Presto

PRESTO
April 4, 1925.
CHRISTMAN
"The First Touch Tells"
The Famous
Studio Grand
AEOLIAN COMPANY'S
RETURN TO 5TH AVE.
Building of Twelve Stories to Be Erected at
Northeast Corner of Fifty-fourth Street
and on New York's Famous
Thoroughfare.
AN IMPOSING STRUCTURE
Both Old and New Locations to Be Occupied for a
Time, and Company May Build a Public
Concert Hall.
(only 5 ft. long)
Remains the foremost of all the dainty
little pianos for Parlor and Music
Room. It has no superior in tone
quality, power or beauty of design.
CHRISTMAN
Reproducing Grand
Equipped with
Has advantages for any Dealer or
Salesman. It is a marvel of expressive
interpretation of all classes of compo-
sition, reproducing perfectly the per-
formances of the world's greatest
pianists.
CHRISTMAN
Players and Pianos
"The First Touch Tells"
IUf. U. S. Pat. Off.
Christman Piano Co.
597 East 137th St.
New York
Ratification by the directors of The Aeolian Com-
pany, announced Monday, completes a transaction
involving more than twelve million dollars, which
brings The Aeolian Company back to Fifth Avenue,
New York, at the northeast corner of the avenue and
Fifty-fourth street. The site was recently secured
by Commodore Charles A. Gould in anticipation of
the deal now completed, and is secured by The Aeo-
lian Company in a straight lease of sixty-three years.
Upon this plot a twelve-story building is to be
erected, within the next year, devoted to the exposi-
tion and sale of musical instruments, the finest ap-
pointed structure for the display of Aeolian pipe or-
gans, Duo-Art pianos, and other musical instruments,
with important new radio features comparable with
the advances in this art already introduced by The
Aeolian Company.
An Impressing Display.
The plot covers almost 10,000 square feet, and The
Aeolian Company will occupy most of the 140,000
total square feet for its own requirements. The first
floors will be devoted to display of pianos, and other
musical instruments, and a grand salon will feature
Steinway Duo-Art pianos in cases specially designed
in the periods of artistic decoration, and two, or per-
hape three, Aeolian residence pipe organs will be in-
stalled. The new building will contain a recital hall
of intimate proportions and 'approximating more
nearly the space conditions met in private resi-
dences.
While the building, to be built for The Aeolian
Company's special needs, has not been planned in
detail it will be one of the finest structures on Fifth
avenue, the design being suggestive of the glories of
Francis I decoration. It will have an imposing cor-
ner entrance with hand forged iron and glass markee
and show windows at the right and left of the en-
trance of theatric proportions, two windows of the
same majestic size as the one magnificent show win-
dow of Aeolian Hall in West Forty-second street.
Many locations have been mentioned as having
been decided upon by The Aeolian Company, but it
has steadfastly held to its determination to be located
again on Fifth avenue. While many sites have been
offered, and some seriously considered, the selection
of the valuable Fifty-fourth street corner was inevi-
table, though a negotiation began for another corner
on Fifth avenue really inspired the string of real
estate transactions which have kept The Aeolian
Company and its property in the forefront of real
estate affairs in the last nine months.
A Bit of History.
"The first business house to locate in Fifth avenue,
then a street of private homes, was Albert Weber,
whose name is revered as a pioneer with Henry
Steinway in the building of magnificent pianos," said
William H. Alfring, vice-president and general man-
ager of The Aeolian Company. "We had a senti-
mental urge to return to Fifth avenue, not only for
Albert Weber's early association, but as well because
The Aeolian Company was the first to erect a fine
building north of Twenty-third street, when it built
at Thirty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, from which
it removed twelve years ago for its present location
in Forty-second street.
"In our consideration of locations, we felt that we
required a site which would be equally convenient
for our patrons residing in the upper east and west
sides. A location on Fifth avenue, in the fifties,
seemed to be best accommodated with lines of transit
and to best serve motor traffic. Within the few
blocks of the fifties, in Fifth avenue, the natural flow
lines of traffic converge, and the fixed institutions, as
Central Park, the subway and bus lines, and railroad
stations undoubtedly fix and establish this as the
choice retail section of New York for many years to
come.
