How did John Isaac Hawkins make upright pianos better suited to small rooms?

John Isaac Hawkins, an English piano maker working in Philadelphia around 1800, revolutionized the design of the upright piano to make it more suitable for small rooms.12

Prior to his innovation, upright pianos were constructed with strings that began upward from the level of the keyboard, which necessitated very tall, cumbersome cases. Hawkins successfully created a more compact instrument by extending the strings down to floor level. By lowering the starting point of the strings, he significantly reduced the overall height of the piano, making it a more practical and space-efficient choice for home use compared to earlier, taller models like the pyramid piano or giraffe-style designs.132