Straube Piano Company - Knowledge (XXG)

208: 857: 154: 830: 27: 845: 265: 371:

new unit that could produce 2,500 Straube grands a year to meet demand. William G. Betz – Straube's plant superintendent since 1917, piano design engineer, and inventor who was highly regarded by the industry – had spent several years perfecting the construction and design of the new Straube grands. Straube also hired William David McIlwrath (né McIlwraith; 1872–1931), a veteran piano factory superintendent and piano engineer with years of experience in the production of grands, to take charge a department in the new unit. McIlwrath had been the manufacturing superintendent of Jesse French & Sons Piano Co. of

646:, organized in Hammond, Indiana, in 1904, by James F. Broderick. The Straube Piano Company held a controlling interest in the company. The objective was to produce medium grade pianos, with comparable quality, at lower prices than the premium Straubes. The Hammond Piano Co. launched its first two pianos in 1905, Style 21 and Style 23, both full uprights. Hammond pianos were made in the same factory as Straube and Gilmore pianos, but the Hammond Piano Co. business was kept separate. The Hammond Piano Co. was originally chartered in 1903 Illinois as the 935:

confused with concert grands. Upright grands can be of high quality and – short of concert grands – are often the choice of serious pianists, recording studios, and performance venues. A mid-high upright – one that one can barely see over – is often used in dance studios, where an accompanist can see the dancers. A short upright, one that rises less than a foot above the keyboard, is referred to as a spinet. Serious pianists typically regard spinets as inadequate because the soundboard is too short to produce a full sound with full overtones.

789:

Capo 'dAstro bearing bar in bass section; patent improved double repeating action with brass capstan regulating screws in keys; improved double roll fall board; nickel-plated hammer rail and continuous hinges; ivory keys, noiseless pedals; nickel-plated tuning pins, fully bushed, copper wrapped bass strings. The inside of this case is lined throughout with bird's-eye maple, finished in keeping with the balance of the instrument. Dimensions: 7 1-3 octaves; height, 4 feet 8 inches; with, 5 feet 3 inches; depth, 2 feet 4 inches.

51: 1833:"In the retail piano business today, conditions have changed materially from what they were a few years ago. Instead of simply considering old names and traditions as an asset, we are now obliged to treat with modern forms of merchandising, both buying and selling. We have to think in terms of dollars and cents and it is from this angle that the Straube line is particularly interesting. Any merchant who adopts the Straube system of retail piano business operation is bound to make money with it." 410:

creditors. During the summer of 1935, the company reorganized. By then, it was still producing pianos, but occupied only a portion of the factory it once owned. The remainder of the plant was occupied by J.L. Metz Furniture Co. In 1935, the Straube Piano Company was being operated by the Fidelity Security Company, John Leonard Keilman (1867–1946), president. Fidelity Security was the finance arm of Straube Piano – dealing in piano

1512:, around 1872, was established in New York in 1877. Schaeffer had factories at 472 West 43rd Street, and 456 West 37th Street, Manhattan, New York. Then, in 1889, after Schaeffer's death, the company was established in Illinois and incorporated on December 31, 1891, in Illinois, by Charles M. Herman, Isaac Newton Rice (1847–1929), and Samuel Ringgold Huyett (1946–1911). 2085:, and, from about 1852 to 1856, made organs for H.B. Horton (Henry Bishop Horton; 1819–1885). Straub then worked as a traveling salesman for Horton & Rose (Ira Rose; 1820–1891) from 1857 to 1861. Straub opened Akron's first music store 1861 at 148 (later 163) S. Howard Street. Straub was a manufacturer of reed organs under his own name from about 1870 to 1875. 254:. But in 1901, Straube, his two brothers, Herman Charles Straube (1867–1921) and Martin Straube, Jr. (1869–1934), and an associate, Charles Jacobsen (no relation to the Jacobsons of Straube Piano Company), formed another piano manufacturing company and leased the Club Block in Downers Grove. The Straube Piano Company challenged and won an 2335:) was a full brother of Ernfrid (Ernest) Reinholdt Jacobson and James Frithiof Jacobson. His surname, Thorby, is a derivation of a longer, discarded Swedish surname (Thorbjornsen?) prior to immigrating with his mother and younger brother, Enifred in 1882. Charles was the oldest sibling. His father immigrated to the U.S. in 1880. 1182:, manufactured 1916, serial no. 26494. AAA-c5 (7+ octaves). Three pedals: half blow, "Melo-Harp" (tabs with staples for a jarring, "honky-tonk" tone), dampers. Purchased by Perry Fulton Pinkerton (1873–1952) for his wife, Isadora Edna (née Rouff; 1876–1923), in 1918. Delivered by train and wagon to the family farmhouse in 351:. Around that time, the factory was producing about 12 finished pianos a day, for an annual production worth about three-quarters of a million dollars a year (equivalent to $ 22,813,953 in 2023) and employed about 150 men for an annual payroll of about $ 125,000 (equivalent to $ 3,802,326 in 2023). 2054:(1873–1950), father and son. Johannes, an organist, was the superintendent. Johannes was also the son of J.C.F. Straube, a violin maker. In 1923, Otto Pappe (1882–1972) became the owner. Otto's son, Reinhard Pappe (1908–1972), succeeded him as owner until his death in 1972, when the firm was dissolved. 897:

