windows between them. The portal tapers off at a height of 100 feet into a panel work arch shaped alcove supporting seven statues and surmounted by a cross similar to those on the spires. On either side of the doors will be six Doric columns arranged in pairs each column being three and one quarter feet in diameter. Over these the order will change to Ionic and still higher to Corinthian. The side elevation of the church will be 84 feet. Behind the sanctuary, at the corner of 18th
Figure 1: Facade, Church of the Gesu, Phila
and Thompson Streets will stand the sacristy, an exact counterpart of the corner buildings of the college and connecting with the Professors’ residence. The Church will be of pressed brick and the interior will present a handsome appearance, fully in keeping with the exterior. There are to be no columns to obstruct the view of the worshipers. In a space 152 feet long and 76 feet wide, the pews will be arranged in three double rows in front of the sanctuary and side chapels, the aisles between them leading to the central doors of the portal. The ceiling will be 95 feet from the floor, and the sanctuary 60 feet deep by 45 feet wide, will be lighted through a large skylight so fixed in the roof behind the arch as to be invisible from the body of the church. The main altarpiece is to be 63 feet high and 30 feet broad at the base. Inside the sanctuary there will be a chapel of the Blessed Virgin at the Gospel side, and of St. Joseph at the Epistle side.
In the transept are to be large side altars, dedicated to Saints Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier, each spanned by an arch equal in dimensions to that of the sanctuary. Along the sides of the Church are to be eight other chapels, four along each side, dedicated to different Saints. The body of the Church will be lighted through large semi-circular windows over the side chapels. The pulpit will be placed on the left side of the church, attached to the pillar placed between the transept and the first side chapel. A stairway and passage leads up to a hidden gallery known as a triforum affording communication to the upper windows on the sides and front of the church. The interior cornice, formed by the top of the main columns where they meet the floor of the triforum, shall bear a frieze containing in large prominent letters a Latin inscription taken from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians, which in English translation of the Bible is rendered as follows: “God hath given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in Heaven, on earth and in Hell.”
The Gesu in Rome has a similar floor plan. To see the website press this link. (www.companysj.com/v183/gesu.htm)
Figure 2: Main Altar and Altarpiece
A Brief History
The Church of the Gesu was built as part of the St Joseph’s College complex constructed under the direction of Father Burchard Villager SJ. A history of the first fifty years of its existence can be found by traversing the link to an article taken from the Golden Jubilee Booklet published in 1938[1]. This is very thorough treatment of the early history of the Gesu written by a man who actually took part in it, Wilfrid Parsons, SJ. More modern events are as follows.
The Architect
The architect for the Gesu was a man named Edwin Forrest Durang of Philadelphia who was noted as an eminent architect of ecclesiastical structures, especially for the Catholic Church. The story is that when he was engaged to create the plans for the church, Fr. Villiger sent him to Rome to study the original Gesu and the other churches in the eternal city. The result was a church similar to the Gesu in Rome but one that incorporated many ideas from St Peters, in particular using a Latin inscription as a frieze that extends around the church. On the other hand, the striking altarpiece is unique in its own right.
As mentioned elsewhere, ground was broken in March of 1879 for the Gesu. Design work and architectural plans for the edifice of course had to have been completed before the construction contracts were let. One consideration that has not been discussed but needs to be mentioned is the Nativist Riots which occurred in the spring of 1844 and resulted in the burning of several churches in Philadelphia, notably Old St Michaels. The riots had a substantial effect on church architecture in Philadelphia. The adoption of the floor plan of the Gesu in Rome with modifications, made for a building that had a much better chance of survival from an attack by a mob. There are no significant exterior windows lower than the triforum level, so it is almost impossible to loft a fire-bomb through them. Also the doors are exceptionally thick and heavy. In short, the church is built like a fortress. The Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul at Logan Circle dates from the same period and is built in a similar manner.
The Fire
On the bitter cold night of January 30, 1966, disaster struck. A general alarm fire of unknown origin consumed the “Old Prep”. This included the original St Joseph’s College buildings along Stiles Street which were recycled from the original Church of the Holy Family and the first rectory[2]. Also consumed was most of the classroom building along Seventeenth Street. Left standing was the classroom building along Thompson Street, the Church of the Gesu and the second rectory which surrounds the apse of the church. About half of the complex went up in flames that night. Those that witnessed the fire remember the festoons of ice from the firemen’s hoses that covered everything. The firemen fought valiantly to prevent the Gesu from being burnt to the ground, but I am sure that it was Divine Providence that had the final say. It was a close thing. When demolition of the remains of the destroyed buildings was in progress, significant fire damage was discovered on the exterior wall of the right tower.
