The company was formed in 1895, but only lasted until 1908, when the company dissolved.
The owners and managers of the company had hoped a source of local labor
could be drawn upon and trained to fill requirements. The thought perished in
the very onset. The art of piano making, especially in the era of the Strascino
venture, was a highly specialized field of endeavor.
Piano makers served a four to five year apprenticeship,
followed by no less than two years as journeyman before being accepted into the
guild.
There wasn’t a single operation at the Strascino plant that
even faintly represented mass production. All leg spindles were hand turned,
scrolls and trim were hand carved, even most of the holes required, were hand
drilled.
The varnishing, or finishing as it was called was a process
requiring tremendous skill. Each piano received from six to eight coats of a
high grade, extremely thin resin varnish. After each application was thoroughly
dry, it was hand rubbed.
The amount of time that these true craftsmen used to create the pianos, as well as the invention of the Player Piano, was the beginning of the demise of the company.
There are several of these pianos on display at the Galloway House and Village.
