Emerson Produces Film About Boston’s Piano Row

Emerson's Media Technologies and Production department (formerly Television, Radio and Film) produced an original documentary, Piano Row: Cycles of History, about the evolution of Boston's Piano Row Historic District, from the late 19th century to today.

Through interviews with local historians, architects, business owners, and President Lee Pelton, the 18-minute-long film takes viewers on a journey of the neighborhood, from its origins as Piano Row — where multiple piano dealers packed into the stretch of Boylston Street now occupied by Emerson — to the demise of live entertainment in favor of radio and film, to the notorious “Combat Zone” of the 1960s and 1970s, to, Emerson's role in revitalizing the area, beginning in the late '80s, early '90s. 

May is Preservation Month. Watch Piano Row: Cycles of History: