Herman D. Cable of Chicago built a factory in 1901 in St. Charles on 3.5 acres west of the Fox River. In 1938, the Cable Piano Company sold its St. Charles factory to the Howell Furniture Company. Howell, which had been established in 1860, moved from its Geneva site to the more expansive factory in St. Charles. In January 1980, the Howell Furniture Company closed its doors. STK Corporation bought the property in 1984 and developed plans to transform the building into a shopping mall. Although portions of the building were demolished to allow for a parking lot, most of the historic building was retained. When the Piano Factory Mall opened in 1986, many of the high ceilings and wooden beams remained intact. Like the Cable Piano Company and Howell Furniture Company before it, the Piano Factory Mall fell on hard times. The building was razed. Developers Sean Williams and Terry Dunning have built condominiums at this location. (Read more on the St. Charles Public Library website.)