Factory Tours

Factory Tours USA

Celebrating American Imagination and Industry!

Factory Tours USA

IMPORTANT: Always call the business before going to take the factory tour. We try and keep our data s up-to-date as possible but you should always check first.

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Company
Steinway & Sons
1 Steinway Place, Long Island City, NY   11105
Map Location           Latitude: 40.7805159   Longitude: -73.8980396
Email Address: https://www.steinway.com/about/contact
Click here to go to the company web site
This tour is free

Description
Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street. Henry was a master cabinet maker who built his first piano in the kitchen of his Seesen, Germany home. By the time Henry established Steinway & Sons, he had built 482 pianos. The first piano produced by the company, number 483, was sold to a New York family for $500. It is now displayed at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Over the next forty years, Henry and his sons, Henry Jr., Albert, C.F. Theodore, William, and Charles, developed the modern piano. Almost half of the company's 114 patented inventions were developed during this period. Many of these late nineteenth-century inventions were based on emerging scientific research, including the acoustical theories of the renowned physicist Hermann von Helmholtz.

Steinway's revolutionary designs and superior workmanship began receiving national recognition almost immediately. Starting in 1855, Steinway pianos received gold medals at several U.S. and European exhibitions. The company gained international recognition in 1867 at the Paris Exhibition when it was awarded the prestigious "Grand Gold Medal of Honor" for excellence in manufacturing and engineering. It was the first time an American company had received this award. Steinway pianos quickly became the piano of choice for many members of royalty and won the respect and admiration of the world's great pianists.

In 1866 Steinway & Sons opened the first Steinway Hall on 14th Street. With a main auditorium of 2,000 seats, it became New York City's artistic and cultural center, housing the New York Philharmonic until Carnegie Hall opened in 1891. By this time, the company had moved to its current location in the Astoria section of Queens, New York, and built Steinway Village. Virtually its own town, Steinway Village had its own foundries, factory, post office, parks and housing for employees.

In 1871, Henry Sr. died and sons C.F. Theodore and William took over operations. An accomplished pianist, C.F. Theodore was responsible for the technical aspects of piano making and personally earned the company 41 patents, including one in 1875 for the modern concert grand piano. In the same year, William helped establish a showroom in London. Five years later, in 1880, the Hamburg factory began operating and a retail operation, the Steinway-Haus, was established. Another retail operation opened in Berlin in 1909.

Today, Steinway & Sons crafts approximately 5,000 pianos a year worldwide. Over 1300 prominent concert artists and ensembles across the world bear the title Steinway Artist. No artist or ensemble is a paid endorser of the piano. Each Steinway Artist personally owns a Steinway and has chosen to perform on the Steinway piano professionally. In North America, artists select their Steinway for concert performances from the company's unique "piano bank," an inventory of more than 300 pianos valued at over $15 million.

Pianos are placed throughout North America and are maintained to concert standards by an exclusive network of Steinway dealers. The famed "basement" of New York's Steinway Hall, at 109 West 57th Street in New York City, is the bank's home office. Branch piano banks are maintained at Steinway dealerships in cities throughout the country to serve performing artists. In all other countries, major concert venues in each town own Steinway & Sons instruments which the artist can use.

Hours
We offer one factory tour a week on Tuesday from 9:30 am until 12 noon for a group comprised of 15 people. Tours take place from September through the end of June and due to our limited schedule must be booked in advance. There are no factory tours available in the summer months of July and August.

The Steinway Factory Tour is a visit to our working factory. Please note the following conditions and restrictions for tour participants:

- Our factory is large and the tour covers a significant area. Participants must be able to stand and walk for 1 ½ to 2 hours, including 3-4 flights of stairs.
- There is no seating or rest areas available on the shop floor.
- There are no restrooms available on the shop floor.
- Open shoes, sandals, flip flops, etc. are not permitted on the tour.
- Canes, walkers and wheelchairs are not permitted on the tour.
- Individuals with pacemakers or similar devices will not be allowed on the tour. (Factory equipment may interfere with the device.)
- Tour participants will be exposed to dust and chemical odors.
- We do not allow photos or videos in the factory.
- Children under the age of 16 are not permitted on the factory tour.
- Visitor parking is extremely limited. Please arrive early for street parking.

If you are interested in scheduling a tour, please contact us at 718-721-2600.


Tour minimum age is 16 years old. Photography is not permitted.


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