Macy's Wanamaker Organ - EverGreene Architectural Arts

Macy's Wanamaker Organ

Philadelphia, PA

The Wanamaker Organ located inside of the Macy’s Center City in Philadelphia is the largest functioning pipe organ in the world. It was originally designed in 1904 by architect George Ashdown Audsley for the St. Louis World’s Fair.

EverGreene’s team was instrumental in the restoration and re-gilding the grand organ case and 117 gold pipes. Conservators performed finishes analysis to verify the placement of gold, presence and placement of glazing, and the original base color. Ultimately the colors chosen for case and glazing were not original case colors. The design team made this decision because over the years all the original surrounding colors had changed. EverGreene chose a color scheme that worked in harmony with the current surrounding area. The gold pipes were removed and leafed with 22 karat gold.

Additionally, EverGreene also cleaned and restored the Eagle’s stone base in the atrium. Treatment included cleaning of deeply embedded soiling in the granite base using a series of poultices and detergent scrubs.