Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Avenida Córdoba

2009-05-04T05:45:41Z

JPH-FM: Corrected Anglo- to Spanish- (CHADOPyF = Compañía Hispano-Argentina de Obras Públicas y Finanzas)

[[File:20081130 BuenosAires 508.jpg|thumb|240px|Córdoba Avenue]]
[[File:Galerías PacíficoP1010099.jpg|thumb|240px|The avenue along the Galerías Pacífico shopping arcade]]

'''Córdoba Avenue''' is one of the principal thoroughfares in [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]].
==Overview==
Mayor [[Torcuato de Alvear]], inspired by the urban redevelopment works in [[Paris]] at the hand of [[Baron Haussmann]], drew up master plans for major boulevards, running east to west, every six blocks. During the 1880s, Córdoba Avenue was included in the plan and widened. The [[Buenos Aires Metro]] authority at the time, operated by the Spanish-Argentine concern ''CHADOPyF'', built [[Line D (Buenos Aires)|Line]] [[File:Line-D .png|17px|]] largely under Córdoba Avenue during the 1930s. Following the popularization of the automobile in Argentina during the 1960s, a 1967 ordinance made the avenue a one-way thoroughfare, east to west (making Córdoba Avenue one of the major routes used by the city's evening commuters).<ref name=ta>[http://www.taringa.net/posts/info/1146464/Cronologia-de-la-ciudad-de-Buenos-Aires_.html Taringa {{es icon}}]</ref>

The avenue's outset at [[Eduardo Madero]] Avenue is the continuation of Cecilia Grierson Street in [[Puerto Madero]]. Past this point, Córdoba Av. enters downtown Buenos Aires and passes along the northern end of the [[San Nicolás, Buenos Aires|financial district]]. [[Microsoft]]'s Latin American headquarters, opened in 2000, and the 42-story Alas building are located on this corner; the Alas building, built in the early 1950s by the administration of [[Juan Perón]] for the [[Argentine Air Force]], was the tallest in Argentina until 1995. Past [[Leandro Alem Avenue]] (the city's original shoreline), the avenue climbs around 15 m (50ft) in a block-long segment known as "''el bajo''" - an incline where the riverfront once was. The Lancaster Hotel, located at the top of the incline, is where writer [[Graham Greene]] stayed in Buenos Aires while writing his celebrated mystery, ''[[The Honorary Consul]].'' <ref name=wilson>Wilson, Jason. Cultural Guide to the City of Buenos Aires. Oxford, England: Signal Books, 1999.</ref>

The avenue crosses pedestrianized [[Florida Street]] a few blocks on. The southeast corner of this intersection is known for the [[Galerías Pacífico]] shopping arcade, housed in ornate structure occupying a city block and built in 1889 as the Buenos Aires affiliate of Paris' renowned [[Bon Marché]]. The eclectic [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] structure is complemented by the Naval Officers' Association building, on the intersection's northeast corner. Writer [[Jorge Luis Borges]] frequented the Café St. James nearby (at Córdoba and Maipú), where he held his well-known lectures on [[English literature]] during the 1950s and 1960s. Buenos Aires' [[Nueve de Julio Avenue]] (one of the world's widest) was extended northwards past Córdoba Avenue in the 1950s, and the intersection of the two avenues was graced by the placement of two fountains originally located at the [[Plaza de Mayo]]. Italian automaker [[FIAT]] built its Argentine headquarters at this intersection in 1965.<ref name=ta/><ref name=wilson/>

[[File:Avenida Córdoba Mapa.jpg|left|thumb|Approximate route]]
Its intersection with Libertad Street (one block past Nueve de Julio) is distinguished by [[Lavalle Plaza]], the [[Cervantes Theatre (Buenos Aires)|Cervantes Theatre]] and the [[Templo Libertad|Libertad Street Temple]], the most important [[synagogue]] in Buenos Aires (home to the largest [[Jewish Argentine|Jewish community]] in Latin America). Further west, the avenue passes by the water company palace, an ornate water pumping station built in 1877. The effect of rainfall on the building's [[porcelain]] tile exterior is an attraction to many, in itself. The [[Neo-classical architecture|Neo-classical]] Sáenz Peña Teachers' School is across the avenue. Córdoba Avenue is home to a concentration of [[University of Buenos Aires]] schools, as well. The School of Medicine and its Clinical Hospital are across the avenue from the School of Economics, and all are a block east of the [[Neo-gothic architecture|Neo-gothic]] [[Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música (Argentina)|National Music Conservatory]]. Entering the historic Jewish district of Buenos Aires, the avenue's intersection with Pasteur Street lies one block north of the [[AMIA|Jewish Argentine Mutual Association]], whose original building was destroyed in an as-yet unsolved 1994 terrorist attack (the worst ever in Argentine history).<ref name=wilson/><ref>[http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/cultura/ens_artistica/musica_ciudad.php Buenos Aires: Enseñanza Artística {{es icon}}]</ref>

