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Bell Piano and Organ Co.
- The History
William Bell, along
with his brother Robert, established the Bell Brothers’ Melodeon &
Organ Manufactory in 1864.
Initial
output was modest, with three men making one melodeon per week. Within
three years, however, the organ market far outstripped capacity, and the
factory was moved to larger premises on Carden Street. Production surged,
and Bell Organs grew faster than any other industry in the city, and at
its peak, employed more than 450 men.
By 1888, the factory made 5000-6000 instruments a year, and
melodeons and organs were shipped all around the world.
In 1888, the company sold out to a syndicate in England
and most of the major decisions were made there. The company was now called
the Bell Piano & Organ Co. Ltd.
The company’s motto, “every piece must be the best,” earned
them a reputation for making quality instruments.
Unfortunately, after 1920 business declined as new forms of
entertainment (e.g. gramophones) swept the nation and Bell Piano declared
bankruptcy in 1934.
The Bell Organ Company’s success and failure was symbolic of many
Canadian industries of the era. The
company’s beginnings were greatly facilitated by the very pro-Canadian
patent laws, and National Policy tariffs helped secure a base domestic
market. However, after the company was purchased by British capital it
became a branch plant easily abandoned when times were hard.
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