Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American Pianos
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
& M M W /ww
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Trade Lists
Three Uniform Book-
lets, the Only Complete
Directories of the Muaic
Industries.
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CHICAGO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1923
NEW BUILDING FOR STEINWAY & SONS
Fifteen=Story Fireproof Structure, With Frontage on Fifty=Seventh and Fifty=Eighth Streets, New York, Will
Be Conspicuous by Its Unusual Architectural Merits.
Floors Retained for Uses of Company to Excel in Elegance of Design and Furnishing Anything Ever Planned
for a Similar Institution.
made their American debut in Steinway Hall would
fill columns, and it is "fair to say that a very large
majority of them have made the famous white marble
building in Fourteenth street their American head-
quarters and address.
A Forward Move.
While the removal of the Steinway center of musi-
cal interest, from its old place on Fourteenth street
to the magnificent new establishment on 57th street,
will mark another great step forward in pianistic and
musical interest, there are many whose steps will, for
a long time, continue to wander along the old way
toward Fourteenth street and Fourth avenue when
visiting New York City.
It would require volumes to go back over the
career of Steinway & Sons.
And such a review
would, of necessity, include the names of a large
proportion of the great pianists of the world, from
the beginning to the discovery of Paderewski by the
late William' Steinway, and on to the present day.
As at present organized the house of Steinway &
Sons is: Frederick T. Steinway, president; Henry
Zeigler, vice-president; F. Rcidemeister, treasurer;
and N. Stetson, secretary. The directorate of Stein-
way & Sons is composed of the officers just named
with Theodore Cassebeer added. Mr. Cassebeer is a
member of the Steinway family and has been brought
up in the business. Mr. Zeigler, a piano expert and
accoustician of international fame, together with
Theodore Steinway, is responsible for the peculiar
excellence of the Steinway piano.
The Steinway Industry.
The house of Steinway & Sons has branch factories
and distributing branches in many of the great cities
in this country and abroad. There are more than
200,000 Steinway pianos in use throughout the world,
and the factory capacity is not far short of 10,000
annually.
A feature of the Steinway industry has long been
the special art-case designs which have found place
in prominent homes and art institutes. The latest
advance of the house, particulars of which are told
in this article, will give to New York a new center
of musical interest and must prove one more step
forward in the career of an instrument and an indus-
try which have for many years stood conspicuously
forth among the world's great attainments in art
products.
A new fireproof building of fifteen stories, base-
ment and sub-basement, is to be erected for Stein-
way & Sons, on the property acquired by the organ-
ization at 109, 111 and 113 West 57th street, New
York City. The structure will have a frontage of
sixty-three feet on West 57th street and extend
through the block to 58th street, where it will have a
frontage of one hundred feet. The numbers on 58th
street are 106, 108, 112, 114 and 116.
In the new Steinway Building, the basement, sub-
basement, first, second, third, and fourth floors will
be occupied by the showrooms and executive offices
of Steinway & Sons. The remaining eleven floors of
approximately 8,000 square feet each, will be leased,
either wholly or in part, to tenants, and will be div-
vided as required.
Its Distinguished Appearance.
The entire exterior of the building on the 57th
street side which will be faced with stone, with steel
windows and plate glass, for its entire height, will
present an unusual and highly distinguished appear-
ance. The roofs, where the various setbacks occur,
as required by the zoning law, will be paved with
tile, providing terraces on the tenth and thirteenth
floors, on 58th street, and on the thirteenth floor on
the 57th street side, all of which will be available for
the use of tenants.
But something that will distinguish the new Stein-
way & Sons building from anything else designed for
music trade purposes is the scheme for the finish of
the interior. The architectural designs, decorations,
furnishings and furniture for the Steinway showrooms
and offices will excel in elegance anything ever
planned for a similar institution. A grand and satis-
factory setting will be provided for the world-famous
line of uprights, grands and concert grands, and spe-
cially designed art pianos.
The Office Floors.
The office floors above the fourth will have un-
usual light from four sides, ample and exceptionally
well finished toilet rooms with both outside light and
air. Forced ventilation will be provided on each
floor. The public elevator corridor has the unusual
advantage of outside light and ventilating. These
elevators are very large, being 6 feet wide and 6 feet
6 inches deep.
In five different locations, on each office floor, sup-
ply and waste pipes have been provided so that run-
ning water for wash basins or other purposes may be
supplied to the tenants, if desired.
Absolutely Fireproof.
A complete sprinkler system is to be installed
throughout the entire building and the window trims,
the door trims, the base mouldings and the picture
mouldings are to be made of steel. No wood what-
soever is to be used in the construction of the build-
ings The floors are to be of cement, which is to be
given a dustproof and waterproof finish.
The mechanical equipment is to be of the most
modern type. The boilers are to be oil burning, thus
eliminating smoke, dust and the necessity of remov-
ing ashes.
An unusual feature is that the tenants' delivery
wagons may load and unload in the building, directly
at the service elevator. The entrance to the tenants'
passenger elevators on 57th street is of unusual width
and is to have a marble floor, marble walls and orna-
mental ceiling.
A Famous
The new advance of the
house of Steinway & Sons
almost any other move that
Center.
famous American "piano
is more significant than
has marked the industry
OPEN HUTTON MUSIC HOUSE.
NEW STEINWAY BUILDING, NEW YORK CITY.
and trade within a great many years. Steinway Hall,
on Fourteenth street, New York, has betn a center
of world-wide musical interest. It was built in 1866,
when the Fourteenth street section of New York was
just beginning to blossom into a center of art and
business. At that time Union Square was a fenced-
in park surrounded largely by residences of the sub-
stantial old citizens of the city. And around Stein-
way Hall clusters much of the tradition and musical
history of the metropolis, in which pianists and com-
posers of the entire world have taken active part.
Something like ten years after Steinway Hall was
erected the famous Steinway Concert Hall was dedi-
cated, seating 700 persons, and from that day to this
the beautiful auditorium has contributed to the fame
and advancement of aspiring beginners as well as to
the greatest pianists the world has known.
To merely name the great ones of music who have
A new music store, owned by L. L. Hutton and
wife of Saybrook, will open in the Sweeney building,
100 block North Center street, Clinton, 111., this week.
Mr. and Mrs. Hutton are experienced in selling
pianos and made a special trip recently to leading fac-
tories in Chicago and other points to select their
stock. Mrs. Hutton will be in charge of the business
at the present. The store will be known as the Hut-
ton Music House.
GULBRANSEN JAP AID.
The sum of $520.20 was contributed to the Japan-
ese Relief Fund by the officials and employes of the
Gulbranseu-Dickinson Company, Chicago. Many of
them had previously donated to other Japanese re-
lief funds. The sum named was a response to the
Chicago Piano & Organ Association campaign for
funds. Every department of the Gulbransen-Dickin-
son Company had a part in the splendid showing
made, there being 851 contributors.
A branch store of Sherman, Clay & Co. will be
opened at 142 North Virginia street, Reno, Nev.,
when the building is remodeled.
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