The 8 km (5 mi) avenue demarcates a number of Buenos Aires' boroughs. At its outset, it separates [[Retiro, Buenos Aires|Retiro]] to the north from [[San Nicolás, Buenos Aires|San Nicolás]] and, further west, from [[Balvanera]]. It then separates Balvanera from [[Recoleta]], to the north and, further west, [[Palermo, Buenos Aires|Palermo]] from [[Almagro, Buenos Aires|Almagro]] and [[Villa Crespo]] (both to Palermo's south). Entering Villa Crespo, the avenue passes under Reconquista Bridge, an overpass opened in 1969 to facilitate traffic along [[Juan B. Justo]] Avenue. Córdoba Avenue's Villa Crespo section is known for its many apparel and footwear stores.<ref>[http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/09/18/laciudad/h-05615.htm ''Clarín'' {{es icon}}]</ref> The avenue ends as such at [[Federico Lacroze]] Avenue, though geographically it continues as Giribone Street for another eight blocks, extending well into the [[Chacarita, Buenos Aires|Chacarita]] borough.

==Gallery==
<gallery align=center perrow=5>
File:Microsoft argentina.jpg|The Microsoft and Alas buildings
File:Buenos Aires - Florida y Córdoba.jpg|The Naval Officers' Association
File:Antigua fuente de la Plaza de Mayo.jpg|Fountain and the former FIAT building
File:Teatro Cervantes.jpg|The Cervantes National Theatre
File:Universidad del Salvador (Av. Córdoba y Av. Callao).jpg|Intersection with [[Callao Avenue]]
File:Palacio del Agua, Buenos Aires (32608).jpg|The water company building
File:Facucienciaseconomicas.JPG|The University of Buenos Aires School of Economics
File:Plaza Houssay.jpg|Houssay Plaza and the UBA School of Medicine
File:Facultad UTN.JPG|The [[National Technological University]]
File:Av. Córdoba (082006).jpg|The avenue along its Villa Crespo route
</gallery>

{{Streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina}}

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordoba Avenue}}
[[Category:Streets in Buenos Aires]]

[[es:Avenida Córdoba]]

Colectivos in Argentinien

2007-10-27T21:29:22Z

JPH-FM: /* External links */ Correct URL

'''''Colectivo''''' is the name given in [[Argentina]] to public transportation vehicles, especially those of Argentina's [[capital|capital city]], [[Buenos Aires]]. They represent one of the best-known traditions of the city.

When they first appeared in the [[1920s]], ''colectivos'' were small [[bus|buses]] built out of smaller vehicle chassis (cars, vans, etc.) and, later, out of truck chassis (1950–1990, by [[Mercedes-Benz]] Argentina).
''Colectivos'' used to be built on top of units not specifically designed for the transportation of people and were decorated with unique paintings ''([[fileteado]])'' that gave each unit a distinct flavor and added a colorful touch to Buenos Aires' streets.

Their evolution and size growth was steady and they kept their own picturesque style until [[1990]], when the urban fleet was modernized with real Bus-Bus units (with motors in the back of the unit) and much of the charm was lost.

Together with [[football (soccer)|football]], urban landmarks (like the [[Obelisk of Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires Obelisk]]) and [[Tango (dance)|tango]], the ''colectivo'' was, until the [[1990s]], one of the big tourist draws of Buenos Aires. Because of its golden times the ''colectivo'' is loved by the citizens of Buenos Aires. A ''colectivo'' historian concluded after his extensive study:
<blockquote>
[[Image:Buenos Aires city bus.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Short snout classic Mercedes Colectivo, … lots of character.]]''The colectivo it is considered a source of pride for the national ego (identity), the same one that makes an Argentinian believe that his countrymen invented the [[birome]] ([[ballpoint pen]]) and [[dulce de leche]], and that his city's avenues include the longest in the world ([[Rivadavia Avenue]]) as well as the widest ([[9 de Julio Avenue]])." [http://www.busarg.com.ar/evolucion.htm]''
</blockquote>
The term ''colectivo'' came to be used in some neighbouring countries including [[Paraguay]].