The valve, according to the company, became the heart of the Artronome action. According to Straube literature, it was frictionless, non-corrosive, and eliminated 90 percent of all player problems caused by friction and corrosion in the mechanism. By 1922, over one million Straube pendulum valves had

788:

Style B – Cabinet Grand (introduced in 1906) – "Elegant double veneered case, in fancy mahogany, Italian walnut, American burl walnut or oak; heavily cross banded with y8-inch stock; all carving hand work; all moldings cross veneered; hand carved trusses of natural woods; new cabinet grand scale with

381:

Sales of pianos and player pianos, industry-wide, began to slip in the early 1920s, due partly to the rising popularity of radio as an alternative for home entertainment and due partly to the rising popularity of automobiles, which cost about the same as premium Straube pianos ($ 325; equivalent to $

1867:

Alvin Detloff Meyer (1879–1970), a Straube purchasing agent and longtime employee who served as an interim superintendent in 1935 after its first reorganization and subsequent departure of William G. Betz, was, in 1928, instrumental in developing a more sustainable solution for fastening legs to the

1710:

1935–1942: Charles Henry Bartholomee (1874–1960) began as superintendent and was superintendent in July 1940; in 1940, Bartholomee became Vice President of Straube Pianos Inc. Before joining Straube, he had been superintendent of the Smith Barnes Piano Factory for several years and superintendent of

934:

Explanation of the term Studio Grand: A tall upright piano – 50 inches or taller, one that a person of average height can't see over when seated at the bench – is sometimes referred to as an "upright grand". Straube branded it as a "Cabinet Grand". Use of the word "grand" with uprights should not be

715:(Licensee) reproducing action. Its amazing range of expression imparts a realism which makes it impossible to distinguish the reproduction from the personal playing of the artist. A library of more than 4,000 rolls puts the world's greatest music at the disposal of the owner of a Straube Model C. R." 528:

acquired Straube Pianos Inc. For the previous two years, Continental Music Co. of Chicago – a subsidiary of Conn – had been the sales representative for Straube, with P. E. Mason as sales manager. Mason, in the mid-1920s, had been vice president of the Cable-Nelson Piano Company before it had merged

417:

When Straube went into receivership, all of its officers departed, including president Jacobson, president; C.H.J. Thorby, vice-president; and Alfred Theodore Schuldes (1892–1981), secretary-treasurer. Also, in 1935, William G. Betz (1871–1957), longtime superintendent with over 50 patents, left the

329:

In March 1911, Jacobson purchased the entire interest of the remaining partner and became president. He appointed his brothers as executives: Charles (Carl) Herman Jacobson Thorby (1875–1946), vice-president; and James Frithiof Jacobson (1885–1968), secretary, who all became owners and were actively

801:

Style O (introduced 1912) – double veneered case, with full extension music desk, new grand scale with capo D'Astro bearing bar on bass section, nickel plated tuning pins, brass strings wrapped with copper, patent improved double repeating action with brass capstan regulating screws in keys, bushed

654:

Gilmore – Gilmore pianos began production in 1904 as a private label for a retail customer in Philadelphia, the customer being Gustave Herzberg (1835–1924), father of Edward Herzberg (1870–1931), who ran the piano department at the Snellenburg Store. Edward left Straube as vice president in 1904 to

409:

a large portion of the building. In May 1934, the Straube Piano Company went into a friendly receivership. Roy Francis McPharlin (1893–1980) was appointed as receiver. On January 4, 1935, McPharlin distributed a "first and final" dividend of 8/10 of 1 cent of one dollar (i.e., 86¢ for $ 100) to the

