230
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Communications of interest to the music trade are so-
Mr. Nathanial Goold, who died here a few weeks
licited. All Western correspondence will receive prompt ago, was the pioneer in the music business in Chi-
attention by addressing Lock Box 492, Chicago, III.
cago. He came here in 1838. When Reed & Watkins
opened up their piano warerooms in 1850 he was
their head tuner. In 1856 he opened a music store of
his own on Lake street. Some years ago he started
a piano factory, taking his son, John E. Goold, into
partnership with him. He was 73 years old at the
FROM OUR SPECIAL COBBESPONDENT.
time of his death.
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE.
Lock Box 492.
TRADERS' BUILDING, CHICAGO, [
March 1, 1887.
j
The past month has been dull for the retail trade
while the wholesale has been good. Story & Clark,
the organ manufacturers of Chicago, are way behind
in their orders.
Bush &, Gerts, Chicago piano manufacturers, are
working extra hours, trying to catch up with their
orders. Their pianos are well made and give good
satisfaction in quality and price.
A. A. Fisher, the wide awake salesman of the W.
W. Kimball Co., has been acting floor salesman in
their warerooms in absence of their head salesman,
J. W. Northrop, who has been looking after the com-
pany's interest at Raleigh, North Carolina. Well,
Fisher has been knocking out the retail sales in
a manner that makes the other salesmen look aston-
ished. The Kimball Co. will move into their new
quarters April 1st. It will be a fine store, with a
music hall on second iloor.
The Shoningers have signed a new lease for a term
of years for their present store. The success of the
Shoninger Western house is not alone a matter of
good luck, but the result of thirty seven years of
careful study of the Western market. Their op-
portunities for doing this certainly have been great:
starting the manufacture of their pianos ten years
ago and constantly improving their Instruments,
they have the confidence of the agent and the custo-
mer. Last May they turned out 15 pianos per week ;
now they turn out 25 and still can't fill wholesale and
retail orders.
Chicago can now take a rest, and the over excited
pianos dealers can get down to their regular every
day business. P. J. Gildemeester has gone back to
New York and N. A. Cross & Co. have got the Chick-
ering agency for Chicago.
The following Eastern piano men have been here
the past week :
Col. Fuller, Estey Co.; Mr. Fischer, J. & C. Fischer;
E. N. Kimball, Hallet & Davis Co.; O. A. Kim-
ball and E. Gramer, Emerson Piano Co. Mr. Geo.
Cook, President Hallet & Davis Co. is expected
here next week.
Mr. Orin A. Kimball was made happy by receiving
a large order for Emerson pianos from W. W. Kim-
ball Co. There new style 14 is a beauty.
I. M. Eppstein, Le Mars, la., has given a chattel
mortgage for $312.
Pollard & Tuttle, Sioux City, la., was badly scorch-
ed by fire last week—partly covered by insurance.
Their loss will be about $2,000.
Mr. C. C. Colby, of the Christie Co., has gone back
to New York.
Louis Mohr, Ft. Wayne, Ind., has taken the agency
of the Steinway pianos.
R. A. O'Neil, traveling agent forC. C. Briggs& Co.,
is in town.
Steger & Sauber, Sohmer agents, had their stock
badly damaged last week, by a tank on the roof of
their building overflowing and badly damaging a
number of their pianos.
Horace Branch, Steck Agent here, has sold 16 Steck
pianos in Cedar Rapids, la., in past year. PrettA"
good trade for one town.
Mr. Antonio de Anguera, of the Shoninger Co., is
out again attending to business. He has been quite
sick.
W. D. Caldwell (Story & Clark) and E. F. Green-
wood (Shoningers), traveling men, are taking a trip
through the South.
Col. Delos Phillips, died last week in Kalamazoo,
Mich. He was the oldest music dealer there and
was very popular and had hosts of friends.
Mrs. J. B. Watts, who doesa large piano and organ
business atMarshaltown, la., has been in the city for
past few days and left quite an order for Shoninger
pianos.
