4.5 acres since 1937. In June of 1933 the Park Board purchased from George B. Buist, with the Packard Piano Company the land which is now known as Packard Park. The land was purchased for $12,000. Copied from Packard Park at City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation. The Humpty Dumpty drive-in restaurant closed since the 1980s at Fairfield and Packard Avenues is visible in the background.
This year marks a new chapter in one of Fort Wayne’s historic landmarks: Packard Park. In 2025, the park underwent...
This year marks a new chapter in one of Fort Wayne’s historic landmarks: Packard Park. In 2025, the park underwent significant renovations, revitalizing a community space that has deep roots in our city’s industrial and cultural history.
Packard Park is located on the former grounds of the Packard Piano Company, once a nationally recognized name in American piano craftsmanship. Founded in Fort Wayne in the late 19th century, the company built instruments known for their quality and artistry, shipping them across the country and beyond.
But Packard’s legacy extends beyond music. During World War I, the company converted part of its factory to manufacture wooden airplane propellers for the U.S. Air Service. Skilled craftsmen who once shaped fine pianos were repurposed to build precision propellers out of laminated woods such as mahogany. Under a government contract, Packard produced 1,000 propellers for training aircraft and 1,000 for combat aircraft, employing about sixty craftsmen. Each propeller was carefully shaped, balanced, varnished, and reinforced with cloth tips to ensure durability.
Today, Packard Park stands as a living reminder of that heritage. The 2025 renovations have restored walking paths, updated recreational facilities, and preserved the historic character of the park, ensuring it continues to serve families, neighbors, and visitors for generations to come.
What was once the site of pianos and propellers is now a renewed space for play, reflection, and connection. Perhaps the next renovation will include a nod to the history of aviation at this site.
Packard Piano and Organ Company
Was established in 1871 when the founder Isaac Packard an organ builder in Chicago left after the Chicago fire October 10, 1871 destroyed his buisness. According to local legend, Packard then boarded a train and told the conductor to let him out when the money ran out. His fare ran out in Fort Wayne. His new company Fort Wayne Organ Company produced Packard Orchestrals. He died in 1873, but his company continued until people could no longer afford pianos during the Great Depression when the company went out of business. A few years after the company closed, the City of Fort Wayne bought the property, tore down the buildings, and made it into a city park- Packard Park. Copied from Packard Pianos by Carmen Doyle published March 5, 2013 in the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these photos of the Packard Piano Company, showing the exterior of the factory...
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these photos of the Packard Piano Company, showing the exterior of the factory and employees working inside the factory.
The company was located on the Northeast corner of Fairfield and Organ Ave (later Kinsmoor Ave.), the site of present day Packard Park.
Steven Tyler’s Pump Organ the signed organ with a plate on the front from the late 1800s organ that reads "Fort Wayne Organ Co." later became the Packard Piano & Organ Company from the Pawn Stars History Channel television show. See Aerosmith - Dream On video posted December 5, 2012 on the official AerosmithYouTube Channel. See also STEVEN TYLER ORGAN USED TO WRITE "DREAM ON" Sold for: $28,800 at ArchiveAuctions.com. Lot 647 of 724: STEVEN TYLER ORGAN USED TO WRITE "DREAM ON" at Julienslive.com has a broken link to Season 11 American Idol where Tyler discusses writing the song and appears with the organ in a behind-the-scenes American Idol clip.
I WROTE THE MUSIC WHEN I WAS 17 ON A PUMP ORGAN IN SUNAPPEE, NH...WROTE THE LYRICS IN 2 DAYS AT A HOTEL AT BOSTON LOGAN AIRPORT...SANG IT LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE SHABOO INN, CT...AND GOT TO SING IT AGAIN TONIGHT...45 YEARS TO THE DAY OF ITS RELEASE... IN MOTOR CITY USA... pic.twitter.com/K7nrFdNiab
When Isaac T. Packard’s organ factory in Chicago was destroyed in the horrific fire that leveled over three square miles of that city, he relocated the factory to Fort Wayne in October 1871. With the assistance of a group of prominent local investors that included Charles McCulloch, Steven Bond, John Bass and Judge Lindley Ninde, the Fort Wayne Organ Company was incorporated the next month, and in December the was ground broken for the four-story brick plant on Fairfield Avenue. Four months later, in April 1872, the factory was built and the first of what would come to be thousands elaborate ornate reed organs were completed. Sadly, just two years later in September of 1873, Isaac died, yet, in the hands of Steven Bond, and later his son Albert, the company would continue to flourish, later changing the name to the Packard Organ Company in 1889.
