Presto
Issue: 1920 1790 - Page 14
14
November 13, 1920.
TELLS SAN FRANCISCO
ABOUT BALDWIN PIANO CO.
History of the Cincinnati Company and Re-
sults of Its Policies Reviewed Interest-
ingly by San Francisco Journal.
"The Evolution of. the Baldwin Piano Company"
is the title of an interesting article in a recent num-
ber of the Pacific Coast Review, San Francisco. The
article is an interesting bit of history of a personal
kind, as well as a review of the policies which add
to the greatness of the company with the passing
of every year. The article is illustrated with a cut
of the new factory of the Baldwin Piano Company,
and cuts showing the exterior of the San Francisco
branch and the interior of one of the handsome ware-
rooms. This is printed:
"The history of the development of any large busi-
ness is always interesting. This is especially true ot
the Baldwin Piano Company. D. H. Baldwin, the
founder of the House of Baldwin was a musician.
He was a violin teacher and conducted singing
schools through Ohio and Kentucky. A circular an-
nouncing one of the singing schools is framed and
hanging on the wall of the main office of the com-
pany at Cincinnati, a very highly prized possession.
This work brought Mr. Baldwin in touch with many
people. His pleasing personality made them his
friends. He was frequently called upon to select
pianos. This gave him the idea of opening a piano
store, which he did in Cincinnati in 1862, in one room
on the second floor of the Pike Opera Building,
which was the scene of all of the prominent musical
events of that day. The store prospered and even-
tually a better location was taken.
"Andrew Carnegie ascribed his success to his abil-
ity to employ the right men. This was also true of
Mr. Baldwin when he employed, as young men, the
late Lucicn Wulsin, formerly president of the Bald-
win Piano Company, and George W. Armstrong, Jr.,
who now holds that position. These men later be-
came partners and took over the active management
of the business. They were not content with a profit-
able retail business. They wanted to expand. This
w^as first done by branch stores and later in a whole-
sale way. In this work difficulty was experienced
about stock. The pianos they were handling in Cin-
cinnati were not available in other teriitory. The
only solution of this was to manufacture themselves.
This was started in a small way in Cincinnati about
thirty-five years ago.
"Cincinnati is a most fitting place for the manu-
facture of an artistic
product. It is the musical cen-
ter, having tw r o of the largest conservatories of na-
tional reputation. It has a fine symphony orchestra
which has been endowed through its public-spirited
citizens. Here the industry of the North meets the
romance of the South and blends in perfect harmony.
Here the spirit of commercialism is held in check by
idealism, which is so necessary in the production of
an artistic piano. Is it not natural that out of such
surroundings should come an artistic piano like the
Baldwin? These all together with the natural eco-
nomic advantages of Cincinnati made it a most for-
tunate place for the establishment of the Baldwin
factories.
"From the small manufacturing beginning the com-
pany now has at Cincinnati five large factories and
a lumber company. On this page is shown a picture
of the new factory which is the very last word in
modern factory construction, containing 235,000
square feet of floor space, and it may safe'y be said
without fear of contradiction that this is the finest
piano factory in the world. Manufacturing units
were also established at Chicago Heights, where the
Hamilton Piano Company is located and where they
have a capacity of 1,500 instruments per month.
"The product of these factories are distributed ex-
clusively through the stores of the Baldwin Piano
Company, which are located at Cincinnati, Chicago,
St. Louis, New York, Denver, San Francisco, Indian-
apolis, Louisville and Dallas, in addition to a large
export business. The San Francisco store is located
at 310 Sutter street, where they occupy the entire
Dall building, a picture of which is shown on this
page. Here a full and complete stock is subject to
inspection under artistic surroundings, and a view is
shown on this page of one of the Grand rooms on the
third floor."
CHICAGO'S DUO-ART ROOM
The beautiful Duo-Art room in Lyon & Healy's
store has been completed and it is restful and rich—
just the setting in which to display and demonstrate
these grands. The instruments are in a larger room
and the visitor-buyer can sit in the smaller room
adjoining and connected with it by an arch, just
like a home. The rich carpets, upholstered furniture
and heavy draperies give a parlor effect and the
instruments are here shown under the very condi-
tions that will be present where they are used. The
theory of tone experts is that heavy draperies soften
the tones, so the dealer must present the instruments
under these homey conditions and environment so
that the purchaser may get the same effect at the
store that she would in her residence or apartment.
NOMINATED FOR HEAD OF
ILLINOIS MANUFACTURERS
George R. Meyercord, of Decalcomania Fame, Has
Promoted Several Companies.