==History==
===1930–1950. Taxi-bus, car-bus, van-bus. Creation of the "líneas".===
In the [[1900s]] Argentina was the "Granary of the World", one of the largest world food producers and exporters, and a wealthy country. The streets of prosperous Buenos Aires (with 2 million inhabitants) soon filled with cars.
Commercial relations with the [[United Kingdom]] (mainly trade in meat and grain), also brought a myriad of investors and enterprises in the early years of the century, including [[Latin America]]'s [[Buenos Aires Metro|first metro system]], [[car]]s, [[train]]s, [[tram|tramway]]s, [[taxicab|taxi]]s and public buses.

[[Image:Colectivo Clasico.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Smaller vintage model.
(Today in Buenos Aires, a “Colectivo” is usually not more than 3 blocks away from your home).]]
But in [[1929]] the [[Great Depression]] hit, and the local cab owners attempted a radical change. They modified their taxi units, widening the back seats to allow more than one passenger per trip, and established pre-defined itineraries and stops, at a lower price per passenger. Every day, the drivers deliberately challenged the "real" public buses and electrical tramways, parking near them at the busiest stations and driving close to them during the day to pick up their passengers. Soon people started to prefer these ''colectivos'' and the original buses and tramways became part of history. Thus the original Argentine ''colectivo'' was born.

With time, these routes were formalized and owners of individual units grouped into líneas (''lines'') that operated a particular route. Since several lines often shared avenues and roads, companies began to adopt different colors to distinguish their units and not depend only on their assigned numbers (up to 3 digits) because they were often hard to see in the crowded streets. The [[Colectivo 60]] was created in this era and, with it, a legend was born.

Popular demand in the [[1930s]] propelled the size of the ''colectivo'' from five to up to a dozen seats but the picturesque external chassis designs remained in the original styles, which were kept until the [[1970s]] and [[1980s]] (by which time the units had twenty seats).

===1950–1990 Mercedes-Benz truck and buses===


After [[World War II]] and during the [[1950s]], Argentine industry started to develop again but the country's public transport system was inadequate for the new era: practically no modernization had taken place since the early years, and the train system was inadequate to meet the rising demands of the population.

Mercedes-Benz then took up this novel idea and ran with it, forever shaping the history of the ''colectivos''. In [[1951]] Mercedes-Benz set up in Argentina its first factories outside [[Germany]]: one in the town of [[San Martín, Buenos Aires|San Martín]], near Buenos Aires, and another in [[González Catán]]. These began production of a large amount of trucks and cars, with their output soon rising to 600 units of trucks and also public transportation vehicles. 
In less than a decade the output was 6,500 units a year. Mercedes released updated local ''colectivo'' models (which were still just modified truck chassis), naming them Colectivo LO 3500, 0P 3500, L0 311, L0 312, etc. In [[1963]] Mercedes built the '''10,000th ''colectivo''''' (model LO 312), and continued with other models, such as L 1112 (120 [[horsepower|HP]]), LA 1112 (traction in all wheels), L 1114, etc.

All the lines progressively adopted these units and, between 1950 and 1990, all the ''colectivos'' on the street eventually became Mercedes-Benz models.

[[Image:Colectivo Linea 107 .jpg|thumb|right|350px|Modern “Colectivo” Líne 107. Monochromatic colour schemes like on this line are not usual since there are so many lines that multi-coloured combinations are a must.]]

===1990 to the present. Bus-bus. Blurring of the tradition of the colectivo.===

The last truck-Bus ''colectivo'' was the chassis LO-1114, from Mercedes-Benz.

In [[1987]] "El Detalle", one of the subsidiaries of Mercedes-Benz, started competing with its parent company, investing in low price and modern urban buses, with cheaper [[Deutz AG|Deutz]] motors. That same year, its model A-101 was launched. This model was rear-engined and had [[pneumatic]] suspension, allowing for smoother rides and more inside space.
Mercedes-Benz responded the following year with the OH-1314 but that was considered "the death of the colectivo" [http://www.busarg.com.ar/evolucion.htm], certainly the end of an era.

