Valco Factory

 

Music Trades Guide to the Industry c.1959

About

Valco is one of the more interesting musical instrument manufacturers of the mid-1900s. They were formed by the merger of the National String Instrument Co and Dobro Corporation (which included former National employee and founder, John Dopyera) around 1940. In my opinion, their market share of affordable instruments was never quite at the tier of, fellow Chicago firms, Kay and Harmony but they still provided much needed competition and unique innovation. Their origins begin in a single-level brick building at the corner of Kilpatrick and Walton in Chicago.

4700 W Walton Street
Source: Google Maps

The building, previously occupied by a dairy, was a block away from the railroad and not far from major thoroughfares [1]. At various points in the 1940s, they also appeared to share the building with the National Association of Musical Merchandise Manufacturers (or NAMM) [2][3]. They occupied the building until, at least 1961, but likely up until 1963 or 64 when they began work on a new facility on Normandy Avenue [4]. 

A 1950s job ad for wood finishers
Image Source: Newspapers.com

A 1963 note in a construction trade magazine reveals that they began renovating a factory in the Montclare neighborhood of Chicago. The work was done by the Fitmore Construction Company [5].

2717 N. Normandy Ave
Image Source: Google Maps

I love these descriptions that are found in the Guide to the Music Trades periodicals. They contain some of the most complete information about a manufacturer that can be found. As mentioned in the fourth sentence of the first paragraph, Valco was seeking to move to new facilities in Arlington Heights at the address 523 Algonquin Road [6].

Guide to the Music Trades c.1966
Image Source: Music Trades Magazine Archive

But, in a strange twist, Valco purchased the struggling Kay Musical Instrument Company from the Seeburg Corporation and moved into their factory [7].a

Arlington Heights Daily Herald - 1967
Source: Newspaper Archive

By 1969, Valco had gone under and an auction was scheduled for early October to sell the entirety of the Kay-Valco factory. 

Auction
Image Source: Newspapers.com

Sources

[1] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Certified_List_of_Domestic_and_Foreign_C/K3EbAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%224700+w+walton%22&dq=%224700+w+walton%22&printsec=frontcover

[2] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Radio_and_Television/IhYnKGSOu3UC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%224700+w+walton%22&pg=PT1&printsec=frontcover
[3] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Electronics/33MjAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%224700+w+walton%22&pg=RA30-PP2&printsec=frontcover
[4] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Purchaser_s_Guide_to_the_Music_Indus/vOk9t-Tfz3YC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=4700+w+walton+valco&dq=4700+w+walton+valco&printsec=frontcover
[5] https://books.google.com/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=S4ogAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22valco+guitar+co%22&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=valco

[6] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Chicago_Cook_County_Illinois_Industrial/GWUnAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%222717+n+normandy%22&dq=%222717+n+normandy%22&printsec=frontcover
[7] https://www.snathanieladams.com/2019/08/identifying-and-dating-kay-guitars.html