1869

This elegantly designed cupola sat atop the William Knabe and Company piano factory in 1869 off South Eutaw Street, near present day Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The original building and cupola is an example of 19th century decorative industrial building architecture. The Knabe factory was a state of the art building covering three acres and equipped with full manufacturing capabilities. By 1890, Knabe was producing 70 pianos a week. Baltimore-built Knabe pianos were used by esteemed musicians around the world, including Tchaikovsky, Rubinstein, and Puccini. In the 1930's, the Knabe factory was converted into a paper cup making plant, last run by the Maryland Cup Corporation. The building was demolished in 1990 to make way for the new stadium. The cupola was airlifted by a Maryland National Guard helicopter to its present location. It is all that remains of Baltimore's grand piano factory of the 1800's.

Height 21 feet
Weight 6,600 pounds
Courtesy of the Maryland Cup Corporation, donated in 1990.

[Side of marker:]
Engraving of Wm. Knabe & Co. Piano Factory published in The Monumental City, Its Past History and Present Resources, 1873, showing the cupola in its original location.

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