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Theodore C. Knauff Company
| Name | Theodore C. Knauff Company |
| Ortssitz | Philadelphia (Penns.) |
| Straße | Dean Street 238 |
| Art des Unternehmens | Orgelbauer |
| Anmerkungen | Die Verwaltung ist in der Dean Street. Die Hauptfabrik ist in Newark, Delaware, an der Hauptstrecke der Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, mit einem Privatgleisanschluß. Lt. [Pipe Organ Database] war "Theodore C. Knauff" 1889-1892 in Philadelphia und "J. C. [Christopher?] Knauff (Organ Co.)" um 1889 in Newark. Lt. [Annual Report Board of Controllers of the Public Schools (1849) 114]: "Henry Knauff, Organ Builder, 167 Vine Street". Herstellerschild in St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia: "Theodore C. Knauff & Co." in den frühen 1890ern [The Tracker 17 (1973) Nr. 4, S. 13]. Im Internet ist "Theodore C. Knauff" NUR in Philadelphia genannt. |
| Quellenangaben | [Philadelphia and popular Philadelphians (1891) 137] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1809 |
Geburt von Henry Knauff in Albany, New York |
| 1828 |
Gründung durch Henry Knauff |
| 1834 |
Aufnahme des regulären Werkstattbetriebs in einer kleinen Straße nördlich der Cherry Street, östlich der Eighth Street. In diesem Jahr wird eine große Orgel mit drei Manualen gebaut |
| 08.08.1847 |
Geburt von Theodore Christian Knauff in Philadelphia |
| 01.11.1897 |
Tod von Henry Knauff in Philadelphia |
| 06.01.1935 |
Tod von Theodore Christian Knauff in Philadelphia. Er wird auf dem Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia beigesetzt |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Orgeln |
1828 |
Beginn |
1891 |
[Philadelphia] |
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| ZEIT | 1891 |
| THEMA | Beschreibung |
| TEXT | The Theodore C. Knauff Company, whose offices are located at 238 Dean street in this city, is the oldest firm of church organ builders in the United States. The business was first established in the city of Philadelphia in the vear 1828 by Mr. Henry Knauff, then a professional musician, who had planned and built several small organs. He visited Boston to engage a builder for what was at that time considered a large organ. He had planned it for the noted Dr. Bethune's church, then on Crown street, above Race, Philadelphia. The building is still standing and is used as a school-house. Mr. Knauff being unable to get anv organ builder in Boston to undertake building so large an instrument returned to
Philadelphia, secured workmen and built the organ for Dr. Bethune's church himself, though then without the facilities of a factorv. In 1834, Henry Knauff's first regular workshop was opened in Philadelphia, in a building which had been erected for other purposes, on a small street running north of Cherry, west of Eighth, where a large three manual organ was built that year. The principal manufactory of the Company is at Newark, Delaware, which consists of large brick buildings standing on six acres of land, the property of the Company, on the main line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, with a private siding running directly through the main building, by which means supplies and finished work can be unloaded and loaded directlv at the spot desired, without unnecessary handling or cartage. When the several buildings called for by the general plans are all completed, the six acres of land will be nearly all covered with the various shops, storehouses, lumber sheds, dryhouses, offices, etc., of the Company. The "erecting" room is in the middle of the main building and is spacious enough to hold, entirely put together, the largest organ. The interior of this erecting room is fifty-four feet long, seventy-five feet deep, has a floor surface of over 3000 square feet, with a cubic capacity of over 207.000 cubic feet. The exterior of this portion of the building is so finished as to suggest, though not to imitate, a large organ. A portion of the organ pipes which form the exterior finish and decoration are for display only. The portion in the cupola, however, are speaking flue pipes on high pressure wind, suitable for out of door effect. These are played at the hours by the clock mechanism in place of striking a bell, and is quite a curiosity. The metal shop for pipe making is 100 feet in length by 40 in width, in which the soldering furnace and melting pots are heated by a separate fuel gas system from the Company's own works on the ground. In this wing is also located the fire proof store-room for the thousands of patterns, scales, etc., which have been accumulating for many years. Two steam engines of seventy horse power each, one being a beautiful "Armington and Sims," with ample boiler capacity, are located in an addition in the rear, and furnish the power for the wood working and machine shops, for the elevators, for other special purposes, and for the heating and electric lighting plants, the building being heated by steam and lighted as well as the town by electricity from the Company's electric plant. A system of exhaust air dust collectors, worked by steam suction fans, collects the shavings and refuse directly from the wood working machines and benches, and carries them to the shaving vault for consumption under the boilers. There are two steam elevators, one in each wing, of size sufficient to contain the largest pieces used in an organ. Automatic fire sprinklers and fire hydrants extend through the entire building. The machinery includes every modern tool made which would be of any use in the business. A line of special machinery, made to order, has been added for the manufacture of the delicate action, reed and other work. The building is so constructed that the work in the several departments makes a certain progression or circuit, avoiding all unnecessary hauling to and fro with consequent loss of time and money. After the crude material enters the building it follows its regular course until it reaches the erecting room finished, from whence it is packed and shipped direct, upon the cars in waiting. There are hundreds of men employed in this factory alone. It is the largest, finest and most complete factory and plant for the manufacture of organs in the world. Their organs can be seen in the leading Cathedrals, Churches and private residences in every part of the United States. The directors and officers of the Company are: Theo. C. Knauff, President; M. Price, Treasurer; Geo. H. Carpenter, Secretary; S. M. Curtis (Vice-President National Bank, Newark, Del.), D. McK. Hobart. |
| QUELLE | [Philadelphia and popular Philadelphians (1891) 136] |
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