The Chickering piano company was established in 1823 by Jonas Chickering and James Stewart. It was the first piano company in the United States. The factory was located on Tremont St. in Boston, MA. Chickering took painstaking care down to the smallest detail which assured the Chickering piano the place of honor in the first ranks at the World’s Fair in London in 1851. The Chickering factory burned in 1852 but a new better facility was built. Also, in 1852 Jonas brought his 3 sons into the company and the name became Chickering & Sons. Many piano companies have had family owners who were craftsmen that brought tradition and expert innvention throughout their history.
Jonas Chickering died in 1853 and the 3 sons Frank, Thomas & George continued with the business. Chickering had over 100 employee’s in different departments. Each person would have a specific task in which to specialize, enabling uniformity in the manufacturing process. Chickering was also the first exporter of American made pianos. In 1908 Chickering joined the American Piano Company due to the financial crises of the 1890’s but still continued to maintain the high quality of piano manufacturing it was known for.
Chickering Piano Factory
Chickering Advertisement
Here are some photos of a nice Chickering grand that we restored this year.