New York, NY (October 25, 2023)—The Audio History Library and Museum will celebrate the establishment of New York’s Radio Row a century ago at this year’s AES Convention.
In honor of the Audio Engineering Society’s 75th anniversary “75 Years of Audio Innovation” theme, Louis Manno, founder of the Audio History Library and Museum, is joining forces with loudspeaker powerhouse Michael Kramer to celebrate New York’s historic Radio Row. Cortlandt Street, on Manhattan’s Lower West Side, was the center of the 300-plus street-level shops—and an equal number of lofts above—that supplied parts to radio amateurs assembling their wireless sets, to the innumerable manufacturers in the tri-state area, and beyond.
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Radio Row developed as the focal point for the marketing and distribution of consumer electronics in the United States. By the 1950s over 10% of the radios, TVs and hi-fi systems made or marketed in the US passed through Radio Row. From its electronics shops to the nearby luncheonettes, barbers and other shops, it was an economic tour-de-force that supported at least 30,000 workers, an economic impact of a city within a city.
As part of the celebration, the Audio History Library and Museum will display a group of historical radios from the era and beyond during the AES Convention at the Javits Convention Center, October 25-27, 2023.