370:

In June 1925, Straube moved into the new plant. The new plant added 70,000 square feet of manufacturing space and provided a suite of new executive offices. The total floor-space, including the addition, was about a hundred and sixty thousand square feet. The new space was especially designed for a

366:

In 1925, construction began on the fifth and largest addition to the original Straube factory. The architect was J.T. Hutton & Son, the son being William Sturgeon Hutton (1890–1975). The structure was four stories with a basement. The addition was devoted largely to the manufacture of grand and

1932:

is at 252 Wildwood Rd., service entrance on Kenwood St. (parallel to Wildwood), property is bounded on the north by Wildwood, east by Monon Trail, the south by Kenwood. The property is an L-shape, turn counterclockwise 90 degrees – the most northern border is bounded by Conkey Street. On Kenwood,

1473:

E.R. Jacobson was the son of Charles Frithiof Jacobson (1852–1906), and Helena (née Nicholson; 1845–1910). Ernfrid Jacobson, with his parents, immigrated to the United States in 1882 and settled in Chicago. Jacobson received his public school education in Chicago. He began his career as an office

905:

Each valve was a wood disc with leather facing on both sides. One face had a center hole leading to a pocket of a larger diameter in the wood. The valve was supported only by a lever between the valve plate pivot and the pouch lifter disc, with a right angle dowel extension that "plugged in" the

2134:

In the mid 1920s, Straube Piano had some patents that influenced the industry. In 1926, Straube introduced its patented Duplex Overstringing system – US Patent No. 1769284 – claiming that it enabled smaller Straube uprights to produce the sound of full uprights and Straube's smallest grand, the

339:

In 1913, construction began on the third addition to the original Straube factory erected in 1904 at 205 Manila Avenue. On January 30, 1930, the Hammond City Council enacted dozens of street name changes – including the change from Manila Avenue to Wildwood Street. The architect was J.T. Hutton

307:

The year 1909 was the peak of piano sales in the United States; sales totaled nearly 364,545 pianos, according to the National Piano Manufacturers Association. (Just over a century later, in 2011, sales totaled about 41,000 pianos, 120,000 digital pianos, and 1.1 million keyboards, according to

650:

by the Straube Piano Company. The incorporators were James T. Broderick, E. R. Jacobson and W. G. Martin, all of the Straube Piano Co. The purpose was to market a nickel-in-the-slot piano player known in the East as the Autoelectra. The name-change to Hammond Piano Co. was filed in Indiana in

144:

Straube executives and plant superintendents, particularly E.R. Jacobson (president) and William G. Betz (superintendent and inventor/innovator), held leadership roles in industry organizations. The company produced its best pianos under the Straube name, and its lower-priced pianos under the

1186:, where it remained until coming to the NMM, this player piano filled family events with music and provided accompaniment for dancing. Gift of Edward and James Pinkerton, grandsons, in memory of their parents, Ross Cavanaugh Pinkerton (1913–2009) and Arlene Jane (née Bugh; 1919–2009) late of 433:

of the business, unfinished pianos – about twenty in process of construction – thirty piano cases unassembled, and various supplies of finished and unfinished materials and parts used in the construction of pianos, along with piano strings and wire and other parts for piano manufacturing.

1872:, designed more sturdy plates in response to a design request letter that Meyer had sent to several manufacturers. Straube Piano announced the innovation to its competitors and by the end of 1928, Blackhawk was making the plates for 13 of the largest piano manufacturers in the country. 429:, Hammond Division. In March 1937, the receiver for the Straube Piano Company sold all remaining assets for $ 4,655 (equivalent to $ 98,660 in 2023) to individuals who planned to continue the business. The dividend amount is not known. The assets consisted of the name and 1574:) attended public schools in Chicago. After leaving school worked in a warehouse for two years, then spent eight years with the Crerar-Adams Company, a railway supply firm. Following that, he and his brother, Ernfrid Reinholdt Jacobson, became associated in a music store at 1500:

After Straube sold his interest in the Straube Piano Company in 1901, he focused on his real estate development business in Downers Grove, Illinois. In 1902, Straube became a director of the Cerro Mojarra Plantation Company, a ranching and agricultural firm operating in

227:

began using the 1878 founding date, and at some point Straube Piano began casting the numerals "1878" into the iron frames of their instruments. Straube Piano in 1924 cited 1879 as their founding year. In 1996, another author provided 1859 as the founding year.

