Hilborne Lewis Roosevelt

Hilborne Lewis Roosevelt (New York, 1849 – New York, 1886) was an American organ builder from the influential New York family that included President Theodore Roosevelt, his second cousin. His career is significant for understanding the evolution of the organ in the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Roosevelt trained in the workshop of the firm Hall & Labagh, despite the opposition of his well-off parents. His first instrument, built in 1869, was the first organ built in America with electric action. Shortly afterwards he opened his own factory together with his brother Frank, and the workshop soon earned a reputation for quality and innovative designs. Financial security, it seems, was never a concern for the family, which allowed them to experiment and to use costly materials and highly skilled craftsmen. Hilborne was noted for his mechanical talent, with improvements to mechanical, pneumatic and electric actions, including a practical combination mechanism.

In terms of sound, his organs drew on the European Romantic tradition, to the point of incorporating reeds imported from Cavaillé-Coll, and they are counted among the finest American examples of that style. After his death, Frank continued the business until 1892, when he sold the patents to Farrand & Votey. Among his most notable instruments are those of Grace Episcopal Church (1878) and Carnegie Hall (1891) in New York, the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City (1885) and the Auditorium in Chicago (1890).