Schoenstein and Company Pipe Organ Factory
Why it's listed
Built in 1928 at 3101 20th Street in San Francisco, this three-story wood-frame building was designed specifically for making pipe organs. Stucco-covered street sides with tan paint and green trim give it a California-Spanish look, while steel factory windows mark the workshop bays. Offices, a studio, two heavy fabrication shops, a lighter shop and a tall erecting room for assembling and testing organs fill the interior. It houses Schoenstein & Co., founded in 1877 by Felix F. Schoenstein and described as the third oldest organ building firm in the United States. The company has built or restored organs for churches, universities and municipal buildings across the West. Louis Schoenstein oversaw the factory's planning and construction. The building has changed little since 1928, and the studio retains its original furnishings, including a small organ used for early radio broadcasts. Company archives date from 1877. The factory was valued as a rare surviving small, efficient, single-purpose industrial building and as a record of 1920s industry.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the few American factories designed and built solely for pipe organ construction, and home to the third oldest organ building firm in the United States, founded in 1877. It is also cited as a well-preserved small, single-purpose factory, nearly unaltered since 1928, with original studio fixtures and company archives dating from 1877.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000759, listed November 14, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3101 20th St., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | November 14, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000759 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; contractors Mager Brothers |
| Architectural style | California-Spanish |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as an organ factory; described as extraordinarily well preserved with no alterations since 1928 except one interior room. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.75916, -122.41189 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000759.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q133483410
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.