Friedrich was founded in 1883 in San Antonio, Texas by Ed Friedrich. Friedrich was a craftsman who designed furniture from the horns of longhorn cattle and later produced other handcrafted products like store fixtures, wood billiard tables and fine, carved cabinetry.
By 1950 Friedrich had become one of the world's largest manufacturers of commercial refrigeration equipment. To capitalize on its reputation as an industry leader, the company expanded into room air conditioners. The first 500 floating air window units came off the assembly line in 1952 and sales began to climb. Decades later, Friedrich is one of the most recognized room air conditioning brands, known for commercial grade durability and energy efficiency.