Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1925 2035

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
E.tabu,h*d iM4. THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
10 cent.*, $1.00 a r-*
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1925
AEOLIAN CO. BUYS NEPONSET FACTORY
Great Modern Daylight Plant of the Hallet & Davis Piano Company Will Add Considerably
to Annual Duo=Art Piano Capacity to Keep Pace With Rapidly Increasing
Demand for Famous Instrument
Announcement is made of the purchase by the
Aeolian Company, New York, of the Hallet & Davis
Piano Company's great factory at Neponset, Mass.
Papers in this important transfer were executed this
week, though delivery of the premises to the new
owners will not be made until early in 1926.
Important announcements electrifying the music
industry concerning the Aeolian Company follow fast,
land, the two representing the highest development
in piano factory layout and construction.
The power house, concrete kilns and factory office
are in separate fireproof buildings, with lumber yard
at extreme right. The whole tract includes 11 acres
and the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. lines are close by
with double side tracks serving the works. In addi-
tion, the plant is located upon Neponset River with
OFFICE BUILDING.
but the trade will be greatly surprised in this pur-
chase which adds 15,000 to 18,000 additional annual
Dut-Art piano capacity and making the Aeolian Com-
pany one of the largest, if not the largest, builders
of pianos in America, while with the foreign plants
Aeolian maintains its position as foremost makers
of musical instruments in the world.
Big and Modern.
The Hallet & Davis plant at Neponset, Mass., is
a modern daylight factory, the main building being
almost 500 feet in length by 80 feet wide, and five
stories high. It is of reinforced concrete construc-
tion with large glass bays, and in design and equip-
ment ranks with the Aeolian works at Hayes, Eng-
deep water for large ships, 20 foot depth at low tide,
accommodating bulk shipments by vessels.
Show Aeolian Ambitions.
Vice-president and General Manager W. F. Alfring,
confirming the announcement, says: "Our purchase
of this modern Hallet & Davis piano building fac-
tory, perhaps the largest unit in America, is in line
with the Aeolian Company's policy to provide exten-
sions to its production facilities space with the rap-
idly increasing demand for the Duo-Art Reproducing
Piano, an interest and public appreciation which is
world-wide.
"This purchase is indicative of the fast increasing
Aeolian business which is known to all Duo-Art
dealers, whose increasing purchases have demanded
that additional building facilities be provided. Our
need for such added capacity is an important evi-
dence of our company's confidence in the future of
the piano industry and this is perhaps its greatest
significance.
"Contracts covering the purchase have been com-
pleted and approved by the Aeolian directors, and
we are to possess the property early in the year to
come. This purchase extends our facilities and ca-
pacity and no immediate changes in the company's
American plants at Garwood, N. Y., the Bronx, New
York, Worcester, Mass., or Meriden, Conn., are con-
templated."
C. C. Conway's Statement.
Speaking for the Hallet & Davis Piano Company,
President C. C. Conway issued the following formal
statement affirming the purchase:
"We have for some time been contemplating the
consolidation of all of our manufacturing activities
in our new factory at Worcester, Mass., a plant
ideally located and equipped.
"Such concentration would improve both the qual-
ity of our products and the service to our dealers as
well as enabling us to effect substantial economies.
"These plans are now made possible through the
sale of our Neponset plant to the Aeolian Company,
although possession is not to be given them until
some time next year, which will give us ample time
to make the change without any interruption of
service to our trade.
"With this program now clearly defined and
worked out, we are better equipped to more aggres-
sively concentrate our efforts in the development
and sale of the 'Angelus' and Hallet & Davis
products."
Other Evidences of Progress.
The Aeolian Company, too, is just completing three
new buildings to its Garwood, N. J., plant, the three
adding 50,000 square feet of floor space, including
what is believed to be the largest organ erecting
rooms in the country, extensions to cost $250,000,
which were built in response to an urgent need for
orders in hand, while seven new dry kilns are now
being completed.
The Aeolian factory at Meriden, Conn., where
music rolls are made, has absorbed the space released
to roll manufacturers from the sale of the company's
MAIN FACTORY, NEPONSET, MASS.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
July 25, 1925.
PRESTO
phonograph record business to the Brunswick Com-
pany.
This addition to the Garwood, N. J., works and
speak the boldest word that could be said for the
piano industry at this time, a message inspiring the
greatest confidence. The Aeolian Company record
PIANO TRAVELERS'
COMPLETE ROSTER
Lists of the New Committees Embrace a Fine
Aggregation of the Expert, Experienced
and Nationally Known Men of the
Industry and Trade.
VETERANS AND YOUNGSTERS
Dealers Everywhere Throughout the Country Will
Find Familiar Names of Their Favorite Visitors
in the Lists that Follow.