B. H. Farr, Webster City, la., has leased a fine new
store and taken the Estey & Camp goods.
Eiker & King, piano, organ and furniture dealers,
Fort Dodge, la., have failed. Their stock is in the
hands of a receiver.
C. A. Smith & Co., piano manufacturers, have a
new patent music rack (It is Mr. Smith's device). It
is not only convenient and easy of operation, but
noiseless of adjustment.
W. A. Dean & Co., Sioux City, la., succeed Pollard
& Tuttle as agents for Haines Bros, pianos in that
section.
D. Klein has opened a music store in Waterloo, la.
I. M. Eppstien, late of Le Mars, la., will open a
music store at Sioux City, la., March 1st, with full
line of Estey & Camp goods.
C. Hin/ie, DeaMoines.Ia., returned home from New
York last week, having secured the agency for Knabe,
Christie, Bush & Gertz pianos, and Western Cottage
organs. Mr. Hinzie had formerly charge of the Kim-
ball Co.'s branch house in Des Moines.
John Riser, a piano tuner and organ agent, stole a
rig at Cambridge City, Ind., Feb. 15th, was arrested
at Greenville, Ohio, Feb lGth, taken back and indict-
ed, pleaded guilty, and on Feb. 17th was sentenced to
two years in the penitentiary. This was short work.
Mr. Geo. P. Bent is making arrangements to turn
out more organs per month.
N. J. Haines, Sr., visited here one day. He is well
pleased with the way Mr. Floyd Jones is running the
Haines piano in Chicago.
E. J. Lehman having purchased the building for-
merly occupied by Estey & Camp, will put in a stock
of pianos, organs and musical merchandize.
Mr. Alanson H. Reed, the oldest piano dealer in
Chicago, has just got married. His first wife died
some years ago.
.. ... . *. ..„._ _, _,_ . ......
The following dealers have been in town :—
S. D. Robertson. Fort Wayne, Ind. ; H. N. Hemp-
sted, Milwaukee, Wis.; Mr. Peterson, St Paul, Minn ;
F. Haseman, Elgin, 111. ; L. Eppelsheimer, Gilman,
111.; L. E. Drake, Sheldon, 111.; I. R. Dye, Howe
Neb.; A. Meyer, Omaha, Neb.
Yours &c,
OWEN.
DEDICATED TO MUSIC.
THE BRADBURY PIANO PALACE FORMALLY OPENED
TO THE PUBLIC.
HE new building erected at No. 1225 Pennsylva.
nia avenue by Mr. Freeborn G. Smith, of New
York, the manufacturer of the Bradbury
pianos, for the accommodation of his Washington
branch, was thrown open to the publio yesterday.
That the event was regarded as one of more than
usual interest by the public was shown by the fact
that between 10,000 and 12,000 people visited the
building during the day, inspecting the elegant struc-
ture and examining the fine pianos and organs on
exhibition. Mr. F. G. Smith came on from New
York, and with him came Mr. Geo. Neal, late super-
intendentof Chickering's factory, to be present at the
opening. Mr. Smith, with the manager of the Wash-
ington branch, Mr. W. P. Van Wickle, and his assist-
ants, Messrs. Victor J. Becker and George R. Sher-
iff, were kept busy welcoming visitors and receiving
congratulations upon the completion of the handsome
piano warerooms. While the structure itself,with its
elegant finish and well-proportioned spaces.afforded a
pleasure to the eyes of the visitor that well repaid him,
an exhibition of pianos and organs was made that was
amazing to the few, perhaps, who were unaware of the
T
perfection of tone and the exquisite skill of work-
manship attained by the manufacturers of the Brad-
bury piano. Over two hundred instruments were
shown on the lower floor, most of them being the
" sweet-toned Bradbury." One could not look over
the rows of elegant parlor and full upright grands of
rosewood, French walnut, ebony, mahogany, bird's-
eye maple, cherry and oak, without marvelling at the
evolution that has taken place since the days of the
spinet. A number of the celebrated Palace and New-
England organs, their latest styles in casework for
churches and homes, were shown. A novelty and a
great attraction in the exhibition room, was one of
Paillards imported Swiss orchestral music boxes,
the largest ever brought to this city, and which filled
the room with delicious music. The opening of this
line structure dedicated to music was most fitly
celebrated with music. Solos and duets on the piano
or organ wore executed by masters of those instru-
ments. Prof. Smith, the cornetist of the Marine
band, occasionally delighted those present with a
solo on the instrument he knows so well. Prof.
