Sohmer and Company Piano Factory facts for kids
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Sohmer and Company Piano Factory
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Sohmer and Company Piano Factory, June 2010
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| Location | 31-01 Vernon Blvd. Astoria, Queens, New York City |
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| Area | 0.48 acres (0.19 ha) |
| Built | 1886, c. 1906-1907 |
| Architect | Berger & Baylies |
| Architectural style | Rundbogenstil, Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000007 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 14, 2014 |
The Sohmer and Company Piano Factory is a historic building in Astoria, Queens, New York City. It used to be a factory where pianos were made. The building was constructed in 1886 by a company called Sohmer & Co..
This factory is a large, six-story brick building. It has a special design called Rundbogenstil or Romanesque Revival style. A cool feature is its corner clock tower with a fancy copper roof. The factory was made bigger around 1906–1907. Later, in 2007, it was changed into apartments.
The building is important because it shows the history of piano making in New York City. It was named a New York City landmark in 2007. In 2014, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which lists important historical places in the United States.
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History of the Sohmer Piano Factory
Hugo Sohmer started Sohmer & Co. in 1872 with his partner, Joseph Kuder. Kuder used to work for another famous piano company, Steinway & Sons. In 1886, Hugo Sohmer moved his factory to a new building in Astoria. He chose this spot because it was close to the East River, which made shipping easier. It was also a good location for workers.
The new factory building was designed by the Berger & Baylies architecture firm. Making pianos was popular in New York in the late 1800s. Many skilled workers, especially from Germany, came to the city. People also wanted to buy more pianos.
Growth and Changes at the Factory
The factory grew bigger between 1906 and 1907. By 1925, it was a huge building, about 210,000 square feet. About 275 people worked there, making 2,500 pianos each year. The Sohmer family owned and ran the company for a long time. They made different kinds of pianos, including grand pianos, upright pianos, and player pianos. Their upright pianos were known for having a strong sound.
The factory was very modern for its time. During the Great Depression, a tough economic period, Sohmer & Co. rented out parts of the building to other businesses. The company survived the Depression, but piano sales slowed down. By 1960, fewer people worked there, and they made fewer pianos.
Sohmer & Co. kept making pianos in Astoria until 1982. Then, Hugo Sohmer's grandson sold the company. The factory building was sold to another company, and piano production moved to Connecticut. Today, Sohmer pianos are made in Korea.
New York's Piano-Making Story
Pianos were not common in the US until the late 1700s. Thomas Jefferson ordered one from Europe, and soon, wealthy Americans wanted them too. Early piano makers started in cities like Philadelphia and New York.
In the early 1800s, Boston was a main center for piano making. But New York quickly caught up. By the 1840s, New York was becoming a major city for culture and business. A big change happened in the 1850s when many German immigrants arrived. Many of them were skilled piano makers, like Heinrich E. Steinweg, who later became famous as Steinway. Hugo Sohmer also came to the US in 1863. This is when piano making really took off in New York.
The Piano Boom and Decline
Around the year 1900, pianos were incredibly popular. They were a common item in many middle-class American homes. People believed that having a piano helped "cultivate" or educate women, so mostly females played them. In 1870, there was about 1 piano for every 1,540 Americans. By 1910, this number jumped to 1 piano for every 252 Americans! This shows how fast the industry grew.
New York City was the biggest piano-making center in the US. About 170 of the 270 piano factories in the country were located there. However, by 1924, the piano industry started to shrink. This was mainly because radios became popular and much cheaper. Radio sales soared, while piano sales dropped. Today, Steinway & Sons is one of the few major piano factories left in New York City.
Architecture of the Factory
The Sohmer Piano Factory is a very noticeable building along the Astoria coast of the East River. Its most special feature is its clock tower with a unique mansard roof. The building was designed by Berger & Baylies. It is a six-story, L-shaped factory made of red bricks. Its style is called German Romanesque Revival or Rundbogenstil. This style often uses curved edges and surfaces, like the arched brick designs above the windows.
This factory is one of the few old factories still standing in Queens. It shows many features of 19th-century factory buildings. These buildings were designed to be useful and practical. For example, the factory's narrow width and L-shape were important for getting natural light inside. Before electric lights, factories needed lots of windows to be bright enough for workers. The L-shape allowed light to reach more areas of the building.
Flat roofs became common after the 1860s because they were safer from fires. They helped avoid dusty attic spaces that could easily catch fire. Bricks were used for walls because they were very fire-resistant. Builders also used decorative brickwork to make the large walls look more interesting.
How the Building Showed the Company's Image
The factory's location right on the street meant its front was the company's public face. A well-designed building helped market the company. Pictures of the factory were used on letterheads, catalogs, and in advertisements. These often showed the factory with smoke coming from chimneys, making it look busy and organized.
Being on the riverfront also helped attract new customers. The factory could be seen from far away, even from across the East River. Since Sohmer made pianos for many people, it was important that the factory was visible. This location helped show off the building to people in Manhattan and those traveling on boats.
The clock tower was the most important part of the building's design. It stood tall above the two wings of the factory and was the most decorated section. Clock towers were not just for telling time. They also served as fireproof staircases, stopping fires from spreading up through the building. So, the clock tower was both beautiful and very practical.
Architects: Berger & Baylies
The architecture firm that designed the Sohmer factory was run by Bruno W. Berger and Franklin Baylies. They designed many buildings in New York, including warehouses and commercial buildings. The exact year they started their firm is not known, but it was in the early 1880s.
The Sohmer piano factory, with its Rundbogenstil design, was unusual for them, as they often designed in a different style called Neo-Grec. However, it was their biggest project. In 1890, both architects started their own separate businesses, and the Berger & Baylies firm closed. It is thought that Franklin Baylies's firm was responsible for the factory's expansion in 1906-1907.
