Organ Supply Industries
Encyclopedia
Organ Supply Industries, Incorporated is a pipe organ
parts manufacturer founded in 1924 as the Organ Supply Corporation in Erie, Pennsylvania
. With over 46000 square feet (4,273.5 m²) of manufacturing floor, it is the largest organ parts supplier in North America
.
Organ Supply Industries has its origins in two organ builders whom Erie investors encouraged to move their operations to Erie in the late 19th century. They include the Burdett Reed Organ Company, of Chicago
, a reed organ
manufacturer whose operation was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire
of 1871; and the A. B. Felgemaker Organ Company
, originally of Buffalo, New York
. The Tellers-Kent Organ Company, sprang from two Felgemaker employees in 1906.
A. B. Felgemaker sent Anton Gottfried and his colleague Henry Kugel from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
to Erie, where they set up shop in the Felgemaker plant. The A. Gottfried Organ Company relocated to its own Erie facilities in 1905. Gottfried and Kugel had earlier worked for the Haskell Company, a prominent organ manufacturer in Philadelphia. Fred Durst, of Hinners Organ Company of Pekin, Illinois
, joined as superintendent of A. Gottfried Organ Company in 1917. Harry Auch and John Hallas, of the Haskell Company, came to Erie in 1920 to join Gottfried, Kugel, and Kugel's son Harry Kugel in the formation of a metal organ pipe manufacturer called National Organ Supply. Durst and Henry Kugel's sons Harry and Ruben Kugel formed Organ Supply Corporation in 1924. The pipe manufacturing company was purchased by Organ Supply Corporation in 1958. Fred Gluck purchased the Organ Supply Corporation in the early 1970s and merged it with Durst and Company to form Durst Organ Supply Company, Incorporated. The name was changed to Organ Supply Industries, Incorporated in 1978.
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
parts manufacturer founded in 1924 as the Organ Supply Corporation in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
. With over 46000 square feet (4,273.5 m²) of manufacturing floor, it is the largest organ parts supplier in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
History
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, a reed organ
Reed organ
A reed organ, also called a parlor organ, pump organ, cabinet organ, cottage organ, is an organ that generates its sounds using free metal reeds...
manufacturer whose operation was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
of 1871; and the A. B. Felgemaker Organ Company
Felgemaker Organ Company
The Felgemaker Organ Company was a manufacturer of pipe organs based out of Erie, Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was founded in Buffalo, New York but relocated to Erie, PA. In 1872, the company was known as the Derrick and Felgemaker Pipe Organ Company. During the...
, originally of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. The Tellers-Kent Organ Company, sprang from two Felgemaker employees in 1906.
A. B. Felgemaker sent Anton Gottfried and his colleague Henry Kugel from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
to Erie, where they set up shop in the Felgemaker plant. The A. Gottfried Organ Company relocated to its own Erie facilities in 1905. Gottfried and Kugel had earlier worked for the Haskell Company, a prominent organ manufacturer in Philadelphia. Fred Durst, of Hinners Organ Company of Pekin, Illinois
Pekin, Illinois
Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...
, joined as superintendent of A. Gottfried Organ Company in 1917. Harry Auch and John Hallas, of the Haskell Company, came to Erie in 1920 to join Gottfried, Kugel, and Kugel's son Harry Kugel in the formation of a metal organ pipe manufacturer called National Organ Supply. Durst and Henry Kugel's sons Harry and Ruben Kugel formed Organ Supply Corporation in 1924. The pipe manufacturing company was purchased by Organ Supply Corporation in 1958. Fred Gluck purchased the Organ Supply Corporation in the early 1970s and merged it with Durst and Company to form Durst Organ Supply Company, Incorporated. The name was changed to Organ Supply Industries, Incorporated in 1978.