In [[1989]] the last units on the classic chassis LO-1114 were mounted. Production had been discontinued the previous year. During the 1990s, some companies found it cheaper to switch to single colored units, and a flurry of mergers and foldings changed the way the colectivos look.

Nowadays, only the three-digit numbering survives from the traditional old "líneas", ''fileteado'' is rare and scarce, the ''filigranas'' were lost, and some of the classic big details, like the long mirrors close to the driver's head, simply disappeared.


After 1995 automatic ticket machines were added, they added safety to journeys since the drivers did not have to sell tickets and drive at the same time.

As of [[2005]], Mercedes-Benz units account only for about half of the buses in the city of Buenos Aires and its surroundings, with units built in [[Rosario]] (''Eivar'', Eiroa-Varela) and in [[Brazil]] (''MarcoPolo'' and others). The other half are ''El Detalle'' units.

Most older units have been retired from service in Buenos Aires, as they are considered too dangerous and noisy for use in the fast-paced city. They were disposed of or sent to smaller cities all over the country. Colectivos are usually disposed of only when they are too damaged to be repaired and some of them have “resuscitated” as fine motorhomes.

==Description of the ''Colectivo''==

The Mercedes units were more sophisticated than the original ''taxi-bus'' but the body kept its artistic touches, preserving the original style of the ''colectivo''. This style was not influenced by the social class of the districts through which the ''colectivos'' journeyed. All the units of all the ''"líneas"'' shared these characteristics until the 1990s:

===Multi-colored units===

Decorators used many colorful combinations over the units' external body, helping identify each one of the ''líneas''. These eventually evolved into "corporate colors", meaning that when on occasion two or more lines were bought by the same company, units of different lines were painted in the same colors. Until the 1990s, the ''fileteado'' was kept nonetheless in spirit with the uniqueness of each individual bus.


===''Fileteados''===

''[[Fileteado]]'' was defined as: "art on wheels: full of colored ornaments and symmetries completed with poetic phrases, sayings and aphorisms, both humorous or roguish, emotional or philosophical" [http://www.martinianoarce.com/#english].
The ''colectivos'' were where this art found its best "canvas". Long, wide mirrors placed around the driver seat often had winding drawings and motifs that usually portrayed the driver's preferences in [[football (soccer)|football]], [[religion]] and [[Tango music|tango]].
The outside of the units was also painted with ''fileteado'' details, flower motifs, [[Flag of Argentina|national flags]], and football team flags. It was also very common to see phrases written down in complex fonts, usually in the back. These phrases were often ingenious [[puns]] or rhymes and became part of Argentine folklore. A simple example of a very common phrase is: ''Lo mejor que hizo la vieja es el pibe que maneja'' ("The best thing my old woman did was the lad who's driving").

==Fares==

Most buses share a basic fare system which is cheap but tiring when making transfers which works similar to the [[Honour System]] of Fares. The "universal" fare (in pesos) is:

* [[Argentine Peso|ARS]] 0.75 (Around USD 0.25) for less than 15 blocks
* [[Argentine Peso|ARS]] 0.80 (Around USD 0.28) for the whole city of Buenos Aires.
* [[Argentine Peso|ARS]] 1.25 (Around USD 0.42) for Buenos Aires Greater urban area or if travelling on an expressway.

These fares are on a per bus basis, and are not valid for stopovers.

===Other details===

The units with a larger budget had more details added around the driver's seat. These usually came in the form of lights of exotic colors or seat covers with wool and fringes or even leather. It was very common to see the gear-stick full of hanging [[knickknack]]s and the casing where the tickets and coins were stored covered with motifs.

== Argentine culture ==


The cultural roots of "porteños" (inhabitants of the city Buenos Aires) placed the ''Colectivo'' for many years as one of their distinctive icons, together with the ''Obelisco'' in Buenos Aires and the fanaticism for football.
For example, the makers of the [[1979 in film|1979]] motion picture ''La fiesta de todos'' [http://www.cinenacional.com/peliculas/index.php?pelicula=791], after Argentina's victory in the [[1978 FIFA World Cup]] were forced by the military government to film one of its key stories inside a ''colectivo''.
One of Argentina's best-remembered [[soap opera]]s was called ''Un mundo de 20 asientos'' ("A 20-seat world") and its main character was a ''colectivero'' (colectivo driver).

