Astoria Condos Possibly Playing Grand New Manor Tunes

Not one, but two former piano factories in Queens are hitting the market as condos. One is the old, landmark Sohmer Piano Factory. The other is the former Steinway & Sons plant. There are a couple of interesting things about them. One is that the developer is Joseph Pistilli, some of whose work in Queens causes certain people to foam at the mouth like deranged and rabid Dobermans. (Especially this master work.) The old Sohmer plant, which is next to the Socrates Sculpture Park, will come back to life as The Piano Factory. The other one, which has been on the market for a while and is said to have 20 units in contract, is called (hold gag reflex in check) Pistilli Grand Manor. We're not joking. The building was one of two Steinway factories that went up in the early 1900s. There are 201 condos and the average cost is $440 per square foot per Joyce Cohen in the Times. The building, though, has "garnered online criticism for its relatively low-end fixtures," which kind of messes with the image of a "Grand Manor," no? But that's why the prices are lower and people can "upgrade" if they want, the developer says. Also, for shopping convenience, the Grand Manor is next to a grand strip mall. Hooh hah.
· Striking a New Chord [NYT]
· Pistilli Grand Manor [pistilligrandmanor.com]
· The Piano Factory [pianofactorycondos.com]For more stories from Curbed, go to curbed.com.

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