In 2003, George W. Bush is president,
and Polk, Victoria and Lincoln are long gone.
And Frederick Altenburg is vice president of the Altenburg
Piano House here on East Jersey Street in Elizabeth, NJ.
Don't worry. It's not the same Frederick Altenburg. The
current VP of the business is the sixth direct family
descendant to head the organization, and is 31 years old
Nancy and Frederick took over the reigns of business when
Otto Altenburg - great-great grandson of the founder -
died in October, 1997.
In 2000, the Altenburg Piano House is celebrating its
153rd year in business. In a neighborhood that has seen
myriad changes since the Altenburgs settled here in 1906
from the Bowery in New York City.
The Altenburgs have seen shifts in the business.
However, Altenburg Piano House is still thriving.
Nancy started with the company as a clerk in the record
department (which Altenburgs discontinued years later)
in 1949. The showroom and its adjacent warehouse contain
hundreds of pianos and organs, but the Altenburgs say
the bulk of the business is now in the high-end grand
pianos and church organs, which can run $50,000 or higher.
Still, virtually every, type of keyed instrument - except
portable keyboards - is available through Altenburg.
"We haven't made a piano from scratch here in about
three decades. Fred said, "We do still
assemble pianos with our name on them but, Altenburg Pianos
are made with parts from various manufacturers, but most
U.S. manufacturers are out of business now. Just Steinway,
Baldwin and a few other smaller companies make pianos
in the United States anymore."
Through its long history, the company has made or supplied
pianos for any number of celebrities in the music business,
including classical performers, conductors and entertainers
such as Liberace.
Besides the showroom and warehouse here, Altenburg Piano
House has locations in Asbury Park and Lawrenceville,
NJ.
The company is known for carrying high-quality instruments
from Baldwin and other manufacturers, and for producing
pianos under its own name that meet high quality standards.
Frederick Altenburg says the company insists on using
the best wood and avoids plastic parts and particle board,
which can be used in less expensive, lower-quality instruments.
About 40 people work for the company, including Frederick
and Nancy Altenburg.
There was, at one time, a full service department, but
as home organs lost popularity and the company left the
electronics business in the '60s, the department dwindled.
A few technicians still work here. Nancy began working
for Altenburg when her sister, who had being selling records
for the company, decided to leave and recommended Nancy
for the job. She wanted to go back to college, Nancy recalls
of her sister, and they needed somebody with a knowledge
of music. "I ended up marrying the boss' son,"
she said. After marrying Otto Altenburg, Nancy continued
working in the store until she gave birth to the first
of her four children then stayed home to raise the children.
She returned to work when they were old enough, and continues
to keep full schedule at the showroom. Like all the employees
of Altenburg Piano House, she plays the piano and has
a background in music.
Music always was a priority in the family, and Frederick
Altenburg remembers "being in the business all my
life." One change he has noticed, Altenburg said,
is the shift of the piano and the organ from the entertainment
center of the middle class to the furniture of the affluent.
Grand pianos are now selling about as often as uprights,
and as grand pianos start at $5,500 and can go up above
$30,000, the shift has been noticeable.
"There are a lot more grands being sold," Nancy
Altenburg agrees. "It used to be that if we sold
a grand, you could open a bottle of champagne. Now, they
sell at a rate of two or three a day, and church organs,
which bring in larger prices, are selling at a rate of
roughly two or three a week."
Otto Altenburg brought the home organ lines into the business.
First Hammond organs were introduced during the 1950s,when
the middle class was less likely to rely on the television
for an evening's entertainment. Home organs helped build
the business, Frederick Altenburg says. Now, church organ
sales are much more common than home organ purchases,
and church organs, with larger price tags, continue to
build Altenburg's business in the next millennium.
Upright pianos are available here, beginning new at $1,995,
and go up to about $12,000 or more. While cabinet styles
might be important to today's piano customer, it's still
the sound that makes the difference between fine hand-crafted
piano and those built by machine. "We can give the
customer a piano they want in any number of styles
and finishes." Custom orders are accepted.
The company's clients have included the New York City
Board of Education, New York University and the school
boards of Paterson and Newark. Churches all over the state
and in neighboring states have organs from Altenburg,
and installations are being done in houses of worship
almost every week.
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