National Register of Historic Places

Grinnell Brothers Music House

Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
Listed
April 18, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84001812

About this property

The Grinnell Brothers Music House is a commercial building located at 27 South Saginaw Street in Pontiac, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 1880, brothers Herbert B. Grinnell, Clayton A. Grinnell and Ira L. Grinnell started a music business in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They moved the company to Ypsilanti in 1882, where they had success selling the Steinway brand and started manufacturing their own brand of pianos. By 1901, Grinnell Brothers was one of Michigan's largest piano and general music dealers, and the company began opening retail outlets in other cities in Michigan. Eventually, it had 43 retail stores in Michigan; Windsor, Ontario; and Toledo, Ohio. In 1905, they moved to Woodward Avenue in Detroit, and in 1915 they built their headquarters two miles north on Woodward Avenue. They opened an outlet in Pontiac in 1907. The original Pontiac building was destroyed by fire, and in 1923, the company constructed this building to replace it. The company hired architect Leo John Heenan, a former employee of both Albert Kahn and Smith, Hinchman and Grylls, to design the building. By 1960, they were the largest music company in the world and the largest retail outlet for Steinway pianos. The Grinnell Brothers store in Pontiac eventually closed, and the building was converted into a nightclub. The nightclub closed in 2014. The Grinnell Brothers Music store in Pontiac is a three-story Gothic Revival commercial structure, measuring 20 feet in width and 140 feet in length. It was constructed to be fireproof, with a steel frame and concrete floors. The front facade is made entirely of stone, and contains many detailed decorative elements. It is three bays wide, with the bays separated by pilasters on the third floor level. The storefront opening on the first floor spans nearly the entire width of the building. "Grinnell Bros. Music House" is carved into the stone facade above the storefront. National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan Hugh Grinnell, great-grandson of Herbert B. Grinnell, December 12, 2019

Location

27 S. Saginaw St.
Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan
42.63616, -83.29175

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTUREPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Eagle Theater
Industrial
0.1 mi
Pontiac Commercial Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Pontiac Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.2 mi
Central School
Industrial
0.2 mi
St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, Convent, and School
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Grinnell Brothers Music House listed on the National Register?

Grinnell Brothers Music House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Grinnell Brothers Music House?

Grinnell Brothers Music House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Grinnell Brothers Music House?

The period of significance for Grinnell Brothers Music House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Grinnell Brothers Music House?

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