Presto

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
E.t*bu.hed iM4. THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
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CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1925
OPENING OF THE NEW STEINWAY HALL
Imposing Building of Steinway & Sons, New York, Formally Opened on West Fifty=Seventh Street, Remarkable
for Grandeur and Dignity of Design and Artistic Decorative Scheme in Keeping With
High Character of the "Piano of the Immortals"
EVENT IN TRADE
1
Beauties of Architecture and Unique Facilities
for Making Buying More Pleasureable
Noted by Visitors at Official Opening of
New Structure on West Fifty-seventh St.
w
Si
THOUSANDS ATTEND
Numerous Responses to Steinway & Sons' Invitation
Bring Interested Groups to Warerooms
Throughout Opening Day.
Steinway & Sons, New York, formally occupied
the new Steinway Hall, 109, 111 and 113 West Fifty-
seventh street, last week, finally vacating the old
quarters in East Fourteenth street, where the old
Steinway Hall has been a historic structure since
1866. The old location has an important place in
the fascinating story of Steinway development as the
new Steinway Hall will have in the future of the
famous house.
The progress of the house of Steinway & Sous has
been rapid and the growth of the Steinway influence
continuous from the opening in the early fifties
to the proud event of last week, when the status of
the business was made more apparent than ever. The
new Steinway Hall in New York is more than ever
the heart of the Steinway business.
Distinguished from First.
Almost from the first arrival in New York of the
Steinway family in 1850, the name has been famous
in the history of the American piano. The single aim
of the founder of the house was to produce an ideal
instrument. That the result has been achieved is one
of the most evident facts in industry. The develop-
ment is a fascinating story of which the opening of
the New Steinway Hall, New York, is a most inter-
esting incident.
The new home of Steinway & Sons, officially
opened last week, is marked by an artistic distinc-
FRIEDRICH REIDEMEISTER.
Treasurer.
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President.
tiveness in architecture in keeping with the unique
character of the famous instruments it houses. A
great many people well known in the world of music
responded to the invitation of Steinway & Sons and
came to view the beauties of the building and the
charm of the decorations, furniture and fixtures.
The Impressive Exterior.
The impressive lines of the exterior give Steinway
Hall a desirable prominence on Fifty-seventh street.
The design is an interpretation of a classical style
whose beauties are particularly followed in the treat-
ment of the three lower stories. In the facade the
allegorical designs on the limestone panels were
carved in by the well known sculptor, Leo Lentelli,
HENRY ZEIGL.ER.
Vice-President.
who also modeled the limestone medallions of great
composers who also were famous as pianists: Haydn,
Mozart, Bach, Brahms, Grieg, Liszt, Chopin and
Schubert.
The new Steinway Hall is fifteen stories in height
and extends from West Fifty-seventh street, on which
it has a frontage of sixty-three feet through the block
to West Fifty-eighth street where the frontage is
100 feet.
The Artistic Beauties.
The architectural and artistic beauties of the re-
ception room with an entrance at 109 West Fifty-
seventh street, are the features that particularly
impress visitors. It is octagonal in shape, decorated
in neutral green in harmony with the green marble
pedestals. The scheme is carried out in the specially
designed rug which covers the floor of Kasota stone.
Five paintings with a musical theme adorn the walls.
Opening on the wide corridor on the three floors
occupied by Steinway & Sons, extending the entire
depth of the building, are the warerooms. On the
first floor there are five, each finished in a different
style of decoration and furnishing. All the ware-
rooms are equipped with an original, well controlled
lighting system. They also possess a sound-proof
character which makes for the comforts of custom-
ers listening to demonstrations of the instruments.
The Concert HalL
A concert hall has been provided on the third floor
on the West Fifty-seventh street front. It is an in-
timate recital available for artists and its dimensions
were fixed by present day circumstances. Consid-
ering the large number of big auditoriums in New
York, Steinway & Sons concluded that a hall of
limited capacity would be the most advantageous in
the new building. The hall is furnished with 240
chairs.
The executive and clerical offices are on the West
Fifty-eighth street side of the third floor and are
served by the same elevator that serves the recital
NAHUM STETSON.
Secretary.
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