The fire precipitated a vociferous debate over the location and construction of the “New Prep”, including consideration of plans to move to a location outside the city (www.sjprep.org ). In the end however, the city block between Stiles Street and Girard Avenue was acquired and the expanded new facility occupied both the sites of the original buildings destroyed in the fire as well as the new land. Stiles Street between Seventeenth and Eighteenth Streets was closed and also occupied by the new facility. The classroom building along Thompson Street that survived the fire is now used for the Gesu School (www.gesuschool.org ). In all, the new facility is twice the size of the old complex. In addition, a rather nice plaza occupies the area directly in front of the church. At the present time the Prep and the Gesu School are bursting at the seams and the “new rectory” which had been unoccupied for many years is being recycled into a classroom building as part of the current capital improvement program. The Jesuit community now resides in row houses across Eighteenth Street from the church.
The Closing of the Parish
A second event of significant interest occurred in the early 1990’s. This was the closing of the Gesu Parish by Cardinal Bevilacqua. In the period following the Second World War, the economy of Philadelphia deteriorated rather badly. The city up to that time had been a collection of neighborhoods surrounding local factories or mills. In each neighborhood it was possible for the workers to walk to their jobs or to travel on the PTC (before Septa) a short distance to work. But gradually these mills closed one by one over a period of many years devastating the economy and forcing the workers to look elsewhere for their livelihood. In addition, there was an influx of agrarian African Americans who were displaced from their living in the south when the owners of the farms began to mechanize their crop production methodology. The result was a tectonic shift in the demographics of North Philadelphia and many churches such as the Gesu no longer had the income that they had come to depend on. This situation existed in varying degrees for over forty years and it was belatedly recognized by Cardinal Bevilacqua when he closed several parishes[3] in this area of the city.
There is yet another consideration, though. Parishes such as St. Edwards and St. Bonaventure were closed around the same time. It makes more sense to close parishes like these because they exist as stand alone units and were set up to minister to their local parishioners in return for their support. The case of the Gesu is different because it is not a diocesan church and does not require manpower from the archdiocese, and it has a city wide presence. All the alumni of St Joes Prep have a fondness for this venerable institution. One perchance must look elsewhere for a second reason.
In 1966, Hans Kung SJ and Joseph Ratzinger were colleagues at the University of Tubingen. Also during Vatican II (1962-1965) Hans Kung SJ and Joseph Ratzinger both were a “peritus” or theological expert advising members of the hierarchy. Ratzinger also became an admirer of Karl Rahner SJ. Both Kung and Rahner were eminent theologians. The Jesuits have always been known as being at the leading edge of theological thinking. Also some members of the order have been activists, defying secular authority. We shall pass over in silence the fact that for some reason Pope John Paul II did not like the Jesuits and the result was a species of mini-suppression that was quite unpleasant. It was during this period that the Gesu was closed. Joseph Ratzinger now is Pope Benedict XVI, and it appears that the differences have been smoothed over.
Currently the parish no longer exists, so the church is closed to the public. Its main function is to serve as a chapel for adjacent St Joes Prep. Also it is used for special occasions for the alumni and for special groups. It is clear that the church is being “banked” in hope of better times.
The Present Condition of the Gesu Building
The physical condition of the Gesu can be characterized as “fair”. It is not in bad shape considering its 128 years, but like all things it has deteriorated with age. The peak of the roof is as high as a 10 story building. Due to its size the building suffers from local weather systems in a unique way. When the wind is from the east, the church is partially protected by the school buildings of St Joes Prep. When the wind is from the west, the exterior wall of the church is the first serious obstacle the wind gets as it sweeps in from the Belmont Plateau. As one might expect, the west side of the church has been hammered. The majority of the water damage is located on this side. The picture below is taken from the altar looking down the nave at what used to be at one time the grand organ.
Figure 3: View from Main Altar toward rear of the Church, Pulpit on Right
The size and grandeur of the building is clear from the picture. The Romanesque barrel vault is quite imposing. But there is a striking difference in the color between the church below the triforum and the part above the capital forming the floor of the triforum. When the church was first built, Father Villager wanted to encase the interior in a marble sheathing. Some how or other the funds for this sheathing never materialized. The original finish was a skim coat of untreated white plaster which was vulnerable to soot and dirt. Later a coadjutor named Brother Schroen SJ over several years painted the lower portion a beige color, effectively sealing the plaster. However the barrel vault has never been treated and if the lower portion had not been painted, then the entire church would look the same as the ceiling. The rear wall next to the organ casework is almost black with soot and dirt. This is a real problem that needs attention.
When the Gesu was originally built it had a slate roof. A good slate roof will last for more than 100 years but they are quite expensive. Toward the end of its life the roof leaked badly and a few years ago the decision was made to replace the roof with synthetic slate-like material that does not have quite the wearing qualities of the original but should last for 50 years or so. Scattered throughout the church are visible signs of water damage. In the photograph above you can see some evidence of the damage above and to the left of the organ casework. Water damage is insidious because if you can see its presence then there may be much more lurking just out of sight.
