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Charles Blasius was a local of Cologne Germany, and he got here to America when he was 25 years outdated.
After working for plenty of different piano makers, he established his firm in 1855 below the identify of Blasius Brothers in Philadelphia on 1006 Chestnut Avenue. This was a Piano Alley, if you’ll, with Chickering and Sons, Decker Brothers, and Steinway warerooms on the identical road.
In 1857, he components methods together with his brothers as enterprise companions, and Charles adjustments the identify of the agency to Blasius and Sons, with the admission of his two sons Levi and Oscar as companions.
In 1887, Blasius took management of the Charles Albrecht Piano Firm, which was one of many oldest piano producers in America. Together with the Albrecht identify, Blasius & Sons additionally constructed pianos below the “Regent” model identify as an inexpensive various to his costlier Blasius model.
It’s all the time a great enterprise apply to supply a buyer a number of decisions.
Due to their excessive price when new, Blasius pianos have been by no means constructed on an enormous scale like many different American piano producers.
Thomas Edison was very keen on and endorsed the Blasius piano, and used them in his experiments. He was conducting an experiment with the piano and phonograph. Here’s a letter Edison wrote to Blasius in December of 1894.
“Pricey Sirs,
We’re nonetheless experimenting together with your piano in reference to the phonograph. We aren’t but happy with the phonographic replica, however the piano itself may be very effective. We will proceed till we have now reproduced the unique with all it is richness of tone.
Yours Actually,
Thomas Edison”
I can inform you as a piano technician, that Edison in all probability did not reach reproducing the “richness of tone” of the piano with the phonograph.
Charles Blasius dies in 1894, and the corporate was offered to Preston Rice, and Philip Wuest, house owners of the Rice-Wuest piano firm,
Round 1916 having bother maintaining with orders and outgrowing their Philadelphia constructing, they tackle the duty of transferring to a bigger constructing in Woodbury, New Jersey, relocating over 400 staff and their households.
Woodbury, NJ was providing “no taxes for 5 years” to encourage companies to maneuver there. Within the meantime, they started leasing the Philadelphia constructing to varied firms.
By 1919 (the ending of World Battle 1) the corporate was financially in bother submitting dissolution in New Jersey. They transfer again to the smaller Philadelphia constructing, and tried to maintain the corporate going, however they went out of enterprise in 1925.
Word:
The historic constructing in Philadelphia was destroyed in 1970. The Woodbury, New Jersey constructing burned down because of a disgruntled worker, who even shut off the sprinkler system earlier than beginning one of many worst fires in New Jersey historical past.
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Source by Chris Chernobieff