[shareprints gallery_id=”41219″ gallery_type=”filmstrip” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”xlarge” image_padding=”2″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”]Recently the Naperville Heritage Society was given a beautiful Art Deco styled spinet piano. Although not a self-playing piano, it had an electric cord attached to its back. The cord, we learned, was for a temperature device that would regulate air inside the piano case so the sounding board would stay in tune. But that isn’t the only thing that makes this piano manufactured by Straube Piano Company unique.
The Straube Piano Company was founded in 1895 by Naramore Van Matre and William Straube, the former a piano expert and the latter an investor. In 1896 Straube bought out Van Matre’s interests and for the next nine years built pianos in a factory at Downers Grove.
In 1904 the company and factory moved to Hammond, Ind., where the company expanded to make player pianos, recording pianos, uprights, spinets and in 1930 even radios. The company survived bankruptcy in 1937 and re-located to Chicago Heights, Ill., in 1940 which according to the serial number on the back (62507) is the year our piano was made. This fact is confirmed by the discovery of a hand-written note on the back of the piano, “October 29, 1940”! The popularity of radio and World War II were too much competition for the piano company and in 1949 the last piano rolled off the assembly line.
This piano was owned by Napervillian, Dorothy Beidelman, daughter of Ray and Grace (neé Smith) Beidelman. She worked for her uncle, Arthur Beidleman at his monument and undertaking business. Dorothy married Walter Terry, a service repairman for the Netzley Plymouth Chrysler car dealership. To make a little extra money Dorothy gave piano lessons to hundreds of Naperville students on this piano in her home at the corner of School and Center Streets.
The donor of the piano took lessons from Dorothy from 1950 – 1960. If any reader took lessons on this piano and would like to share their experiences, please contact me through my on-line column where you will see more images of the piano and Dorothy.
Let the music play on!
Editor’s Note: Click on photo to advance other images that complement this story. If you remember taking lessons on this piano, please contact Bryan Ogg at oggb@naperville.il.us.
