photograph
Catalog Number
2019.1.130Description
Black and white photograph of the crew in charge of the building of the Bush & Lane Piano Factory. The foreman was Hyo Bos. The X marks John Doggen.The Bush and Lane Piano Factory moved from Chicago, IL to Holland, MI in 1905 and operated until 1933. The factory was located at 171 East 24th Street and was bought by the Baker Furniture Company in 1933, due to the piano factory's closing because of the Great Depression.
History
The Bush and Lane Piano Company moved to Holland, MI in 1905 from Chicago, IL. William Bush and Walter Lane (1869-1928) operated the business and had a factory built near 24th Street and Columbia in Holland.They produced player pianos, baby grands and upright pianos. By 1919 business was so good that a four-story addition was built at a cost of $90,000. The number of employees soon rose to 350.
The death of Walter Lane in 1928 and the Great Depression of 1929 doomed the company. A brief attempt was made in 1929 to save the company by producing radio cabinets and furniture, but the company went bankrupt in 1930.