Pipe Organ Database

Excerpt from Erwin Schoenstein's obituary in The Tracker:

    Third generation organbuilder, Erwin A. Schoenstein, died at age 85 in San Francisco, his native city, on November 1st, 1979. Starting as an apprentice with his father, Felix F. Schoenstein, after the tum of the century, Erwin became shop superintendent and later owner/ manager of Felix F. Schoenstein & Sons. He retired on the firm's 100th anniversary in 1977.
    Mr. Schoenstein was responsible for the construction of nearly seventy new instruments throughout his career and supervised the rebuilding and installation of countless others. He invented and developed several organ action improvements as well as production processes. He loved all kinds of music and played brass instruments in various band societies for over fifty years.

Source:

• Obituary "Erwin A. Schoenstein", The Tracker 24:2 (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1980), 22.

See main entry: Felix F. Schoenstein & Sons

From the OHS PC Database, derived from A Guide to North American Organbuilders, by David H. Fox (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1991). —

Son of Felix F. Schoenstein, brother of Leo F., Louis J. and Otto H. Schoenstein, father of Leonard Schoenstein; with George Leathurby firm of San Francisco, California; with his father's firm in San Francisco, California, partner in 1911, became shop superintendent and owner/manager of firm; retired 1977; died November 1, 1979.

Sources:

• Louis J. Schoenstein, Memoirs of a San Francisco Organ Builder (San Francisco: Cue Publications, 1977) 491.
• Elizabeth Towne Schmitt.
• Obituary "Erwin A. Schoenstein", The Tracker 24:2 (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1980), 22.