With the cultural explosion in Argentina from the 1980s, in films and intellectual endeavors, ''colectivos'' became one of the best-known examples of mass transport in the [[Western World]], similar to [[London]]'s [[double-decker]] buses or the [[New York City subway]].

== Usage in Buenos Aires ==
The frequency of the ''colectivos'' in the city of Buenos Aires makes them equal to the subway systems of other cities, but on wheels. However, buses cover a far wider area than the subway system, which is limited to a small (though the most active) part of the city.

With very affordable ticket prices and extensive routes, usually not further than four blocks from folks residences, the colectivo is by far the preferred mode of transportation around the city. "Porteños" have a love-hate relationship with the ''colectivo''. On one side, they tend to be very crowded in [[rush hour]] and are a haven for [[pickpocketing|pickpockets]] and petty [[theft|thieves]]. [[begging|Beggars]] and itinerant salesmen hawk on board. On the other hand, they are a loved necessity in the city and a convenient and cheap way to get around.


== Trivia ==
* Domestically, the colectivo is also called '''''bondi'''''; the word comes from the name of [[Rio de Janeiro]]'s [[tram|tramway]]s (''bondes''), in turn from [[English language|English]] ''bonds'', which is how the government paid for the Rio tramway system to the British company that built it.
* Tickets are called '''''boletos'''''. Before [[1995]], they were sold by the ''colectivero'' himself, and consisted of multi-colored strips of paper, with a 5-digit numeration. Palindromic numbers (such as ''10301'', ''29692'', ''12321'') were called ''capicúas'' (from [[Catalan language|Catalan]] ''cap i cúa'', "head and tail") and were traditionally conserved by the user as [[luck]]y charms.
* Most colectivos in big cities of Argentina do not have a fixed timetable, but run from 4 to several per hour, depending on the bus line and time of the day.

==See also==
*[[Transportation in Argentina]]
*[[Colectivo 60]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz]]
*[[Jeepney]] - a similar type of vehicle made in the [[Philippines]]

== External links ==
*http://www.busarg.com.ar
*[http://www.xcolectivo.com.ar# Recorridos actuales de colectivos] (Spanish)
*[http://www.loscolectivos.com.ar/historia.htm# Los Colectivos' History] (Spanish)
*[http://www.busesrosarinos.com.ar/historia/colectivo/colecti.htm Buses Rosario] (Spanish)
*[http://www.auto-historia.com.ar/Historias/Mercedes%20Historia.htm Mercedes-Benz's auto history] (Spanish)
*[http://www.mercedes-benz.com.ar# Mercedes-Benz Argentina] (Spanish)
*[http://www.ceap.org.ar# Camara Empresaria de Autotransporte de Pasajeros] (Spanish)
*[http://www.cyberbondi.com.ar# Cyberbondi] (Spanish)

[[Category:Transportation in Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Transportation in Argentina]]
[[Category:Argentine culture]]
[[Category:Bus transport]]

{{Template:Buenos Aires Transit}}

[[es:Colectivo (Argentina)]]
[[oc:Colectivo]]

Molly Picon

2007-10-19T06:39:04Z

JPH-FM: Link directly to

'''Molly Picon''' ([[Yiddish language|Yiddish]]:<font lang=yi>מאָלי פּיקאָן</font>) ([[June 1]], [[1898]]–[[April 5]], [[1992]]) was an American star of stage, screen and television, as well as a lyricist. She was first and foremost a star in [[Yiddish theatre]] and [[Yiddish film|film]], but as Yiddish theatre faded she began to perform in English-language productions.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Picon was born '''Małka (Margaret) Opiekun''' in [[New York City]] to Clara and Louis (or Denis) Opiekun (Later changed to Picon upon immigration to the United States). Her career began at the age of six in the [[Yiddish Theatre]]. In 1912, she debuted at the ''Arch Street Theatre'' in [[New York]] and became a star of the [[Second Avenue (Manhattan)|Second Avenue]] Yiddish stage.

Opiekun is a [[Polish language]] name meaning, "guardian" or "caretaker".

===Career===
Picon was so popular in the 1920s that many shows had the name Molly in their title. In 1931 she opened the Molly Picon Theatre. She appeared in many films, starting with silent movies. Her earliest film still existing is ''East and West'' which deals with the clash of new and old Jewish cultures. Molly plays an American-born daughter who travels with her father back to [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]] in East Central Europe. Real-life husband Jacob Kalich plays one of her Galician relatives from Eastern Europe.