After introducing their first piano in 1893, the company’s line of pianos grew to include a number of upright, player, grand and baby grand models. They produced their last organ in 1914; in order to reflect their reconfigured product line, in 1915 they renamed the growing concern The Packard Piano Company. With over 300 workers, the company could produce between 3,000-4,000 pianos per year, and offered models in Cherry, Maple, Mahogany, and Black Walnut. As the company grew, so too did the development of the South Wayne area, and as part of their expansion Packard had offices in Kansas City, MO; London, England; Hamburg, Germany and Melbourne, Australia. Beginning in 1911, they also began producing pianos under the “Bond” brand as a less expensive alternative to the more elaborate “Packard” models.
Packard later expanded into building wood cabinets for the nascent radio and television manufacturing market. The depression hit in 1930, and, like many other piano manufacturers (as well as the companies Packard made the radio cabinets for), Packard went into receivership, thus ending 59 years in business. The Packard name was revived for a time when piano makers Story & Clark purchased rights to the trademark in 1938; while no longer made in Fort Wayne, they manufactured models using the Packard label into the 1950’s.
In June 1933 the Park Board purchased the former Packard factory grounds, and after removing the buildings and adding improvements, opened it as Packard Park in 1937. Today, the 4.5 acre Packard Park features a modern pavilion, tennis courts, playground equipment, and a baseball diamond.
(Image courtesy Todd Baron Collection)
Randy Harter is a Fort Wayne historian, author, and tour guide for Fort Wayne Food Tours.
The marker is located in the northwest corner of Packard Park, which opened in 1937 where the piano company once stood. In the years after World War II, the park hosted games by the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Copied from COMMEMORATING THE PACKARD PIANO & ORGAN COMPANY July 5, 2019 by The Waynedale News Staff at The Waynedale News.com.
The Packard Piano & Organ Company was originally established in 1871 as Packard Organ Company by Isaac Packard in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1879, Albert S. Bond joined the firm. Packard only built organs until 1893, incorporating pianos into their line in about 1894 and changing the name of the company to Packard Piano & Organ Company. They started out offering upright and baby grand pianos, adding player pianos in the first decade of the twentieth century. Packard was known for building very high quality pianos, and they were known for their frequent use of lavish woods and elegant cabinet design styles. In addition to the Packard brand name, the firm built pianos under the names of Bond Piano Company and Elsinger Piano Company. Packard managed to survive the Great Depression, but they were purchased by the larger Story & Clark Piano Company in 1938. Story & Clark continued to build pianos under the Packard name until the middle of the 20th Century
Music is a major form of entertainment in the United States. One way music is enjoyed is through the piano and Fort Wayne has a connection to the popularity of this magnificent instrument through the Packard Piano Company. After the Great Chicago Fire, Isaac T. Packard relocated to Fort Wayne and established the Fort Wayne Organ Company in 1871, which would become the Packard Piano Company about 1907. Produced at its plant at Packard and Fairfield Avenues, the company’s use of fine woods and elegant cabinet design styles earned them a reputation for producing high quality musical instruments. In addition to the Packard brand name, the firm built pianos under the names of Bond Piano Company and Elsinger Piano Company. One model made was the Bond Player Piano Style 3 (on display at the History Center), last patented on 20 November 1917; the ivory keys can be played by a pianist or operated by foot pedals to pump air through a rotating paper roll which actuated the keys to play a chosen medley. Bond Pianos were a more economical line of pianos produced by Packard for consumers looking for high quality at a lower price. The Packard name managed to survive the Great Depression, but the local factory closed in 1930, ending a 59 year tradition. The property was sold to the city of Fort Wayne in 1937 and was developed as Packard Park. Today we celebrate National Piano Month by sharing some Packard Piano items from our collection. #sociallyhistory
