A little-known piece of the history of Friedrich Air Conditioning Co. is that the family started out fashioning furniture from the horns of longhorn cattle, utilizing the curves of the horns to form chairs and settees.Collections of the Friedrich longhorn furniture are housed in the San Antonio Museum of Art and the historic Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. Started by Ed Friedrich's brother, Albert, the Buckhorn Saloon was frequented in its hey day by such notables as Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.

Other interesting facts of the company's long history:
When Ed Friedrich started his business in 1883, he produced several handcrafted products including store fixtures, wood billiard tables and fine-carved cabinetry. Eventually, these products were phased out, allowing for emphasis on refrigeration.

At the time, ice was a big commodity used for preserving food. To get the most out of each block of ice, Ed Friedrich developed innovative products which were the forerunners of today's refrigeration systems.

Salt brine freezer cases employed the natural cooling properties of salt to provide lower temperatures. Bunker-type refrigerators improved product display by concealing the ice from view in side compartments. After the industry had utilized every method of extracting the BTU of cooling from ice, it became obvious that there was a need for some type of mechanical refrigeration. When Ed's sons, George and Richard joined the family business, the Friedrich plant was located on Cherry Street. After a fire in 1923, the Friedrich business was relocated to East Commerce Street.

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