In the photograph below the damage is more visible. This picture was taken looking up at the right hand organ casework and the barrel vault beyond where more water damage is present.
Figure 4: Organ Casework with water damage in ceiling
Below is the side chapel of St Aloysius Gonzaga, which is located along the west side of the church. Here the water damage is quite severe.
Figure 5: Gonzaga side chapel with water damage
In this case the water could have infiltrated either from the roof, or from defective gutters and downspouts.
The next photo is of the inscription above the St Ignatius altar located on the same side of the church as the Gonzaga side chapel. This is part of the frieze that extends around the church. Here the water damage is visible on the wall of the church above the inscription.
Figure 6: Detail of Frieze above St Ignatius Altar
The Organs
The history of the organs in the Gesu is somewhat spotty.[4] So far there have been five organs, 3 pipe organs and 2 ersatz electronic organs.
The first organ was originally installed in the Church of the Holy Family and moved to the Gesu after it was completed. So far no records of the builder or stop list have turned up. Its location in the church has never been determined and no trace of it exists.
The second organ was built by Hook & Hastings, a Boston organ builder[5]. It was installed in 1899 and it still exists and is playable. It has ten stops with four couplers and it makes a brave little sound that is almost swallowed up in the immensity of the church. Because of its age it is considered a historical instrument. Below is a picture of the organ. It sits in the front on the left side of the church between the pulpit and the adjacent St Ignatius Altar.
Figure 7: Left: Pulpit, Center: Hook & Hastings Organ, Right: St Ignatius' Altar
Most likely it was used to accompany a choir located remotely from the rear gallery. It is interesting to note that this organ is a “tracker action” organ where a system of mechanical leavers is used to communicate the organist’s commands from the keyboards to the pipes.
The console of the fifth organ is just visible to the right of the picture. It is an undistinguished Allen electronic instrument whose speakers are located in the triforum.
The third organ is the grand organ located in the rear gallery. The paragraphs below are taken from the Golden Jubilee publication already mentioned above.
The Contract for the New Organ
March 1905
Gift of Bernard Corr
On Wednesday February 15th, the W. W. Kimball Company, of Chicago Ill., having made the most satisfactory offer, and having given us the fullest guarantee for the reliability of the organ which they propose to erect in our Church, were awarded the contract for its construction. The guarantee, which extends over five years, is in the shape of a bond deposited with the City Trust Company of Philadelphia, for the entire cost of the organ. The builders are allowed six months for its erection, and will be engaged for some six weeks or thereabouts in the actual work of putting it into position. It will be the first organ built by the firm in this city, and we are confident that for this reason alone, if for no other, they will give us a specimen of their best workmanship. The W. W. Kimball Company have an almost unrivalled financial standing, and although hitherto they have not succeeded in gaining an entrance into Philadelphia, they have nevertheless constructed organs in New York, Pittsburgh, Rochester and other large cities.
The New Organ
On the evening of Sunday Oct 29th, the congregation was afforded, for the first time, an opportunity of hearing the Bernard J. Corr Memorial Organ, and judging its merits. A recital, participated in by the following eminent organists of our city, enabled all who were present to reach the conclusion, that in this new organ, the Gesu has an instrument of abundant power and of exceptionally sweet musical tone. The artists contributing to the pleasure of the evening were:
Francis J. O'Brien, Organist and Choirmaster of the Gesu
David D. Wood, Organist and Choirmaster of St. Steven's Church
William Sylvano Thunder, Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral
Martin J. Douville, Organist and Choirmaster of St. Charles' Church
In addition to the instrumental numbers on the program, the vocal selections rendered by the boy choir of the Church called for unstinted praise, the Credo from the Mass of the Angels being exceptionally fine.
Organs made by the Kimball Company have always been given high praise. They are easily the equivalent of the Aeolian Skinner Co products or organs built by Austin. Given the quality of the instrument the fate of this organ was unusually harsh. The wind system in a pipe organ contains leather products in the bellows and windchest mechanisms that need to be renewed periodically. Every 40 – 50 years an organ requires an overhaul to replace these leathers. In the early 1950’s the Gesu was being renovated. The Kimball organ was exhibiting the usual symptoms of leaking reservoirs, cyphers and dead notes. Instead of committing funds for an overhaul the decision was made either by bad advice or an excess of modernism to replace the organ with an early Allen electronic (the fourth organ). Usually when an electronic organ is purchased to replace a pipe organ, the practice is to strip the windchests of pipes and place the speakers on the rackboards. Most of the time enough exists of the original instrument to make an educated guess about what came before. In this case the original organ was totally and aggressively destroyed. The only thing left for us to ponder is the façade with display pipes, the blower and the organ bench. The irony of the situation is that the Allen purchased used lots and lots of vacuum tubes and they are no longer available. And so, this “organ” is completely dead[6]. So much for a superior replacement.
