Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JULY 11, 1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Final Plans Are Announced for the New
Aeolian Hall on Fifth Avenue, New York
New Structure Will Be Fourteen Stories in Height, Designed by Warren & Wetmore—Aeolian
Co. to Occupy Six Floors of Building—Plans Call for One of Finest Warerooms
A NNOUNCEMENT was made this week of
•^^ the acceptance of plans and specifications
by the Aeolian Co. for its new building at Fifth
avenue ^nd Fifty-fourth street. The William
Rockefeller mansion, occupying the northeast
corner site, is soon to be razed and work started
upon the new Aeolian Hall structure. Con-
struction will continue through the Fall and
the building completed in the early Spring.
The plans show a fourteen-story building
with set-backs above the ninth floor, leading up
to a central tower. The set-back floors have
voted to piano warerooms, and the Aeolian de-
signers have spared no effort in making these
salesrooms most beautiful. They are to be
decorated in accordance with the finest ideals
of modern interior decoration. The motifs em-
ployed have been drawn from the foremost
sources of decoration both here and abroad,
and the color schemes are being developed with
great care.
The fifth floor is to be occupied by the radio,
music roll and phonograph record departments,
and careful attention has been given so that
Still moving northward, the Aeolian Co.,
twelve years ago, erected its eighteen-story
building in Forty-second street, running through
the block to Forty-third street, midway between
Fifth and Sixth avenues. This building was
recently sold when the Aeolian directors de-
termined to move northward, again on Fifth
avenue, when the William Rockefeller resi-
dence was acquired in association with Com-
modore Charles Gould.
It is expected that contracts covering the
construction of the new building will be let in
the next few days.
Bjur Export Demand
A number of valuable new export accounts
have been opened up recently by the Bjur Bros.
Co., New York, according to A. V. Koehler,
secretary of the company. Mr. Koehler stated
that the bulk of the company's foreign trade is
with South America, and that it is holding up
unusually well this Summer. The most recent
export account was with a firm in Greece, which
is taking a consistent number of Bjur Bros,
player-pianos. "We have been getting our
share of domestic business as well during the
past few months," said Mr. Koehler, "and
everything indicates that the demand will be
continued right up to the Fall."
Start N e w Storage Building
MARION, O., July 6.—Erection of a new storage
building has been started here by the Acker-
man Piano Co. The building recently was razed
by fire and loss estimated at $6,000 resulted.
O. H. Boyd announced the new building will be
completed within a few weeks.
I
I
The New Aeolian Hall
balusters in carved stone, and both the Fifth comfort and service will be possible to the pur-
avenue and Fifty-fourth street facades are chaser.
marked with balconies, carved stone buttresses
The organ salesrooms are to be located on
and stone garlands, while the first two floors the fourteenth floor and will have a large and
have very high ceilings, magnificent show win- small organ room. In conjunction with these
dows, framed in carved stone mouldings with rooms will be a library of Duo-Art organ rolls.
an entrance on the avenue corner, and a marquis
The return of the Aeolian Co. to Fifth ave-
carriage entrance on Fifty-fourth street. The nue, after an absence of twelve years in West
walls are to be of French limestone of pinkish Forty-second street, recalls that it was Albert
cast, carried on a steel frame. The lower stories Weber, piano maker in Seventh avenue, who
will be embellished with ornate bronze.
first established a business house in Fifth ave-
Warren & Wetmore, the architects, have de- nue. At that time the street was lined with
signed a stone structure with one of the main the residences of the very wealthy and fash-
exterior features being a window comparable ionable clubs, many of which continue to-day
only with the company's .present one in West in the city life. Weber, a pioneer, was a great
Forty-second street, which is known all over believer in the avenue, and it was a revolution-
the country for its size and beauty. The main ary move for a piano manufacturer to set up a
entrance is featured at the corner of the build- wareroom apart from the factory. His site was
ing and gives entree to a large floor of great at the southwest corner of Fifth avenue and
height, where pianos, and Duo-Art instruments Sixteenth street.
are to be displayed.
The Weber business was merged with the
The elevators from this reception hall lead Aeolian Co. a generation ago, which company
to an intimate recital hall on the second floor had then moved from its lower Broadway to
and to the piano and organ warerooms on the the then fashionable Madison square neighbor-
upper floors. The recital hall has a seating hood in Twenty-third street. Further pioneer-
capacity of about 250 persons, and as designed ing, the Aeolian Co., a quarter century ago,
promises splendid proportion and acoustic value. moved to the building at Fifth avenue and
The remainder of the second floor is devoted to Thirty-fourth street, adjoining the residence of
display-rooms.
the late A. T. Stewart, and it was located here
The third and fourth floors are entirely de- for twelve vears.
Pratt Read
Products
Piano Ivory
Piano Keys
Piano Actions
Player Actions
Established in
1806
at Deep River, Conn.
Still There
Standard Service and Highest Quality
Special Repair Departments
Maintained for Convenience
of Dealers
PRATT, READ & CO.
PRATT READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
Oldest and Best
;• j