George R. Meyercord, of Chicago, now first vice
president of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association,
has been nominated for the presidency of that or-
ganization.
He has been a director for several years and is
cba ! rman of the foreign trade committee.
He organized the Meyercord Company, manufac-
turers of decalcomania transfers and lithographs, in
1894, and is now its president. Some time later he
organized the Vitrolite Company of Parkersburg,
W. Va., which manufactures a product resembling
marble. He also promoted the Haskelite Manufac-
turing Company of Ludington and Grand Rapids,
Mich., and is president of that concern.
Hi? wide interest in foreign trade lately led him
to establish the American Manufacturers' Credit In-
surance Exchange.
Possessing- strong views on protective tariff poli-
cies, Mr. Meyercord is a member of the board of
managers of the American Protective Tariff League,
and is also a director of the National Association of
Employing Lithographers. He is a member of the
Union League Club, Illinois Athletic Association,
Edgewater Golf Club and finds his chief recreation
in golf and billiards.
PIANO CLUB MEETINGS.
The meetings of the Piano Club of Chicago are
now held at 12:30 p. m. at the Illinois Athletic Club,
112 South Michigan avenue. At last Tuesday's meet-
ing a lawyer gave an address. M. J. Kennedy, presi-
dent, and J. T. Bristol, secretary, have this to say
in one of their recent letters: "Any member who
fails to attend the meetings is going to be 'out of
luck.' Better get in the 'bandwagon' and ride along
with the gang. Don't 'just drop in' and expect to
find a place reserved for you. There are so many
of the live wires coming to the meetings, who make
reservations that we have all we can do to take
care of them."
H. Switzer recently sold his interest in Crawford's
Music Roll Exchange, Go'den Gate avenue, San
Francisco, to E. L. Chamberlain. A prominent fea-
ture of the business is supplying rolls for electric
pianos to moving picture houses.
BETTER THAN EVER
THE NEW EDITION
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
NOW IN PREPARATION
Orders for quantities of 100 or more copies must be placed at once or
we cannot guarantee deliveries.
Single Copy SO Cents, Post Paid
No Dealer or Salesman Can Afford to Be Without It
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 407 So. Dearborn St., Chicago
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/
November 13, 1920.
TELLS SAN FRANCISCO
ABOUT BALDWIN PIANO CO.
History of the Cincinnati Company and Re-
sults of Its Policies Reviewed Interest-
ingly by San Francisco Journal.
"The Evolution of. the Baldwin Piano Company"
is the title of an interesting article in a recent num-
ber of the Pacific Coast Review, San Francisco. The
article is an interesting bit of history of a personal
kind, as well as a review of the policies which add
to the greatness of the company with the passing
of every year. The article is illustrated with a cut
of the new factory of the Baldwin Piano Company,
and cuts showing the exterior of the San Francisco
branch and the interior of one of the handsome ware-
rooms. This is printed:
"The history of the development of any large busi-
ness is always interesting. This is especially true ot
the Baldwin Piano Company. D. H. Baldwin, the
founder of the House of Baldwin was a musician.
He was a violin teacher and conducted singing
schools through Ohio and Kentucky. A circular an-
nouncing one of the singing schools is framed and
hanging on the wall of the main office of the com-
pany at Cincinnati, a very highly prized possession.
This work brought Mr. Baldwin in touch with many
people. His pleasing personality made them his
friends. He was frequently called upon to select
pianos. This gave him the idea of opening a piano
store, which he did in Cincinnati in 1862, in one room
on the second floor of the Pike Opera Building,
which was the scene of all of the prominent musical
events of that day. The store prospered and even-
tually a better location was taken.
"Andrew Carnegie ascribed his success to his abil-
ity to employ the right men. This was also true of
Mr. Baldwin when he employed, as young men, the
late Lucicn Wulsin, formerly president of the Bald-
win Piano Company, and George W. Armstrong, Jr.,
who now holds that position. These men later be-
came partners and took over the active management
of the business. They were not content with a profit-
able retail business. They wanted to expand. This
w^as first done by branch stores and later in a whole-
sale way. In this work difficulty was experienced
about stock. The pianos they were handling in Cin-
cinnati were not available in other teriitory. The
only solution of this was to manufacture themselves.
This was started in a small way in Cincinnati about
thirty-five years ago.