Recently some additional information has become available from the archives of the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center. In 1905 a brochure was published with a rather complete description of the organ along with a stop list and other details. It is quite clear that this organ was the subject of much pride. The stoplist shows that it was quite a nice instrument, capable of playing most of the repertoire, ancient and modern. And so, why fifty years later was this organ being destroyed? Perhaps a short discussion here about “organ action” may help to explain.
The term “action” in this context refers to the internal mechanism that conveys the organist’s command from the keyboard to the pipes. They are as follows:
- Tracker action: historically employed since the time the organ was invented thousands of years ago, up to the present day. It consists of a system of mechanical levers and other devices that give direct control from the keyboards to the windchests, thus causing the pipes to speak.
- Electropneumatic Action: A system of electrical connections and switches that would communicate between the keyboards and the windchests. In the early part of the 20th century, organ builders were just beginning to implement these systems, and some builders deemed them unreliable. Now, however it is the system of choice, other than tracker instruments. In many cases, the consoles for new organs have computer enhancements in them to help manage the stop action.
- Tubular Pneumatic Action: In the middle of the 19th century, tubular pneumatic actions began to be experimented with, mostly overseas. Instead of an electrical connection as above, the wire was replaced with a “tube”, and in this case it amounted to several hundred runs of small diameter lead pipe containing compressed air. Instead of a contact on the back of each key, there was a valve that bled the air out of the tube when the key was depressed.
Unfortunately the Gesu Organ was built with Tubular Pneumatic Action. When releathering became necessary, the action had deteriorated to such an extent that the organ was all but unplayable. The proper thing to do would have been to retrofit the instrument with new windchests and a new console, but I suppose that the management deemed the cost to be too high.
This organ was a transition instrument. From the description it contained several holdovers from the past. These included preset stop combinations which were a feature of the earlier tracker organs, along with a modest settable combination action. Although the span of the keyboards was the usual 61 notes, the pedal keyboard ran only to ‘f’ on the top end rather than ‘g’ which was customary even back then. The size of the immense casework is deceiving. A large part of the bottom section was required to contain the presettable combination action and other machinery. Today this would be on a computer board but back then it required many cubic yards of space. Also the organ had 2 - 32’ registers in the pedal, and 8 – 16’ registers distributed among the pedal and keyboards. These take up considerable space, too.
The stoplist for the Gesu Organ is in the footnotes.[7]
Additional information has surfaced lately. A proposal was solicited from the Mudler-Hunter Company to repair the organ by removing the tubular pneumatic action and redoing the console. The proposal was dated July 1946 for the amount of $17930.60 and this amounted to a major overhaul. Also another document surfaced which was an accounting of the purchase of the Allen Organ from Strawbridge & Clothier at 8th & Market St. The amount was $13725.00 in June of 1953. And so for the difference of approximately $4200.00 the church lost a fine pipe organ. All this transpired before the parish began its decline. To put this in perspective, $4200.00 in this era amounted to a teacher’s salary for one year.
Figure 8: The Kimball Organ as installed
Figure 9: The Kimball Organ casework as it is right now
Figure 10: Another view
Figure 11: Another view, towards ceiling
The Picture Gallery
The St. Francis Xavier Altar is featured in the picture below. This is located on the right front side of the church just outside the sanctuary.
Figure 12: St Francis Xavier Altar
The St. Ignatius Altar is featured in the picture below. It is located on the left front side of the church just outside the sanctuary near the small organ which you can just see on the left.
Figure 13: St Ignatius Altar
The console of the small Hook and Hastings organ is presented in the two following pictures.
Figure 14: Hook & Hastings Organ
Figure 15: Hook & Hastings Organ
The Side Chapel of St Patrick is shown in the picture below. It was taken from the triforum looking down across the nave.
Figure 16: St Patrick's Side Chapel
You are looking up the nave from the organ loft in this picture.
Figure 17: View from organ loft towards main altar
The Author
John McEnerney studied organ with William Tapp at Incarnation Church, 5th & Lindley in Philadelphia. Later he studied with Robert Elmore for several years and while on assignment in Princeton he studied with Carl Weinrich. Robert Elmore was organist at Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, and organist at 10th Presbyterian Church in Phila. Carl Weinrich was the head of the Organ Department at Westminster Choir College and organist at Princeton University Chapel for more than 30 years until he retired in the 1980’s. He is featured on many recordings.
Mr. McEnerney is an Electrical Engineer and Software Engineer, and a teacher of Mathematics. Organ and composition are enjoyable avocations. He is married and has as many (grand) children as the house can hold.
Links:
Old St Josephs, Willings Alley
Old St Michaels, 2nd & Jefferson