DEEP WATER WHARF.
the purchase of the Hallet & Davis Neponset plant,
extensions representing further plant investments by
the Aeolian Company of almost two million dollars,
sales in the past 10 months and the unfilled orders
requiring increased factory capacity reflects the
march of Aeolian progress and further growth.
BEAUTIFUL NEW STORE
AT INDIANAPOLIS
pianos against the same background as is found in
the home.
All persons attending the opening were presented
with a coin, good for one twenty-dollar payment to
apply on the purchase of any piano or player pur-
chased between July 1st and December 31st. An-
other feature was a key to a padlock. One of the
keys distributed will unlock the padlock on a $150
phonograph. The holder of the key will be pre-
sented with same on August 1st.
In acquiring the Circle building, the Baldwin Com-
pany bought the stock and good will of the Circle
Talking Machine Shop, thus acquiring the Victor and
Edison phonographs and record franchise in addition
to their former line, the Brunswick.
After 49 Years in Other Location, Baldwin
House Returns to Monument Circle and
Opens with New Novel Souvenir.
On Tuesday, July 21st, the Baldwin Company, In-
dianapolis, held its formal opening in the new quar-
ters in the Circle Building, on Monument Circle,
which in less than ninety days has been remodeled
into a modern display structure.
Fifty-one years ago the Baldwin Company occu-
pied quarters in the northwest segment of the Circle,
and now, after having been located in Pennsylvania
street for forty-nine years, the firm has returned to
the building on the Circle, thoroughly remodeled to
accommodate an entirely up-to-date music house.
The first floor is given over to reception rooms,
phonographs and record department. The record de-
partment is equipped with Audak sanitary system of
remonstrating records, six booths containing this
equipment, while to the rear of these booths there
are three private demonstrating parlors furnished
with all the necessaries to make a homelike appear-
ance.
The reception room is lavishly decorated and very
spacious, with two large, attractive display windows
to the front and artistic entrance between them.
The general offices are located on the third floor,
also the music roll department and demonstration
booths, and a complete line of Q R S, U. S. and
Deluxe line of music rolls. The windows are beau-
tifully decorated and hung in costly draperies, while
the floors are highly finished and covered with orien-
tal rugs. The upper floors are so divided to provide
facilities for displaying grand pianos and reproducing
The complete organization of the National Piano
Travelers' Association is announced. The lists of
officers and committees show one of the strongest
aggregations of expert piano men ever "shown under
one canvas," or gathered together for any purpose
whatsoever. It is easy to recognize a majority of
the names which follow as men who have done
pioneer work in spreading the cause of good music
by means of the finest, most popular, or most profit-
able instruments in the world.
The officers of the travelers' association have al-
ready been announced in Presto, at the time of their
election. But the complete list of the committees
TRIP BY AUTO TO EASTERN
MOUNTAINS AND SEASIDE
W. B. Price and W. F. Frederick Cover Thousand
Miles from Pittsburgh to Sea and Back.
W. B. Price, of the Schaeffer Piano Manufacturing
Co., Chicago, has just returned from a visit with his
friend and associate in business, W. F. Frederick, of
Pittsburgh and Uniontown, Pa. Mr. Price was Mr.
Frederick's guest on an automobile tour through
many interesting sections of the Keystone State, in-
cluding Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and
several mountain resorts, Maryland, New Jersey and
on to Atlantic City for a spell of recreation.
Mr. Price describes the whirl around the thousand-
mile trip back to Pittsburgh, the starting point, as
about the most delightful of his life, certainly the
greatest motor tour he ever experienced. The stay
at Atlantic City was especially delightful. There they
met Mr. and Mrs. George P. Bent, who were on
their way from New York to Chicago, where they
spent a few days before starting on Wednesday
night for their home in Los Angeles, California.
GEO. E. MANSFIELD.
will have special interest also to the retail dealers
throughout the country. Following is the complete
roster for 1925-26:
George E. Mansfield, president, C. Kurtzniann &
Co., Buffalo, N. Y.; M. J. Kennedy, first vice-presi-
dent, 532 Republic Building, Chicago, 111.; Gordon
Laughead, second vice-president, De Kalb Piano Co.,
329 S. Wabash avenue, Chicago, 111.; A. B. Furlo-ng,
(Continued on page 6.)
SPRING and SUMMER
offer opportunities for the live piano salesman unequalled by any other season. With the Bowen Loader it is easy to get out into the
country, taking the piano along. Sales are sure, and with the Ford runabout and one-man Carrier you can demonstrate and do busi-
ness anywhere. Our latest fool-proof, indestructible Loader for only $95 affords an unusual opportunity. Satisfaction guaranteed.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO.,
Winston-Salem, N. C.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/

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