The instrument was designed by Senator Emerson L. Richards and built by the Midmer-Losh Organ Co. of Merrick, Long Island, New York. Designed in 1928, construction began in May, 1929, and the instrument was completed in December, 1932. Installation required 80 technicians at the height of work, and its cost is unlikely to have been less than $500,000. The larger pipes were fabricated inside the chambers where they still stand. The first public recital was given on May 11, 1932.
The instrument has 449 ranks (365 flues, 84 reeds) and 336 stops: 314 voices, 230 flues, 84 reeds, 22 Percussions - 7 melodic, 15 non-melodic
The 'official' number of pipes is 33,112, but the actual number is thought to be in the region of 32,000-plus. The pipes are placed in chambers behind ornamental grills in eight locations around the auditorium.
There are ten 32-foot stops and the 64-foot pipe of the Pedal Right's Diaphone rank is said to have been made from a 785 year old Oregon Douglas Fir. The resonators of this stop's lowest notes contain more that 10,000 feet of lumber. The metal CCCC pipe of the Pedal Left's Open Diapason rank weighs around 2,200 pounds.
The loudest stop is the Pedal Right's Grand Ophicleide (available at 16, and 8, pitches). Voiced on 100-inches of wind, it is described by the Guinness Book of World Records as having "a pure trumpet note of ear-splitting volume, more than six times the volume of the loudest locomotive whistle". Also on this pressure are the Solo organ's Tuba Imperial (8'), and the Gallery I organ's Tuba Maxima (8'-4') and Trumpet Mirabilis (16'-8'-4'). There are ten voices on 50-inch wind pressure.
The eight original blowers totalled 394 horsepower and supplied 36,400 cubic feet of air per minute at pressures from 3.5 to 100 inches. The current blowers total 600 horsepower!
The instrument's weight is estimated to be 150 tons. Approximately 225,000 feet of lumber was used in its construction. The main pipe chests are supported by steel beams and frames.
The seven-manual console has 1,235 stop-keys:
587 Flues, 265 Reeds, 35 Melodic Percussions, 46 Non-melodic percussions, 164 Couplers, 18 Tremolos and 120 Swell Pedal selectors.
A portable 5-manual portable console was provided at the time of installation. It has long since been disconnected and is currently on display in the Convention Hall's lobby.
Unusual names engraved on the stop-keys include: Vox Baryton, Bugle, Contra Spire Flute, Flute Sylvestre, Stentorphone, Musette Mirabilis, Pileata Magna, Trumpet Melody, Jubal Flute, Euphone, Egyptian Horn, Tibia Rex, Dulzard Twelfth, String reed, Gamba Tuba Celeste, and Ocarina, The Echo organ's Bassoon (16'-8'-4') has resonators made of papier-mâché.
The Convention Hall occupies four city blocks. The main auditorium seats 41,000 people with unobstructed views. The interior has 9,500,000 cubic feet of space. The original costs were the range of $15-20 million.