Charles B. Donch, E. R. Hart and Wm. H. Leland,
the pianists, and J. G. Donch and Miss Jessie Le-
land, violinists, and Mr. C. Campagna and Miss Jen-
nie Leland, cornetists, also contributed to the pleas-
ure of the visitors. Each lady who attended the open-
ing received before her departure, as an appropriate
souvenir of the occasion, a sheet of music. In order
that all may have an opportunity of inspecting the
building, it is understood the opening will continue
one week. The building, which is a handsome busi-
ness structure, has an imposing front of plate glass
and pressed brick with brown stone trimming. It is
four stories in height and has a depth of over 200
feet, extending through the square from the avenue
to E street. The lower floor is given up to one im-
mense exhibition room for pianos and organs, having
over 5,000 square feet of iloor space with elegant
show windows on both the avenue and the E street
front. On this floor are located the counting room
and private offices, and the elevator, connecting the
lower with the upper stories. Everything about the
building has an air of solidity, and the furnishings are
rich and in elegant taste throughout the interior. The
building is heated with steam and fitted out with all
the latest appliances for carrying on a large business.
The upper floors are used for surplus stock, storage
of pianos and varnishing and repair shops.
Mr. Smith, who came from Brooklyn on a special
train, bringing over 250 friends and acquaintances
from Brooklyn, will give a grand musical reception
this evening at the warerooms, to his New York,
Brooklyn and Washington friends. All lovers of music
are invited to attend. It is expected that Dr. J. P.
Newman and Senator Colquitt will assist in receiv-
ing and welcoming the visitors from Brooklyn and
New York.
The new building covers the ground formerly oc-
cupied by Barlow's art gallery, and a small picture
shown of the t»ld building attracted a good deal of
attention yesterday. The plans were drawn by Emile
F. Friderick, who died soon after the foundation was
started. The estimated cost was about $25,000. The
contract for building was given, July, 188(>, to Mr.
Benj. F. Bennett, of Baltimore, Md., and the work
was in charge of Mr Mitchell, his foreman. The sub-
contractor were as follows : Brick work, Mr. Miller;
stone work, Mr. Emery; iron work, Schneider &
Sons; tin work, Mr. Thomas; plastering, Mr. W. P.
Carpenter; plumbing, Mr. Whalan; painting, Mr.
Machnicol & Sons and Mr. Ralph ; plate glass, Mr.
King; tiling, Mr. Manning; brass work, Mr. Doug-
las ; mill work and hardware, Barber & Boss; count-
ing room and inside cabinet work, Emmert & Heis-
ter; furniture, carpets, etc., W. H. Houghton and
Moses & Son ; safe, Miller & Co; signs, Emert &
Quarterly; awning, flags, etc., R. C. M. Burton; ele-
vator, Bates & Co.; steam heating, Flynn & Emer-
ick.—Washington D. C, Evening Star, Feb. 18th.
Countryman (in a piano wareroom):—" How much
is that pianner, mister? "
Clerk :—" Five hundred and fifty dollars."
Countryman :—" Thunderation ! Is there a foldin'
bed inside of it? "
Clerk:—"No; that is a combination we don't
make."
Countryman (positively):—" Well, I wouldn't think
of payin' any sich money jest for a pianner. If you
had 'em with foldin' beds we might make a dicker."
—Puck.
. . .