2. The world-renowned Steinway & Sons Piano was first crafted here
In 1853, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg established a piano-making company that would go on to be one of the major global producers of the instrument. Steinweg was part of the 19th-century wave of immigrants who came from Germany looking for greater economic opportunities. Germans, most of whom were labor workers and craftsmen, were actually one of the very first European immigrant groups to settle in Astoria. Steinweg had worked on pianos earlier in his life, so when he arrived in New York he decided to open up a factory in Queens close to Bowery Bay. The reason for building the Steinway & Sons factory away from the city was to avoid the possibility of labor organizing and the kind of radical employee activity that many companies were experiencing at that time.
To provide for his workers, Steinweg constructed a small town near the factory called Steinway Village. The small community featured a church, library, residences, a trolley line, and a beach resort nearby. Remnants of the village, such as the Steinway Reformed Church, still exist today. The company continues to produce handmade pianos and has had a dramatic influence on northern Astoria, so much so that the city decided to keep the name of the area as Steinway. It was argued in the past by the Landmarks Preservation Commission that Steinway Village served as one of the most important communities for the development of New York City. Despite the recognition it received, an attempt to officially designate Steinway as a historical district failed.
