William Strauch

Biography

William Strauch was one of six brothers in the Strauch family of Frankfort on the Main, Germany, who immigrated to America in 1851 and settled in Albany, N.Y. In 1867 he joined his brother Peter D. Strauch in founding Strauch Brothers, a New York City action factory that became one of the first firms to specialize in manufacturing upright piano actions. From Spillane (1890): William Strauch was the brother of Peter D. Strauch. He joined Peter in the manufacture of piano actions on West Twenty-fifth Street in New York in 1868, and together they founded the firm Strauch Bros., makers of grand, square, and upright actions. The firm prospered and moved through successively larger premises as business grew. William Strauch withdrew from the partnership on January 1, 1887, after which the firm continued to operate under the Strauch Bros. name with Peter D. Strauch at its head.

Highlights

• Co-founded the Strauch Brothers piano action factory in New York in 1867 with his brother Peter D. Strauch
• Joined his brother Peter D. Strauch in 1868 to found Strauch Bros., makers of piano actions
• Withdrew from the firm on January 1, 1887, after which the Strauch Bros. name was retained

Sources

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. II (1913), p. 223.

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 313, 314.

Public domain.