Did you know that at one time, there was a piano factory in Rochester? In 1928, the Sunday Standard published an article on the F.T. Anderson and son, Piano Manufacturers located in the woods off Walnut Plain Road. Frederick Anderson began his journey to Rochester in Stockholm, Sweden. He left there in 1883 at the age of 22. He worked in the piano making industry for 41 years, working his way up to superintendent of the Vose Piano Factory in Boston. After 15 years, he moved to Buffalo, New York, and worked at Kurtzman’s, and reached the job of superintendent again.
Frederick, his wife, and two sons had summered in Rochester for 16 years, so when he decided to retire, the family made it their permanent home. After a short period of relaxation, Frederick decided he wanted to be in charge of his own piano making company. Frederick and his son, Leon, who graduated from the High School of Commerce in Boston and then worked with his father, remodeled the barn on the property. When done, the barn was a large, open space with room for an airy and bright showroom, storage rooms, and workrooms. Here they began to create pianos, which sold almost as quickly as the work was done.
To manufacture them, the father and son needed “deft, capable fingers sensitive touch, ready minds, and thorough craftsmanship.” They needed to be draftsmen as they designed their own charts and drawings of scale boards and the piano itself. They needed to be pattern makers as they made their own patterns. They also had to be cabinet makers as they built the frames and sections that made up the pianos. Lastly, they were musicians as they listened to and created the proper tempo and tune.
It took three to four months to turn out a finished piano, and at any time, there would be several pianos in various stages of completion, and about two pianos would be ready for sale each week. In 1927 they sold 24 pianos that were transported to Middleboro by truck. Even without advertisement, their business grew, and in 1928 they were looking at hiring more workers and increasing their output. At any time in the showroom there would be upright and baby grand pianos, as well as one player piano built as an experiment but not for sale. It’s fascinating to think about people in their parlors playing pianos not only made in America but also made here in Rochester.
By Connie Eshbach