Concert Hall Considered.
"Whether our company will operate a concert hall
in future is now being considered," said Mr. Alfring.
"Under the terms by which we sold Aeolian Hall,
we may continue to occupy the premises until 1929,
and while the new building in Fifth avenue will be
available in the late summer of 1926, we now expect
to occupy both locations, the new building in Fifth
avenue, and Aeolian Hall in West Forty-second
street. We are now making concert bookings for
Aeolian Hall, season of 1925-26.
"At the time Aeolian Hall was built, in 1913, the
company then felt an obligation to music lovers to
provide a concert hall of approximately 1,100 seating
capacity. We have not determined if the same condi-
tions prevail at this time, or in the same measure, but
if it is so decided that we are to continue in the oper-
ation of a concert hall, such an auditorium would
need to be a separate structure, and so could be
planned for any convenient location."
In the negotiations covering The Aeolian Com-
pany's new site in upper Fifth Avenue the Charles
F. Noyes Company was the broker.
ACOUSTIGRANDE FACTORY
HAS BEEN DESTROYED
Building Erected by C. C. Chickering, in Chi-
cago, Gives Way to New Boule-
vard Extension.
The last of the factory built by C. C. Chickering
for the manufacture of the "Acoustigrande" piano
has been razed to make room for the turning of
the South Park boulevard viaduct at Twenty-third
street, Chicago. The staunch square building was
permitted to remain intact until early this week, so
that the instruments it contained might be completed
and the machinery disposed of.
As is well understood in the trade, Mr. Chickering
has been made vice-president of Chickering & Sons,
of Boston, a post to which he naturally belongs. He
began his experience as a piano maker with that
old industry and his return to it seems the logical
thing. The tearing down of the comparatively
recently erected piano factory in Chicago is a sacri-
fice to civic progress, as the building stood directly
in line of the new outer drive viaduct which will
permit of better traffic arrangements to the South
Side residential sections.
PORTLAND, ORE., SENDS
GOOD TRADE ITEMS
Kohler & Campbell Representatives Deciding Upon
New Branch House in That City or Seattle.
During the past week the Portland music dealers
were visited by W. A. Lund, of Chicago, of Kohler
& Campbell, who was accompanied by Beeman P.
Sibley, of San Francisco, the Pacific coast representa-
tive of the house. These gentlemen were looking
over the field with the idea of opening up a Pacific
Northwest branch, and after leaving Portland went
to Seattle to look over the field there before deciding
upon the location of the branch.
The Remick Shop and Gift Shop of Portland has
added a radio department and will carry a full line
of the Radiola Corporation of America, the Crosley
Radio Corporation and the Gilfillan Bros, Inc. I. E.
Sklare announced that the same service would be
given the radio department which has built up their
sheet music department.
Ernest Crosby, business manager of the G. F.
Johnson Piano Co. of Portland, was elected presi-
dent of the Civic Music Club for the coming year.
Mr. Crosby has always taken a prominent part in
the activities of the club, and as he possesses a fine
lyric tenor voice has been much in demand and has
appeared on many of their programs.
MASON & HAMLIN FOR ART CENTER.
The D. L. Whittle Music Co., Dallas, Tex., has
sold a Mason & Hamlin grand to the Community
House and Art Center of Highland Park, the beau-
tiful suburb of Dallas. The first floor of the civic
building is occupied by offices of the mayor, the city
treasurer and other municipal officials. The second
floor has the art gallery and assembly room and
auditorium in which the Mason & Hamlin grand has
been placed.
STARTS CO-OPERATIVE BUYING CLUB
J. T. Dickey, 37 Main street, Champaign, III., is
organizing a "Co-operative Piano Club," a plan to
buy an enlistment on easy payment terms. Free
bench, free rolls, free delivery and a trade-back privi-
lege two years from date of purchase are inducements
offered by the dealer.
OPENS REPAIR SHOP.
Edwards & Garlock, Preston, Idaho, music deal-
ers, have opened a repair shop in the Woods Build-
ing on North Main street. C. J. Edwards is in charge
of the shop, where a stock of piano and players will
also be carried.
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