The
Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply
Wurlitzer, was an American company started in
Cincinnati, Ohio in 1853 by German immigrant Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company originally imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments from Germany for resale in the U.S. Wurlitzer enjoyed initial success largely due to defense contracts to provide musical instruments to the U.S. military. In 1880 the company began manufacturing pianos. Eventually the company relocated to
North Tonawanda, New York and quickly expanded to make
band organs,
orchestrions,
nickelodeons and
pipe or
theatre organs popular in theatres during the days of silent movies.