These pianos were built overseas and bear little resemblance to the historic Chickering pianos. Wurlitzer and Baldwin also manufactured pianos utilizing the Chickering brand. In 1927 the Boston factory was closed and operations were moved to East Rochester, New York. Like many makers, the Chickering brand was bought by the American Piano Company in 1908 and later part of Aeolian when AMPICO and Aeolian merged. The Chickering & Sons company was taken over by Jonas’ sons after his death.
They were later surpassed by the man who first admired Chickering’s craftsmanship years before, as Henry Steinway’s company grew to become the predominant piano builder in the world. The Chickering piano company continued to have great success in the industry and during the middle portion of the 19 th century was the larger piano maker in the United States. Stewart & Chickering, Chickering & Mackeys, and Chickering & Sons were all titles to grace the various piano’s fallboards. During the golden age of piano manufacturing, it was a constant battle between companies, with constant invention and creation required to stay afloat. Chickering pianos were built under several names, as Jonas Chickering had multiple business partners. It is clear that their ability to innovate and advance during the early days of the piano industry contributed much to their growth and market dominance. His pianos were also among the first to be overstrung. This idea is still utilized today and its introduction allowed for greater string tension and much higher stability. Jonas Chickering died on December 8 th, 1853 leaving behind a legacy of quality, innovation, and over 12,000 pianos built.Ĭhickering was the first to introduce practical, one-piece, cast iron plates in pianos. Chickering quickly attempted to rebound and began construction of a new, state-of-the-art factory – one he would not live to see completed. Numerous tools, patterns, and a prototype for a new type of Grand Piano were all lost. Tragedy struck in 1852 when the Washington street factory burned to the ground. The outgoing and aggressive Mackay was a sea captain and he would assist in the export of the pianos and would return with rare rosewood and figured mahogany for use in Chickering’s piano building. His new partner at that time was John Mackay, however that partnership did not last long either as Mackay was lost at sea in early 1841. This left Chickering as the sole owner of the small piano manufacturing business.Ĭhickering built a new five-story piano factory along with a small concert venue on Washington Street in Boston.
The initial partnership with Stewart did not last long and after four years they dissolved their business connections. The Chickering company’s first year in business resulted in 15 pianos produced. This is where he met Osborn’s partner and his later business associate, James Stewart. Jonas Chickering’s initial experience was in cabinet making and he apprenticed for three years with master cabinet maker John Osborn. The Chickering & Sons piano company was founded in the year 1823 in Boston, Massachusetts by craftsman Jonas Chickering and his first business partner, James Stewart. Jonas Chickering The Founding of Chickering & Sons Pianos
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