Thurston House front parlour morning

The front parlour of Thurston House, our North Orlando Bed & Breakfast, is home to a beautiful 1858 Chickering Square Grand Piano. The Smithsonian Institution considers this exact model piano to be of such historical significance to include it in the museum’s “Piano 300” Exhibition now on display in Washington, D. C.
The Square Piano was the mainstay of the American home during the latter half of the 19th century, and the Chickering Company was at the very forefront of innovation at the time. Superior action design and the first patented use of the full iron frame provide this piece with tone quality and repetition speed unrivaled by most other manufacturers of this period. Brahms, Liszt, Strauss, and Tchaikovski were still composing in 1858, when this piano rolled out of Chickering’s Boston factory. Such Romantic era music can be faithfully reproduced on this period piano, and the cabinet beautifully reflects the early Victorian style.