930:

In 1924, Straube introduced individual names for its players rather than alpha letters in an effort to stimulate retail sales. A year earlier, Straube introduced a uniform national pricing policy. In 1923, Straube also launched a national advertising campaign.

1522:

In the fall of 1894, Scheaffer Piano Co. (William Straube, president), moved its manufacturing operations from Oregon, Illinois, to River View – on the Wisconsin Railway, two miles from the Chicago city limit. The new facility had twice the floor space.

1853:

Simien Myers Wessel (1873–1947) had been the treasurer for R.K. Maynard Co. until about 1912, when the company went bankrupt. He then founded a piano company that produced pianos bearing his name, "S.M. Wessel". By 1915, Wessel was a wholesale rep for

1767:

Roy Solomon Dunn (1877–1932), joined Straube at the end of 1920; on January 1, 1927, Dunn became Western sales manager of Brinkerhoff Piano Co. of Chicago; Dunn became the Western sales manager for Splitdorf Radio Corp. in January 1928, the year that

906:

center hole of the valve button. The pivotal lever is easily removable because it was not cemented to the valve, rendering a loose valve button in the valve well behind the valve plate that was screwed onto the valve chest with white sealing compound.

421:

Around June 1936, Straube Piano Company moved its offices from the First Trust Building in Hammond to the Straube factory at 5049 Columbia Avenue in Hammond. And its board of directors elected Lemuel (Lem) Kline (1868–1945) as secretary-treasurer.

710:

Model C – (1926 – $ 2,575, equivalent to $ 44,317 in 2023, and up) – "An instrument which recreates with absolute fidelity the playing of the world's master pianists, a combination of the superb Straube Conservatory model grand with the famous

911:

The Straube Style L was a short upright – only 3 ft 7 inches tall, introduced in 1926 – that incorporated Straube's patented Duplex Overstringing. Straube claimed that the Duplex Overstringing enabled the piano to produce the sound of a full

418:

company. In the interim, after the departure of Betz and before the appointment of Charles Henry Bartolomee as plant superintendent, Alvin Detloff Meyer (1879–1970), a Straube purchasing agent and longtime employee, took charge of manufacturing.

584:

The last published reference to the sale of a Straube piano was in July 1946, when the Haddorff Piano Co. of Rockford, Illinois, exhibited a complete line of Haddorff and Straube grands and spinets at the Palmer House in Chicago during the

287:

and the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville railways, the 3-story facility, with a basement, had 3,159 square metres (34,000 sq ft) of factory space. The exterior of the building was Oehlmacher brick, a light gray brick made in

1477:

In addition to being president part owner with his brothers of Straube Piano Company and Straube Piano & Music Co., which operated several music stores; E.R. Jacobson also was president of the Fidelity Security Co., dealers in piano

326:– 19 June 1976 Chicago) – had begun at Straube in August 1898 as a bookkeeper and stenographer. After initially purchasing a small interest in the company, Jacobson became secretary, and continued to acquire stock from time to time. 558:, at Railroad Avenue and 9th Street—a leased facility that Haddorff shared with the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company. Haddorff had sold its original Rockford plant on Harrison Avenue in 1940. In December 1940, a month after 616:

The Straube Piano & Music Company was the retail division and subsidiary of the Straube Piano Company. It was launched around 1920. Also, in 1920, the retail division purchased a two-story building on S Hohman Street in

362:

The company reached a peak monthly production volume in November 1922, surpassing its previous monthly high in March 1920. It has been estimated that, of the some 360,000 pianos produced in America in 1909, 56% were players.

300:

throughout the structure with separate hose attachments and concrete floors in the basement engine and boiler rooms. At full capacity, the new factory required 200 employees and could produce 3,000 finished pianos a year.