"Cincinnati is a most fitting place for the manu-
facture of an artistic
product. It is the musical cen-
ter, having tw r o of the largest conservatories of na-
tional reputation. It has a fine symphony orchestra
which has been endowed through its public-spirited
citizens. Here the industry of the North meets the
romance of the South and blends in perfect harmony.
Here the spirit of commercialism is held in check by
idealism, which is so necessary in the production of
an artistic piano. Is it not natural that out of such
surroundings should come an artistic piano like the
Baldwin? These all together with the natural eco-
nomic advantages of Cincinnati made it a most for-
tunate place for the establishment of the Baldwin
factories.
"From the small manufacturing beginning the com-
pany now has at Cincinnati five large factories and
a lumber company. On this page is shown a picture
of the new factory which is the very last word in
modern factory construction, containing 235,000
square feet of floor space, and it may safe'y be said
without fear of contradiction that this is the finest
piano factory in the world. Manufacturing units
were also established at Chicago Heights, where the
Hamilton Piano Company is located and where they
have a capacity of 1,500 instruments per month.
"The product of these factories are distributed ex-
clusively through the stores of the Baldwin Piano
Company, which are located at Cincinnati, Chicago,
St. Louis, New York, Denver, San Francisco, Indian-
apolis, Louisville and Dallas, in addition to a large
export business. The San Francisco store is located
at 310 Sutter street, where they occupy the entire
Dall building, a picture of which is shown on this
page. Here a full and complete stock is subject to
inspection under artistic surroundings, and a view is
shown on this page of one of the Grand rooms on the
third floor."
CHICAGO'S DUO-ART ROOM
The beautiful Duo-Art room in Lyon & Healy's
store has been completed and it is restful and rich—
just the setting in which to display and demonstrate
these grands. The instruments are in a larger room
and the visitor-buyer can sit in the smaller room
adjoining and connected with it by an arch, just
like a home. The rich carpets, upholstered furniture
and heavy draperies give a parlor effect and the
instruments are here shown under the very condi-
tions that will be present where they are used. The
theory of tone experts is that heavy draperies soften
the tones, so the dealer must present the instruments
under these homey conditions and environment so
that the purchaser may get the same effect at the
store that she would in her residence or apartment.
NOMINATED FOR HEAD OF
ILLINOIS MANUFACTURERS
George R. Meyercord, of Decalcomania Fame, Has
Promoted Several Companies.
George R. Meyercord, of Chicago, now first vice
president of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association,
has been nominated for the presidency of that or-
ganization.
He has been a director for several years and is
cba ! rman of the foreign trade committee.
He organized the Meyercord Company, manufac-
turers of decalcomania transfers and lithographs, in
1894, and is now its president. Some time later he
organized the Vitrolite Company of Parkersburg,
W. Va., which manufactures a product resembling
marble. He also promoted the Haskelite Manufac-
turing Company of Ludington and Grand Rapids,
Mich., and is president of that concern.
Hi? wide interest in foreign trade lately led him
to establish the American Manufacturers' Credit In-
surance Exchange.
Possessing- strong views on protective tariff poli-
cies, Mr. Meyercord is a member of the board of
managers of the American Protective Tariff League,
and is also a director of the National Association of
Employing Lithographers. He is a member of the
Union League Club, Illinois Athletic Association,
Edgewater Golf Club and finds his chief recreation
in golf and billiards.
PIANO CLUB MEETINGS.
The meetings of the Piano Club of Chicago are
now held at 12:30 p. m. at the Illinois Athletic Club,
112 South Michigan avenue. At last Tuesday's meet-
ing a lawyer gave an address. M. J. Kennedy, presi-
dent, and J. T. Bristol, secretary, have this to say
in one of their recent letters: "Any member who
fails to attend the meetings is going to be 'out of
luck.' Better get in the 'bandwagon' and ride along
with the gang. Don't 'just drop in' and expect to
find a place reserved for you. There are so many
of the live wires coming to the meetings, who make
reservations that we have all we can do to take
care of them."
H. Switzer recently sold his interest in Crawford's
Music Roll Exchange, Go'den Gate avenue, San
Francisco, to E. L. Chamberlain. A prominent fea-
ture of the business is supplying rolls for electric
pianos to moving picture houses.
BETTER THAN EVER
THE NEW EDITION
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
NOW IN PREPARATION
Orders for quantities of 100 or more copies must be placed at once or
we cannot guarantee deliveries.
Single Copy SO Cents, Post Paid
No Dealer or Salesman Can Afford to Be Without It
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 407 So. Dearborn St., Chicago
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/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).