THE HEART OF THE CITY
HEINTZMAN & CO.
70 King Street East![IMAGE: Heintzman Piano Store (46804 bytes)](HEINTZMAN2.jpg)
Heintzman's piano shop was located on King Street East for almost 100 years. The company
was started by Theodore Heintzman, a German immigrant who apprenticed as a piano maker
while still in Germany. Theodore worked hard and became a master piano builder who could
build the entire instrument unaided. He immigrated to the United States but decided to
leave after the Civil War. He moved to Canada in 1860 and started a business building
pianos out of his
home. The pianos were in high demand and his
business grew rapidly. Theodore had four sons and all of them were taught how to build
pianos. When he died in 1899, Theodores sons took over the business. One son in
particular, George Charles Heintzman, became the driving force behind the business. Soon,
Heintzman pianos became world-renowned.
George died in 1944 and his sons took over the business. Heintzman pianos were used in
Capitol and Pantages theatres across the country. In 1912, Heintzman took over W.J.
Waughs mens furnishing store. The piano store moved to a new location on the
north west corner of King and John Streets and the mens clothing store moved to the
old Heintzman location at 71 King Street East.
REFERENCES:
Clipping File Hamilton Stores
Heintzman & Co. Ltd. Special Collections, HPL.
Herald Scrapbook. Volume V1. Special Collections, HPL.
Hamilton Spectator. May 15, 1912. Special Collections, HPL.
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