John Wanamaker's - Philadelphia

“Meet me at the Eagle” was a commonly used phrase in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, and maybe even before – but who can remember back that far?

The statuesque statue of the bronze eagle sits majestically perched in the Grand Court of the John Wanamaker’s Department Store. Sorry – we refuse to call it Macy’s which it became, and now Lord & Taylor, which it has become. When you are a Philadelphian, the Great Grey Lady of Broad Street will always be Wanamaker’s.

The floor above it boasts a most magnificent pipe organ that is still played daily, Monday through Saturday. You can also see the floors above that, featuring couture shops and a once-elegant restaurant where doyennes of high society lunched during a day of shopping. During the holiday season this entire courtyard is decorated with a huge tree, animatrons and lights.

The organ now has 6 keyboards (called “manuals”) and over 28,000 pipes! “Smoke on the Water” would really sound great on it, although we do not believe it has ever been (publicly) performed on it. This incredible instrument and Philadelphia landmark has been thrilling visitors and shoppers since 1911. It was built for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company. Construction was on such a lavish scale that costs soared to $105,000 in 1900 dollars, bankrupting the builder.

In 1909 John Wanamaker – Philadelphia merchant-prince and marketer extraordinaire – bought the organ for his new namesake department store. It was shipped from St. Louis to Philadelphia in 13 freight cars, and took two years to fully install. It was first heard on June 22, 1911, and featured again later that year when President William Howard Taft dedicated the store.

When it was first built it had 10,000 pipes which was deemed inadequate to fill the huge court. Wanamaker opened a private organ factory in the store attic that employed 40 full-time workers, hired to enlarge the instrument to its current glory. Ultimately, the total of pipes grew to today’s 28,000 and the entire organ weighs 287 tons. The tone is said to be flawless.

“Inna Gadda Da Vida”, anyone?

Wanamaker’s Pipe Organ Website and Concert Schedule