For the first time in 135 years, Cunningham Piano Company will not have a physical presence in Philadelphia. Its last outpost, 24-26 E. Coulter Street in Germantown, has been put up for sale and will soon have new owners. The sale also marks the end of piano making in the city of Philadelphia, which in the 19th century was home to 80 companies.

For Cunningham Piano, it’s a change that has been in the making for a while. In 2016, its showroom was moved to King of Prussia, opening auxiliary locations in Cherry Hill and Delmar, Delaware, while keeping its piano restoration business in Germantown. “Restorations are still a part of the business, though the demand has decreased,” explained co-owner Tim Oliver. “We’re always going to restore pianos, because we love it.”

Although he said consolidating made good business sense, it wasn’t without emotion. “It was especially hard for my partner [Rich Galassini], who’s worked for the company for almost 40years,” he said, adding wryly, “I’ve only been here for 28.”

Cunningham Piano Company’s old ghost sign on the rear wall of its former restoration facility at 24-26 E. Coulter Street. Mural Arts completed recreations of the building’s advertisements in 2016. | Photo: Joseph E.B. Elliott

The company was founded in 1891 by Patrick Cunningham, an Irish immigrant and woodworker, who established a factory at 4946 Parkside Avenue, and a showroom at 1105 Chestnut Street. Later properties included a factory at Poplar and North 41st Streets and an additional showroom and company headquarters at 1312-14 Chestnut Street as “Piano Row” expanded westward. The move to Germantown came after World War II and included a showroom at 5423 Germantown Avenue, the former Germantown Masonic Hall.

On East Coulter Street, the four story, 20,000 square foot building is a landmark along the Germantown Avenue corridor, enhanced by the signage emblazoned on a side wall. Today, the fresh appearance of the two signs belies the building’s age, but that is owing to an initiative from 11 years ago called Vital Signs. It was a collaboration between Mural Arts and Temple Contemporary, involving Tyler School of Art students, to revive a few of the many “ghost signs” left on Philadelphia’s commercial buildings.

“We had been asked to touch up a few ghost signs. Their rejuvenation brought attention to the city’s industrial buildings,” recalled Jane Golden, executive director of Mural Arts. “This was a way to respect the architecture and the history. To shine a light on the past and also think about the present.”

A restorer in Cunningham Piano’s workshop in 2014. | Photo: Joseph E.B. Elliott

The ghost sign project was part restoration and part original mural. Lead artist Brad Carney oversaw the restoring of the old promotional sign along the rear of the building side, that reads “Cunningham Piano Co. New & Used Pianos • Bought • Sold • Exchanged / Buy Direct From Factory / Entrance on Coulter St.” in yellow and white lettering on a bright red background. They then added a new mural near the front, replicating the iconic “Cunningham Piano Co.” logo over the image of a grand piano.

Some of the restorations done through the Vital Signs program are no longer in existence. Besides Cunningham, those still standing include Honest Lou’s Exterminating at 3905 Lancaster Avenue and Photo Process Screen Manufacturing Co., a screen-printing company run by the Oteri family, at 179 West Berks Street.

“I am aware that the entire neighborhood loves that artwork,” said Oliver. “It’s part of the neighborhood.” In addition to questions about the fate of the building itself, he said that many neighbors asked him whether the murals would be saved.

The company’s facility on Coulter Street has been sold to a Germantown couple, and the building will be converted for residential use. | Photo: Joseph E.B. Elliott

Oliver thinks the neighbors and preservationists will be relieved to learn about the new owners. “They are Germantown people, a couple, and they intend to live in the building,” he explained. “They’re involved in the movie set industry, so they were excited to have the space and use some of the equipment we’re leaving behind, like work benches and some finishing equipment.”

And as for Cunningham Piano going forward without Philadelphia? Over the years the company has added rentals, music lessons, tunings, and organ sales to its roster of services. Its sales catalog has changed with the times, with digital pianos accounting for roughly half of the 500 or so instruments they sell in a year.

The manufacturing of pianos still holds a place, although it has changed since the company’s founding. “We don’t make pianos beginning to end here in Philadelphia anymore. Parts come from elsewhere and we mostly do the finishing work,” noted Tim Oliver. “It’s currently the only piano on the market that says ‘Philadelphia’ on it. And the logo on the soundboard is still in Patrick Cunningham’s handwriting.”