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VOL. XXXVII.
No. 7.
RMP
pniiMeil Eiery Sat, by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison A?e., New York, Ang. IS, 1903.
STEADY EXPANSION OF GOTHAM'S TRADE.
Some of the Many Improvements Noted Which Have Occurred in This City Since the Dawn of the New-
Century—Wareroom and Factory Changes Which Emphasize the Onward Trend In the Music Trade
of New York—Enormous Increase of Factory Space and Many New Institutions Added to the Old List.
The growth of the piano and kindred in-
dustries during the past three years on and
around Manhattan Island, in the territory
usually described as Greater New York, ex-
hibits an amount of enterprise, an expendi-
ture of capital and a net total of satisfactory
results which may fairly be described as mag-
nificent. And, apparently, what has already
taken place in this direction represents only
the beginning of a great progressive move-
ment.
Suppose we note a few of the many
changes which have taken place in the for-
ward march of trade during the past three
years. Let us make a little journey of the
New York factory establishments and ware-
rooms, noting by the way the various
changes and improvements recently com-
pleted. The time is fitting for a brief sketch
of important events in this locality since ap-
proximately the summer of 1900. For con-
venience sake, it is deemed best to make a
tour geographically, mentioning briefly the
happenings as they come to mind. A com-
plete statement is- not aimed at—merely a
sketch embracing some of the most notable
occurrences in wholesale and retail trade
progress.
Starting, then, on Fifth avenue and mov-
ing northward, three years or thereabouts
have seen the opening of the following new
warerooms: Jacob Doll, Steinert, Kaffen-
berger & Cantor, Apollo, Steck, Hardman,
Pianotist, Fischer, Aeolian and Steinway. In
every instance the expenditure involved in
fitting and decorating was considerable; in
some cases, very large. The same idea—that
of keeping pace with the times—has been in-
variably the mainspring of action. The out-
come of the Fifth avenue movement has been
the transformation of old-time "Piano Row"
into an aggregation of piano and piano player
palaces.
Now a glance can be taken for a moment
at trade progress on the west side of Manhat-
tan. Moving northward, it comes to mind
that, within three years, Strauch Bros, have
extended their premises and increased their
plant; Kohler & Campbell have left the scene
of their earlier triumphs and taken possession
of a huge new structure built to their order
at Fiftieth street and Eleventh avenue; the
R. S. Howard Co., starting business in the
former Kohler & Campbell building, have
scored a success and are enlarging; Linde-
man & Sons, 548-550 West Twenty-third
street, have made important structural
warerooms; Behr Bros. & Co.. Twenty-ninth
street and Eleventh avenue, have practically
reconstructed their big building and are now
busy with additions; Weser Bros., Forty-
third street, have added another huge struc-
ture to the eastward of their old factory;
Mehlin & Sons, Fifty-fourth street and Elev-
enth avenue, have taken possession of a large
factory expressly constructed for the firm;
Wessel, Nickel & Gross, Forty-fifth street
and Tenth avenue, have added a hammer-
making plant to their already extensive es-
tablishments.
Conspicuous among East Side improve-
ments are those, involving a large expendi-
ture, at the Kranich & Bach warerooms,
Twenty-third street and Second avenue. In
the Harlem district many and great are the
changes made or now in progress. On the
Southern Boulevard, Laffargue & Co., for-
merly in two small factories, have leased the
Francis Connor building, at 134th street, and
find good use for every square foot in it;
Jacob Doll has completed and now fully oc-
cupies a clock-tower addition as large as the
original Doll building; Ricca & Son, for-
merly working in two lofts, now own the
whole of the Ricca building; Charles Ram-
sev, now in the Ricca building, has doubled
his downtown facilities; Wasle & Co., Brown
place, have also doubled their downtown fa-
cilities ; the Staib-Abendschein Co., Brook-
avenue and 134th street, have added a wing
to their structure; Strich & Zeidler have
added another floor; Christman & Sons have
opened a new factory at 137th street, with
twice their previous facilities; the Kroeger
Co., Alexander avenue, have refloored and
rearranged the Kroeger factory; the Little
Jewel Piano Co. have enlarged and absorbed
the Spielmann factory ; the Estey Piano Co.,
Lincoln avenue, now occupy for their own
work the whole Estev building, of which for-
merly one section was sub-let; Dusinberre &
Co. have added another floor to their facili-
ties ; W. Winter & Co., 144th street, after in-
creasing facilities from two lofts to the whole
Heller & Co. building, find it necessary to
erect a factory, now being built on Southern
Boulevard; the Bailey Piano Co. are adding
to their building; David H. Schmidt, 163d
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS.
$a.oo PER YEAR.
street, has added another floor; Henry & S.
G. Lindeman, 150th street and Fifth avenue,
starting three years ago with one loft on
129th street, now occupy a great building on
upper Fifth avenue; the Schubert Piano Co.
have moved from their old factory on 135th
street to the new Duffy building; the Beh-
ning Piano Co., 131st street and Park
avenue, have added three floors to their
space; Davenport & Treacy, 130th street and
Park avenue, have now twice the space avail-
able and in use in their new building that was
available in their previous location, on 129th
street; the Kelso Co., in the same structure,
have twice as much space available and in use
as was the case in the old Kelso factory,
Thirty-third street and Second avenue; B.
H. Janssen has doubled his facilities at the
factory in 129th street; Krakauer Bros.,
126th street, have signed a contract for a
Krakauer factory, with double the present fa-
cilities, on Southern Boulevard, at 136th
street, and the Zellman-Socol Co., 127th
street, in their new factory, have twice as
much room available as in their old factory
in 126th street.
If space permitted, many other instances of
development and progress during the past
three years might be specified, but enough
has been said to show that the spirit of pro-
gressiveness pervades this region and in-
spires men in the musical industries to con-
tinued effort along modern lines for their
own advantage and the betterment of the in-
dustry at large.
The Steinway interests have been largely
developed within three years. The Astoria
plant has been increased by the nearby com-
pletion of the addition of a big factory build-
ing with all modern appliances. The ware-
room exhibit now includes a magnificent
showing of art Steinway grands at the Wind-
sor Arcade, Fifth avenue.
STRUCK BY FALLING MIRROR.
Peculiar Accident to a Piano Man in a Barber
Shop.
[Special to The Review.]
Norfolk, Va., Aug. TO.—R. F. Caulfield,
who travels for the Saunders & Stayman
Piano Co. of Baltimore, was badly injured
yesterday while sitting in a barber's chair
in Koch's barber shop, where new fixtures
were being installed. An immense plate
glass wall mirror fell just as it was being
fastened and caught Caulfield and others.
Caulfield's head went completely through the
glass and he was badly cut on the scalp and
hand. Others escaped with less serious
wounds,