207: 537:

extended the relationship with Continental and kept Bartholomee as the head of manufacturing. Mason, who for many years had been the sales manager for the Haddorff Piano Co., Rockford, Illinois, joined Continental when

901:

The valves were three-tier and horizontal, but not the more common type found in horizontal valve actions, which were usually the wire i-pin variety. Each valve pivoted between two ears that extended from each metal

1537:

In 1891, William Straube went into partnership with Alfred Roland Heckman (1859–1914), a brother of his wife, Jessica Fremont Heckman (1857–1944), both of 8 Heckman siblings. Their firm, Heckman & Straube, sold

891:

The Artronome player action, introduced on Straube player pianos in May 1921, included patented pendulum valves, one for each note, a tenpoint customized motor, and an automatic ball-bearing roll adjuster for the

1702:

1917–1935: William G. Betz (1871–1957), superintendent from 1917 to 1935, (over 50 patents), left the company in 1935. After leaving Straube, Betz patented several piano action mechanisms and assigned them to

1533:

In 1902, while Thomas Edwin Dougherty (1856–1943) was president, the Schaeffer Piano Company manufacturing plant in River View had a fire. The company subsequently erected a new plant in Kankakee, Illinois.

549:

restricted piano production by C.G. Conn, Ltd., to 120 pianos a month. On May 12, 1942, C.G. Conn, Ltd., announced that it would consolidate its piano manufacturing by moving its Straube manufacturing from

426: 292:. The factory was of mill construction. The main structure was 160 by 50 feet, two stories high. The engine house was 50 by 35 feet, detached, and the boiler house was 60 by 45 feet and detached. The Monon 2081:– 1883) was a manufacturer of reed organs. He learned cabinet making and worked with the manufacturing of musical instruments in Germany before emigrating to the United States in 1849. Straub settled in 1465:) became president on January 1, 1898, and served in that role until March 1911. Before joining Straube Piano, Broderick had been a traveling salesman for Steger & Company and the B. Shoninger Co. 242:) became president on January 1, 1898, and served in that role until March 1911. Before joining Straube Piano, Broderick had been a traveling salesman for Steger & Company and the B. Shoninger Co. 2050:

Straube Piano Company was not related to J. Straube & Co., in Berlin, an organ maker founded in 1869 that endured until 1972. In 1903, its founding owners were Johannes Straube (1843–1906) &

1634:

Edward Herzberg (born 1859), Vice-President & Director; he left Straube in 1904 to join his brother Harry and father Gustave in Philadelphia to run the piano department of the Snellenburg Store.

621:

for $ 75,000. The building housed four stores and six office suites yielding rental income of about $ 9,000 a year. The building was made of brick and terra cotta and had frontage of 100 feet on

4882: 336:

contributor Fred E. Cooper has written that Jacobson took the Straube Piano Company from ordinary piano manufacturer to one of the most successful contenders in the high-quality piano field.

2135:

Sonata Grand, to produce the sound of a full concert grand. The Straube Artronome player piano had many patented innovations, including one that improved pumping power from the foot pedals.

1443:

and Cable Nelson names and also started building Hammond pianos. These Hammond Pianos are of no relation to those once produced by Straube. Hammond pianos were discontinued around 1965.

856: 382:

7,223 in 2023). And, like pianos, automobiles were commonly purchased on installment. In 1925, 80% of pianos sold by the retail trade were done so on installment plans. After the

153: 375:, since February 16, 1920, and had been employed there since 1913. McIlwrath learned the profession in Canada, having been associated with many of the leading factories in the East. 446:

located at 5049 Columbia Avenue and production of Straube pianos resumed in the leased portion of the Hammond factory that the former company once owned. The 1937 executives were:

4897: 1699:

1906–19??: Gunnar G. Lindstrom (1870–1949), became superintendent in 1906. He became the superintendent at the Haddorff Piano Company and in 1923, moved into sales at Haddorff

215:

Different founding years have been asserted for Straube's company. In 1907, Straube Piano Company executives publicly observed 1895 as their founding year. However, in 1911,

4146: 405:

Struggling to survive, the Straube Piano Company sold its Hammond factory in 1931 to the J.L. Metz Furniture Co. for $ 125,000 (equivalent to $ 2,504,376 in 2023) and

4907: 4887: 596:. The assets of Straube Piano Inc. included those acquired from the March 1937 receivers sale of the former Straube Piano Company. The Indiana corporate charters of (i) 1526:

Under financial duress in 1896, the assets of Schaeffer Piano were assigned its assets to the creditor, Floyd E. Jennison (1857–1920), in the Cook County Court. The

4178: 1843:

W.E. Gillespie, was a traveling representative in Missouri and Illinois for Straube from before 1915 to 1927, when he moved on to become special representative for

1497:

William Straube, before 1894, had been president of the Schaeffer Piano Company, which in 1896, had a sales room on the second floor of 236 Wabash Avenue, Chicago.

