Construction of the first Steinway Hall was pushed by the need for expansion, increased promotion, and better presentation of pianos and music culture through regular live performances.
With 2,500 seats at that time, it was one of the biggest halls in the city of New York, becoming soon one of the cultural centers of the United States.
In 1872, Steinway & Sons organised an unprecedented concert tour of 215 performances in 239 days for the Russian virtuoso pianist Anton Rubinstein.
The S. Klein Union Square Realty Corporation bought the Steinway Hall on 14th Street in 1923 and closed it two years later.
[6][7] William K. Benedict and Marvin & Davis designed a 10-story building for the site, but because of legal disputes and the recently enacted 1916 Zoning Resolution, plans were delayed for several years.
[9][10] Among the notable performances at the 57th Street building was the 1928 duo piano recital by Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
[10] The lowest stories of the 57th Street facade are clad with Indiana Limestone above a pink-granite water table, with a central arch flanked by a set of outer portals.
[15] The lobby level also contained Steinway Hall's showrooms,[11] covered with wood panels for better acoustics.
[18] Throughout the years, Steinway Hall's tenants also included publications such as Musical America, Architectural Forum, and The Economist, as well as CBS broadcasting studios.
The Steinway-Haus in Berlin is one of boutique centers of music and entertainment, it has its own place in the cultural life of the German capital.
Since its opening in 1909, the Steinway-Haus in Berlin has been through many dramatic events of history, it was re-opened in 1948 in the ex-house of the pianist Josef Hofmann in the Hardenbergstraße No. 9.
Today Steinway-Haus in Berlin has a miniature concert hall, several showrooms, and practice rooms available for children as well as adults to study music.
In 2003, the 50th anniversary of Steinway-Haus Hamburg was marked by a series of concerts of classical and popular music performed by numerous guest stars as well as by local musicians.
Today Steinway-Haus in Hamburg has a concert hall, several showrooms, and practice rooms available for children as well as adults to study music.
The Steinway-Haus in Vienna on the Ringstraße is one of the boutique Steinway showrooms that caters to entertainers in Austria and Central Europe.
Besides the showrooms, the Steinway Haus in Vienna has several practice rooms and music classes open for students of all ages to polish their performing skills.
The Steinway-Haus of Vienna has been the main supplier of concert grand pianos to classical venues, as well as other entertainment centers in the capital of Austria.
Today, additional forms of Steinway & Sons sales venues are located in Shanghai and Tokyo.