It was built in 1886 by Sohmer & Co., and is a six-story, L-shaped, Rundbogenstil / Romanesque Revival style brick building.

The company was moved to be closer to better shipping facilities and in order to be more accessible for the labor force in charge of operating the production.

[4] He had founded the company few years earlier in 1872 together with his partner Joseph Kuder from Vienna, who was also a former Steinway and Sons employee.

Entering in piano building business in NY in the end of 19th century was not a hard thing to do as there were many skilled emigrants coming from Europe (mostly Germany) and the demand for the instrument was growing fast.

In 1925, the factory was an impressive 210,000 square feet piece of property and the company employed 275 people who were responsible for producing 2,500 pianos a year.

However, the company survived the Great Depression, but after the collapse of piano industry, Sohmer's production rates fell.

Several photographs of the factory have been made available online by the Queens Public Library, including a view from 1945 from across the East River.

[10] In the first third of the 18th century Boston was leading American piano manufacturing center, but it was soon outraced by Philadelphia, nearly followed by New York.

But only after the wave of German immigrants who arrived in 1850s the city became leading piano building center in America.

The building is specially distinguished by its mansard roofed clock tower over the top of its impressive scale.

It represents many characteristics of 19th century factory building, typically to the age these principles were always rooted in functionality and practical needs.

The need for good light for the interior dictated the narrow shape of the floor plan, but the land plot size did not let to build it in I-shaped formation.

[13] Flat roofs let to eliminate the attic space – a place that could get dusty and easily catch on fire.

Typically they were bird's eye views of the factory with smoke coming out of the chimneys thus rendering image of energy, dynamics and organization of the work.

As the Sohmers were producing product for popular consumption it was important that his factory was seen by as many people as possible, thus this location served not only as a display for inhabitants of Manhattan, but also those who passed by on the boats.

But the most focal point of the building of course remained the clock tower elevating above the 2 wings of the factory.

It was long before the affordable watch had made its first appearance, when need for strictly organized daily rhythm was established.

By late nineteenth century clock was one of the main tool to organize the daily lives of New Yorkers.

The architecture firm in their short existence run by Bruno W. Berger and Franklin Baylies designed many commercial and residential buildings around New York.

Firm mostly designed in neo-Grec style, thus the Rundbogenstil Sohmer piano factory building was unusual for them.