LAST WORD
PHOTO FINISH
IMAGE: BYRON COMPANY, MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
“Never before in the history of the piano trade has an instrument sprung into such great popularity in so short a time as the Hardman upright piano.”
Hardman Peck Piano Company, 618-634 W49th St (1907)
T
he Hardman Peck Piano Company opened for business in 1842. The Founder, Hugh Hardman, was born in Liverpool in 1815 and the business took on the Peck name after Leopold Peck joined the company in 1880. For many years, Hardman served as the official piano of the Metropolitan Opera Company and had the same status in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt White House. It was also Enrico Caruso’s favorite instrument. The legendary tenor said: “The Hardman is the only piano I use in my
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apartment in New York. I also have one in my home in Florence.” The firm’s New York showrooms were on Fifth Avenue, but sales spread far and wide. In 1884, Folio magazine in Boston said: “Never before in the history of the piano trade has an instrument sprung into such great popularity in so short a time as the Hardman upright piano.” The growth years were in Hell’s Kitchen. When this picture was taken, the factory was on W49th St. But piano factories at that time were dangerous places and this site had two major fires – one in 1902
and another in 1910. The 1902 fire was so large it attracted a crowd of 5,000 to the west side just to watch the drama unfold. Damages were over $200,000 and several hundred pianos were lost. The factory pictured was totally destroyed in June 1910, and insurers reported that tanks of varnishes, oils and turpentine were to blame. The disaster instigated a move to new, purpose-built premises at 524-546 W52nd St and 531-539 W51st St. Hartman pianos are still in production today.