Picon's most famous film, ''[[Yidl Mit'n Fidl]]'' (1936), was made on location in [[Poland]], and has her wearing male clothing through most of the film. In the film, a girl and her father are forced by poverty to set out on the road as traveling musicians. For her safety, she disguises herself as a boy, which becomes inconvenient when she falls in love with one of the other musicians in the troupe.

Picon made her English language debut on stage in 1940. On Broadway, she starred in [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[Come Blow Your Horn]]'' and the [[Jerry Herman]] musical ''[[Milk and Honey (musical)|Milk and Honey]]'', both in 1961. In 1966 she quit the disastrous ''[[Chu Chem]]'' during previews in [[Philadelphia]]; the show closed before reaching Broadway.

Her first English speaking role in the movies was the film version of ''Come Blow Your Horn'' (1963), and she portrayed Yente, the Matchmaker in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit ''[[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|Fiddler on the Roof]]'' in 1971.

An entire room was filled with her memorabilia at the [[2nd Avenue Deli|Second Avenue Deli]] in New York (now closed).

===Personal life===
Picon died on [[April 5]], [[1992]], aged 93, from [[Alzheimer's disease]] in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]. Her husband, from 1919 until his death in 1975 from cancer, was Jacob Kalich. They had no children.

==See also==
*[[Abraham Ellstein]]

==External links==
*[http://www.jwa.org/exhibits/wov/picon/ Women of Valor exhibit on Molly Picon] at the [http://www.jwa.org Jewish Women's Archive]
*{{imdb name | id=0682000 | name=Molly Picon}}

[[Category:1898 births|Picon, Molly]]
[[Category:1992 deaths|Picon, Molly]]
[[Category:American film actors|Picon, Molly]]
[[Category:Burlesque performers|Picon, Molly]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish actors|Picon, Molly]]
[[Category:Yiddish theatre performers|Picon, Molly]]
[[Category:Vaudeville performers|Picon, Molly]]
[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease|Picon, Molly]]
[[fr:Molly Picon]]
[[ja:モリー・ピコン]]

Baldwin Piano Company

2007-06-01T02:09:38Z

JPH-FM: /* History */ Added "electronic organ" link

The '''Baldwin Piano Company''' is the largest [[United States of America|US]]-based manufacturer of [[keyboard instrument]]s, most notably [[piano]]s. It is a subsidiary of the [[Gibson Guitar Corporation]].

==History==
The company can trace its origins back to 1857, when Dwight Hamilton Baldwin began teaching piano, organ, and violin in [[Cincinnati]], [[Ohio]]. In 1862, Baldwin started a [[Decker Brothers]] piano dealership, and in 1866 hired Lucien Wulsin as a clerk. Wulsin became a partner in the dealership, by then known as D.H. Baldwin & Company, in 1873, and under his leadership, the Baldwin Company became the largest piano dealer in the [[Midwestern United States]] by the 1890s.

In 1889-1890, Baldwin vowed to build "the best piano that could be built",<ref name="BaldwinAbout">{{cite web | title = Baldwin Pianos | publisher = Baldwin Piano | url = http://www.gibson.com/Products/Pianos/Baldwin%20Pianos/About%20Us/ | accessdate = May 31, 2007 }}</ref>, and subsequently formed two production companies: Hamilton Organ, which built reed organs, and the Baldwin Piano Company, which made pianos. The company's first piano, an upright, began selling in 1891. The company introduced its first grand piano in 1895.

Baldwin died in 1899, and left his estate to fund missionary causes. Wulsin ultimately purchased Baldwin's estate and continued the company's shift from retail to manufacturing. The company won its first major award in 1900, when their model 112 won the Grand Prix at the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Exposition Universelle]] in Paris, the first American manufactured piano to win such an award. Baldwin manufactured pianos also won top awards at the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] and the [[Universal Exhibition (1914)|1914 Anglo-American Exposition]]. By 1913, business had become brisk, with Baldwin exporting to 32 different countries in addition to having retailers throughout the United States.

Baldwin, like many other manufacturers, began building [[player piano]]s in the 1920s. The models became unpopular by the end of the 1920s, which, coupled with the beginning of the [[Great Depression]], could have spelled disaster for Baldwin. However, the company's president, Lucien Wulsin II, had created a large reserve fund for such situations, so Baldwin was able to weather the difficult time.