829: 802:

tuning pins, nickel plated hammer rail, continuous hinges, improved double roll fall board, ivory keys and patent noiseless pedals. It is 4 feet 8 inches in height

510:

Herbert A. Koehlinger (1902–1955), vice president and New York manager (Eastern Manager of the Continental Music Co.); Koehlinger later was sales manager of the

145:

Hammond, Gilmore, and Woodward brands. All of the models were distributed in the US, and the player models internationally as well, particularly in Australia.

204:.) Around July 1896, Straube purchased Van Matre's share in the business, and the partnership was dissolved. Straube continued in business under his own name. 3779: 1752: 1724:

Roy Hilmer Olsen (1888–1965), in 1920, was a foreman for Straube; in 1930 he was a clerk for a candy manufacturer in Chicago; and in 1942 he was working for

3923: 2061:, the German painter, was also a son of Johannes. None of the Straubes from this family were directly related to William Straube of the Straube Piano Co. 1909: 1902: 622: 1530:

and patents were sold to Thomas Edwin Dougherty who, in 1895, re-established and re-incorporated the company as Schaeffer Piano Manufacturing Company.

4902: 2069:

William J. Straub (1859–1946), who is listed in the 1901, 1902, and 1904 Syracuse City Directories, was an organ builder. This Straub is unrelated.

1840:

Joseph Edward Albineau (1886–1961) became general representative for Straube in 1927, covering Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

258:

on December 16, 1901, in Cook County Circuit Court forbidding the Straubes and Jacobsen from using the Straube name in the manufacturing of pianos.

1804:

Hugh Alexander Stewart (1890–1963), began as a sales, advertising, and promotion manager in September 1927 In 1936, Stewart was sales manager for

456:

Max B. Pattiz (1890–1979), vice-president and general manager (former president of Lauter Piano Company, maker of the Lauter-Humana player piano,

190: 4191:"Musical Instrument Manufacturing in Elkhart, Indiana", by Dean E. McMakin (born 1948), unpublished typescript (1987), Elkhart Public Library; 577:(WPB) ordered that manufacturing of pianos at the Rockford plant cease by July 31, 1942. Under a war contract between C.G. Conn, Ltd., and the 231:

William Straube (1857–1923), who was an investor rather than a piano expert, incorporated Straube Piano Company in 1897 as an Illinois entity.

3838: 26: 3709: 1758:

William S. Robertson (1860–1924), joined Straube around 1913 and was its Eastern representative until he suffered a stroke in October 1923

182:), a partnership formalized in February 1895 by Williard Naramore Van Matre, Sr. (1851–1939), and William Straube (né Straub; 1857–1928). 490:

Charles Henry Bartholomee (1874–1960), who began as superintendent in 1935 and became Vice President of Straube Pianos Inc. in July 1940

272:

In 1904, the Straube Piano Company moved its manufacturing and executive offices from Chicago to a custom-built factory in the city of

569:

On May 30, 1942 – a few weeks after C.G. Conn consolidated the manufacturing of Haddorff and Straube pianos at the Haddorff plant in

450:

Walter Ernst Schrage (1912–1982), president, whose father, William Ernst Schrage (1884–1941), was president of the Bank of Whiting,

4663: 4718: 918:

The Straube Grands offered in 1927 included lengths four-foot-four, five-foot-two, six-foot, and six-foot-two in various styles.

578: 197: 1721:

1942–1949: Carl Leopold Haddorff (1895–1952), son of Charles A. Haddorff (1864–1928), co-founder of the Haddorff Piano Company

4164: 4133: 4115: 3971: 1718:

1925–1930: William David McIlwrath (1872–1931), foreman, under Bartholomee's direction, of the manufacturer of Straube Grands

398:

In 1930, Straube was using the advertising firm of Lamport, Fox & Co., Irvin Sylvester Dolk (1891–1981), ad executive of

196:

Straube's first piano was completed in June 1895 at that shared factory. (W.N. Van Matre & Co. was a music dealer at 105

4749: 1575: 844: 4590: 1847:

In 1931, based in Seattle, Gillespie was representative for Starr Piano. In 1934, he was a representative for Haddorff.

1038:

SN: 37784 (1921) - player - w/French Repeating Action. Manufactured for the Wm.H.Elsinger stores in St. Paul Minnesota.

