Businessman. He was the founder of the W.W. Kimball and Company that manufactured pianos and organs from the late 19th century until February 1996. He moved from Maine to Decorah, Iowa while in his mid-20s, and became a real estate broker. He liquidated his investments just before the Panic of 1857 and moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he founded the Kimball Piano Company. He originally sold pianos that were manufactured in the east and shipped to his store. His business was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871; he regrouped afterwards and decided to build his own pianos and organs to make them more affordable. In 1881 he opened his own factory and began producing around 100 pianos and organs every week. His pianos were especially popular with the huge numbers of German and Scandinavian immigrants flooding into Chicago. He died at the age of 76. His mansion in Chicago was added to the National Register of Historic Places in December 1971 and now serves as the headquarters for the US Soccer Federation.
Businessman. He was the founder of the W.W. Kimball and Company that manufactured pianos and organs from the late 19th century until February 1996. He moved from Maine to Decorah, Iowa while in his mid-20s, and became a real estate broker. He liquidated his investments just before the Panic of 1857 and moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he founded the Kimball Piano Company. He originally sold pianos that were manufactured in the east and shipped to his store. His business was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871; he regrouped afterwards and decided to build his own pianos and organs to make them more affordable. In 1881 he opened his own factory and began producing around 100 pianos and organs every week. His pianos were especially popular with the huge numbers of German and Scandinavian immigrants flooding into Chicago. He died at the age of 76. His mansion in Chicago was added to the National Register of Historic Places in December 1971 and now serves as the headquarters for the US Soccer Federation.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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