During [[World War II]], the US War Production Board ordered the cessation of all US Piano manufacturing so that the factories could be used for the US war effort. Baldwin factories were used to manufacture wooden airplane parts for various aircraft such as the [[Fairchild PT-19|Aeronca PT-23]] and the [[C-76 Caravan]].

After the war ended, Baldwin resumed selling pianos, and by 1953 doubled production from their prewar capacity. In 1946, Baldwin introduced the first [[electronic organ]], which became so successful that the company changed its name to the Baldwin Piano & Organ Company. In 1961, [[Lucien Wulsin III]] became president. By 1963, the company had acquired [[C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik]] and remained its owner until 1986. As even more evidence of their growth, the company built its one millionth upright in 1973. The company attempted to capitalize on the growth of [[pop music]]. After an unsuccessful bid to buy [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation]], Baldwin bought [[Burns London|Burns of London]] in 1965 for $380,000, but the guitars did not sell well through Baldwin's piano outlets.<ref name="Gjörde35> {{cite book | last = Gjörde | first = Per | title = Pearls and Crazy Diamonds | publisher = Addit Information AB | date = 2001 | location = Göteborg, Sweden | pages = 35-37 }} </ref> In 1967 Baldwin bought [[Gretsch]] guitars, which had its own sales force and outlets, but even this was not a great success, and Gretsch was sold back to the Gretsch family in 1989.

Throughout the 1970s, the company undertook a significant bid to diversify into financial services. Under the leadership of Morley P. Thompson, Baldwin bought dozens of firms and by the early 1980s owned over 200 savings & loan institutions, insurance companies and investment firms. In 1982 the piano business contributed only three percent of Baldwin's $3.6 billion revenues. Meanwhile, the company had taken on significant debt to finance its acquisitions and was finding it increasingly difficult to meet its loan obligations. In 1983 the company was forced into bankruptcy with a total debt of over $9 billion--at that time the largest bankruptcy ever.

The Baldwin piano business was sold in 1984 as part of an effort to meet claims against the parent company. However, difficulties continued as demographic changes and foreign competition slowed sales of keyboard instruments. The company responded by acquiring [[Wurlitzer]] to increase market share and by moving manufacturing overseas to reduce production costs. Through the 1990s the company had some success but by 2001 it was again in difficulty and entered bankruptcy once more.

The company is currently part of the [[Gibson Guitar Corporation]] and manufactures instruments under the Baldwin, [[Chickering and Sons|Chickering]], Wurlitzer, Hamilton, and Howard names.

==Notable Baldwin artists==
The Baldwin Piano Company notes the following as "Baldwin Artists":<ref name="BaldwinArtists">{{cite web | title = Baldwin Pianos | publisher = Baldwin Piano | url = http://www.gibson.com/Products/Pianos/Baldwin%20Pianos/Baldwin%20SubPages/Artists/| accessdate = March 1, 2007 }}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*[[Amy Lee]] / [[Evanescence]]
*[[Clay Aiken]]
*[[Wilhelm Backhaus]]
*[[Béla Bartók]]
*[[Dave Brubeck]]
*[[Carpenters|Richard Carpenter]]
*[[Charles Dutoit]]
*[[Bill Evans]]
*[[Ben Folds]]
*[[Lukas Foss]]
*[[Walter Gieseking]]
*[[Philip Glass]]
*[[Roland Hanna]]
*[[José Iturbi]]
{{col-break}}
*[[Liberace]]
*[[Keith Lockhart]]
*[[Jesus Lopez-Cobos]]
*[[Marian McPartland]]
*[[Patrick Moraz]]
*[[Seiji Ozawa]]
*[[Luciano Pavarotti]]
*[[Steve Reich]]
*[[Ottorino Respighi]]
*[[Carly Simon]]
*[[Stephen Sondheim]]
*[[Igor Stravinsky]]
*[[John Williams]]

{{col-end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==General references==
* Crombie, David. ''Piano: Evolution, Design, and Performance.'' Barnes and Noble, 2000. First printed by Balafon Books, Great Britain, 1995. (ISBN 0-7607-2026-6)
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/baldwin-piano-organ-company Baldwin Piano & Organ Company] ''Encyclopedia of Company Histories.'' Answers.com. Accessed March 1, 2007.

[[Category:Piano manufacturing companies]]

[[es:Baldwin]]