4731: 4272: 4084: 1775:

James Alfred Terry (born 1889) – After working with Straube, Terry co-founded the James A. Terry Piano Co. in 1913 in

264: 193:, at the present intersection of Warren and Forest Avenues. Their original wareroom was at 24 Adams Street, Chicago. 1489:, where he had been a trustee since 1898, and was also the treasurer of the church. He resided at 5754 Fifth avenue. 2312:

In 1906, W. N. Van Matre and M.F. Van Matre were directors of the Schumann Piano Co. W. N. Van Matre was president;

4864: 4855: 4402: 2034: 2023: 2012: 2001: 1990: 1979: 1119: 4860: 4851: 4892: 1805: 383: 4308: 1826:

Robert Edward Lauer (born 1891) joined Straube's traveling sales force in 1927 to cover Ohio and West Virginia.

1755:

Adams credited his success to his first job, which was with Straube as advertising and sales promotion manager.

297: 1133:

SN: 59577 (1930) – Vertical Grand French Repeating Action ("Est 1878") ("CW Lindsay, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

4626: 1509: 496:

Charles Roy Arnold (born 1900), Atlanta manager (later, president) of Continental Music Inc., a division of

296:

was 35 by 65 feet and held 20,000 feet of lumber. Equipped with automatic fire doors and fire walls, it had

186: 130: 77: 3687: 3671: 3652: 3636: 3620: 3588: 3565: 3546: 3530: 3514: 3499: 3483: 3467: 3455: 3443: 3431: 3415: 4912: 4467: 4448: 4415: 4373: 4254: 3724: 2254:

1921: US 1444364 A – "Automatic Music-Roll Carrier and Centering Device for Pneumatic Musical Instruments"

1895: 1769: 1725: 1559: 289: 158: 4771: 1485:

Politically, E.R. Jacobson was a Republican. He was a member of the Bethlehem Swedish Lutheran Church of

4630: 3801: 2799: 1844: 1798: 1785:

J. Roy Huckins, traveling salesman – central and northwestern wholesale representative from 1922 to 1926

1712: 1527: 1440: 1175: 530: 430: 134: 4627:(title and author of book unknown) "Biographical Sketchs of Jacobson, Nicholson, Krochel, and Anderson" 2867: 2832: 2766: 566:

moved the Haddorff's manufacturing operations into the Railroad Avenue plant, which it had modernized.

3114: 1956:"Cutting up" – President Rick Ricketson, Al Young (Peerless Printing), Duke Melody (pianist); (1955); 3842:(Vol. 1 of 2), William Frederick Howat, MD (ed.), Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company (1915) [ 2055: 655:

join his father. The Gilmore line ran until about 1927. Earliest reference to a Gilmore Piano is 1900

574: 546: 3354: 3342: 3318: 3270: 3258: 3234: 3198: 3150: 3138: 3126: 3102: 3048: 3024: 3009: 2994: 1761:

W.J. Robertson (born approx 1898), nephew of William S. Robertson, joined Straube at the end of 1920

50: 4519: 3821:"Investigations of Mexican Affairs: Preliminary Report and Hearings – Testimony of William Straube" 2332: 2328: 1486: 592:

C.G. Conn retained ownership of Straube Pianos Inc. until 1969, when C.G. Conn was acquired by the

399: 372: 4267: 4079: 3330: 3306: 3294: 3282: 3246: 3210: 3186: 3174: 3162: 3087: 3075: 3036: 2982: 2970: 2931: 2919: 1748: 1562:

sometime before 1910. In 1940, he was living in Los Angeles, still working in the piano business.

133:, roughly 1875 to 1932, when pianos had few competitors for home entertainment. The company's own 4832:(in part 2 of 2), William Henry Perrin (ed.), Chicago: Baskin & Battey (1881), pps. 175–176; 4678: 4650: 4453: 3999: 3928: 3760: 2313: 960: 570: 555: 457: 323: 251: 201: 4610: 4389: 493:

Penfield Emory Mason (1875–1963), sales manager (sales manager many years with the Haddorff Co.)

3820: 3751: 2563: 4833: 4828: 4804: 4798: 4779: 4766: 4701: 4692: 4595: 4578: 4571: 4564: 4532: 4499: 4494: 4420: 4385: 4377: 4351: 4325: 4291: 4286: 4252:"Thayer Action Closes; Waits Plane Orders – Music Goods Ban To Mean Conversion at Haddorffs", 4209: 4192: 4064: 4055: 4036: 4015: 3980: 3947: 3942: 3849: 3805: 3764: 3573: 3376: 2733: 2700: 2662: 2629: 2596: 2530: 2464: 2361: 1957: 1776: 1474:

boy, then a bookkeeper and general office utility man for various concerns until August 1898.

