The organ built for the Saint Louis World's Fair of 1904 in Saint Louis, Missouri, is the core of the actual Wanamaker Organ. It was, by then, the world's largest organ ever built.

    It was designed by organ architect George Ashdown Audsley for a new Kansas City convention hall, as Opus 35 by the Murray M. Harris Organ Company. The organ was a speculative venture from the very start, built by a businessman who, though a fine organ craftsman, thrived on speculation. Harris pulled out all the stops, investing the best in materials and workmanship, plus practically the full ressources of his company. Soon, tremendous costs overruns caught everyone off guard, and the investors ousted Harris in Agust 1903.

    William Boone Fleming, Harris's superintendant and director, oversaw the reorganized enterprise, which was renamed the Los Angeles Art Organ Company. With a new investment, the organ is eventually completed, but the extra cost (expected: $ 67,000, realized: $ 105,000) leave the company bloodless. The Kansas City also deny the installation of the organ due to the bankruptcy of the company. This is where Wanamaker appears...

    Here's the original specification :

    "The first subdivision of the Great is entirely unexpressive, and contains all the foundation stops and diapason work of the Organ proper, from the sub-principal 32" in the facade.

    "The second subdivision is expressive. It contains the stops belonging to the 16' and 8' harmonic structure, and the three important reed stops of the division. It is commanded when desired by the double touch of the clavier."

    "The Choir organ contains 20 stops, comprising very quality and strengh of tone required for refined and varied accompaniment. The reed stops are constructed with free tongues, giving a singular smoothness and sweetness to their tone, as well as individuality" (Corno Inglese 8 and Musette 4 made by Laukhuff, Germany).

    "In this first subdivision are grouped all the stops which represent the wood-wind instruments of the orchestra."

    "The second subdivision had no counterpart in any organ ever built. It contains imitative sub-octave, unison and harmonic-corroborating stops, every one of which is of string-tone. This remarkable subdivision is enclosed in an independant swell box and can be brought on or thrown off the third clavier by thumb pistons ; and is also connected with the clavier by the double touch of the Swell organ."

    "The Solo organ is, as its name implies, devoted to the imitative solo stops ; while it also represents the brass-wind division of the orchestra. The stops alluded to speak on wind of 7, 10 and 20 inches pressure. Here the inartistic and absurd practice of leaving the high-pressure reed stops outside the swell box, and, accordingly, devoir of flexibility and powers of expression, is for the first time done away with in a concert organ of the first class."

    "The Echo organ contains 12 stops, chiefly of delicate intonation, suitable for distant and echo effects, to which is added a Vox Humana, of two ranks and unique construction." The Echo organ is practically an independant section, and is located about 300 feet from the main organ.

      "The Pedal organ is the largest and the most complete ever constructed. It is provided with all the leading varieties of inimitative and imitative tone, and is, accordingly, capable of furnishing appropriate basses for all the classes of manual combinations. Its tones range from that of the Dulciana to that of the full strength of the department of 30 stops."
All the stops marked * should have been enclosed but this never happened.

Sources :

• The largest organ in the world, George Ashdown Audsley
• Tha American Organist, "The history of the Wanamaker Organs part one", September 1988, Raymond Biswanger
• Scientific American, "The greatest of pipe organs", April 23, 1904, Helen Lukens Jones
• George Ashdown Audsley, 1995, David H. Fox