Valenmire & Sons' Piano Factory

The Valenmire & Sons' Piano Factory is a famous building located in the Tisston District of Kredashmi's capital city, Rykfontein. Named for its founder, Willem Valenmire, the company was established in DATE SGC.

Background

Willem Valenmire originally apprenticed as a cabinet maker in Fryansk in North East Kredashmi, before moving to the capital. The piano trade, in those early days, was concentrated in a small area around Zollisellen Road. Here, he took the unusual step to undertake a second apprenticeship, this time with Master piano maker, Dominik Pohl. Once he completed his training, Valenmire went into business with Pohl's nephew, Theo Veil, and married Pohl's granddaughter, Renate. Veil would die in a carriage accident some thirteen years later, after which Valenmire brought his two sons, Piet and Dominik, into the business. The name (originally named Valenmire & Veil) was then changed to Valenmire & Sons' Pianos.
The Valenmire & Sons' Piano factory has moved premises twice, although it has always remained in the Tisson District. The first move occurred three years after Valenmire and Veil opened their workshop together, after an horrendous fire decimated a number of buildings in Saint Asthrid Street, including theirs. The second, larger workshop was two miles away on Kilderkin Corner. The latest move to Lowhren Street in DATE. This was due to the growing demand for their pianos by musical experts and common folk alike.

The Lowhren Street Factory

The Lowhren Street Factory was initially built to a design drawn up by Valenmire himself, and was expanded on a colossal scale ten years later. The original design encorporated the unique design of a huge water wheel in order to operate the factory's internal lift system, making it easier for the workers to transport wood and pianos to different locations across the site.
Currently, the factory has roughly 350 workers, creating between 400-500 pianos every month.

“It’s a beautiful specimen, yes, but I doubt it sings like a Valenmire.”

— Chazley Dunheuvelin talking about the pianoforte in Karrovich Sebastin Ekhorin's palace. Book One of the Sorrow of Souls

"Finishing Shop - Upright Pianos" from The Illustrated London News, Dec 1883 by the Phillips Family Archive

The Valenmire & Sons' Piano Factory via Bing by Caitlin Wright

Type

Factory

A Silker's Work by Caitlin Wright via Imagine AI

Silk Tapestry Panel by Caitlin Wright via Bing