593: 4557: 3869: 2394: 354:

Around 1916, the Straube Piano Company was manufacturing ten to twelve finished units a day.

4775: 3976: 3375:(digital access courtesy of The International Arcade Museum Library, Pasadena, California); 2497: 2431: 1923: 1811:

David Lord Sterling (1882–1949), formerly a traveling salesman for Poole Piano Co. of Boston

1801:, started May 1921 as a traveling salesman for Straube, covering Missouri and Eastern Kansas 1571: 1555: 1516: 1179: 618: 464: 451: 411: 387: 310: 273: 72: 3839:

The Standard History of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet Region: "Staube Piano Plant"

2908:(digital access courtesy of The International Arcade Museum Library, Pasadena, California) 1869: 925:

action manufactured under license by the Auto Pneumatic Action Co. of Manhattan, New York.

551: 476: 516:

Paul M. Gazlay (1896–1966), president of Continental Music Inc.; Gazlay was president of

340:(Joseph T. Hutton; 1861–1932) and the contractor was Mahlon Abraham Dickover (1856–1932) 4060: 3604: 2078: 2058: 2006: 1652:

Mary D. Broderick (1862–1932), Vice-President and Director (wife of James F. Broderick)

1178:

No. 14434. Upright piano with player mechanism (Hammond Melo-Harp) by the Straube Co.,

836: 669: 284: 280: 3393: 581:, the Rockford plant produced parts for gliders and trainer planes from 1942 to 1946. 463:

Harry E. Powers (1899–1954), secretary and treasurer; Powers was a lawyer from nearby

4876: 3871:

Hammond Historical Society Presents the Famous 1904 Edition of the Hammond Daily News

3784: 2782:"Automatic Music-Roll Carrier and Centering Device for Pneumatic Musical Instruments" 2169:

William G. Betz during his tenure with Steger & Sons Piano Manufacturing Company:

1543: 348: 115: 1741:

Charles W. Smith (1861–1932), appointed manager in 1920 of Straube's retail division

1106:

SN: 55857 (1927) – upright (National Piano Manufactures Assc. Certicificate #858800)

4537: 3756: 2823:, filed July 17, 1922, serial no. 575,554, serial no. 51,690, granted March 2, 1926 2051: 1458: 1287:

SN: 58809 (1946) – upright (vertical grand French repeating action, about 52" high)

1187: 1183: 922: 862: 712: 625:. The directors of Straube Piano Company incorporated its retail division in 1922. 480: 347:

by the Jacobsons and Thorby with $ 150,000 (equivalent to $ 4,562,791 in 2023)

235: 216: 138: 123: 119: 3063: 2958: 2946: 3911:

published by the American Music National Piano Foundation and Conference and the

3222: 185:

That same month, Van Matre and Straube leased a factory together near Chicago at

4480:"Schaeffer Piano Company: An Assignment to F.E. Jennison by the Chicago House", 2082: 1820:

Charles A. Clinton (1902–1986), sales manager at Straube from about 1939 to 1942

915:

The Melo-Harp was a patented pneumatic-controlled attachment for Straube pianos.

2848: 1808:, and in 1938 he ascended to vice president. He retired from Wurlitzer in 1958. 1586:

Clinton Wilson Howe (born 1875), bookkeeper at Straube Piano from 1895 to 1897

3884: 2888: 2855: 2820: 2787: 2754: 2721: 2683: 2650: 2617: 2584: 2551: 2518: 2485: 2452: 2382: 2028: 2017: 1995: 1984: 1973: 1943: 1704: 1113: 255: 223:, in which he gave 1878 as the founding year. The December 19, 1914, issue of 4022:, New York: David Williams Company, Vol. 93, No. 3, January 21, 1915, pg. 226 2419: 4697: 3912: 1482:

and other securities, and treasurer of the Hammond Machine and Forge Works.

586: 563: 559: 539: 534: 525: 517: 497: 406: 4321: 1946:

building on South Hohman Street, where the firm had been located for years.

1823:

Lemuel (Lem) Kline (1868–1945), general sales manager beginning around 1936

1779:, operating as a piano retailer under the name of Terry-Gulliuson Piano Co. 425:

On January 19, 1937, the Straube Piano Company was adjudicated bankrupt in

4816: 4812: 4783: 4222: 2574: