Chickering & Sons

Chickering & Sons was a prominent American piano manufacturing company established in 1823 in Boston, Massachusetts by Jonas Chickering alongside James Stewart. Following the dissolution of the original partnership, Chickering joined forces with John Mackay, operating under the names "Chickering & Company" and subsequently "Chickering & Mackays" until 1841. The enterprise was reorganized as "Chickering & Sons" in 1853 and continued producing pianos until 1983.

History

The company employed a strategic approach involving illustrious endorsements; most notably, P.T. Barnum commissioned Chickering to create a bespoke grand piano for Swedish soprano Jenny Lind’s 1850 American concert tour, significantly boosting the brand’s national profile. This period also marked the arrival of Henry E. Steinway, who would become a key rival, impressed by Chickering’s superior craftsmanship.

A major disaster struck on December 1, 1852, when a fire devastated Chickering’s factory located at 336 Washington Street in Boston, resulting in loss of life and severe property damage. By 1854, the firm had constructed a state-of-the-art facility at 791 Tremont Street, which later accommodated the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company during the Civil War era. This building is recognized today as a historic landmark.

Jonas Chickering was an innovator whose technical advances fortified the company’s market position: he introduced the one-piece cast-iron frame that allowed for increased string tension in grand pianos and pioneered overstringing in square pianos—an arrangement where strings are layered in two banks to enhance soundboard vibration. These breakthroughs had a lasting impact on piano manufacturing practices globally.

By the mid-1800s, Chickering had become the largest piano producer in the United States, though it was eventually surpassed by Steinway during the 1860s. In acknowledgment of its musical contributions, Frank Chickering was awarded the Imperial Cross of the Legion of Honour by Emperor Napoleon III in 1867—one among more than 200 international accolades recognizing the company’s excellence.

In 1908, Chickering was incorporated into the American Piano Company (Ampico). After Ampico merged with Aeolian Company in 1932 to form Aeolian-American, the Chickering brand remained active until Aeolian-American ceased operations in 1985. Thereafter, the Chickering name was licensed to Wurlitzer and later to Baldwin Piano Company for continued piano production.

Recordings made with instruments by Chickering

Lambert Orkis. Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Selected Piano Music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, 1982. Performed on a Chickering concert grand piano (1865).
Dag Achatz. Franz Liszt. Franz Liszt played on Liszt's own piano. BIS. Recorded using Liszt's Chickering piano (1867).
Jenő Jandó. Franz Liszt. The Instruments of Liszt in the Budapest Liszt Ferenc Museum. Hungaroton. Played on Chickering pianos (1867 and 1879–1880), Bösendorfer, among others.
Artem Belogurov. Foote, Whiting, Paine, Chadwick, Nevin, Ruthven Lang. American Romantics: The Boston Scene. Piano Classics. Performed on a Chickering piano (1873).

Chickering Halls

Chickering & Sons developed and managed multiple concert venues in Boston and New York, strengthening its brand visibility:

Chickering's edifice in Boston, circa 1850s, located at 334 Washington Street
Chickering's Hall in Boston, active between 1860 and 1870, situated at 246 Washington Street
Chickering Hall, established in 1875 at 130 5th Avenue, New York City, designed by George B. Post; famously hosted Oscar Wilde’s inaugural American lecture in 1882 (no longer standing)
Chickering Hall in Boston, operational from 1883 to around 1894, found at 152 Tremont Street
Chickering Hall in Boston, existing circa 1901 to 1912, positioned on Huntington Avenue at the intersection with Massachusetts Avenue
Chickering Hall at 27 West 57th Street, New York City, completed in 1923 and designed by Cross & Cross

Images

References

External links

Chickering grand pianos – Photo archive
Boston Public Library. Image of the Chickering Piano Factory building, South End, Boston. Photograph by J.J. Hawes, late 19th century
Flickr.
- Photograph of Piano Factory, Tremont Street, Boston, 2011
- Photograph of Piano Factory, Tremont Street, Boston, 2010