Kirk Johnson (1861-1939) was a leading music dealer in Lancaster, PA during the late 19th century. He had opened his first store in 1885, but decided to expand in 1911. This was the pre-modernist era in which pop culture was beginning to take hold of American’s, thus music was slowly changing and more instruments were becoming popular and in demand. During 1911, Johnson had C. Emlen Urban design a building for his new music store. (Note: the storefront, which includes the original display windows and entry doors were changed in 1926 due to remodeling. In 1979-1980, they were restored based off of an original C. Emlen Urban drawing that had resurfaced) [this may have coincided with the closure of the business. There is at least one report of the company "rebuilding" an organ, that of Memorial Presbyterian Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1893.