The Museum of the American Piano in New York City closed its doors on
Dec. 31st, 2003.  The museum moved to downtown Manhattan in the summer
of 2001 from midtown and was set to open in late September, but the
events of 9-11-01 changed everything.  With the attacks on the World
Trade Center, the museum was buried under a lot of dust.  It took many
months to clean up, repair the instruments and reopen.  By that time
the students went elsewhere.  Also, being located in the basement of
their new building didn't help much.  The concerts were poorly
attended, students sparse and money for the $9,000 per month rent
depleted.

There is an interview with the museum founder, Kalman Detrich, at
http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=1577789  Click on the
link "Museum of American Piano Closes" to hear the interview; use
RealPlayer or Windows Media Player.

The many historical pianos have been moved out to "foster" homes for
the time being and Kalman is optimistic that a new site can be found
and his life's dream become a reality once more.

Vincent Morgan, New York City