History
Schickel Design is a third generation family-owned business. Founded by William Schickel in 1948, the business focused on liturgical design and artwork. After working for her father for many years, Martha Schickel Dorff took over ownership in 2000. Under her leadership, Schickel Design expanded its specialization into historic adaptive reuse residential projects, as well as experiential design for institutions. In 2019, Rebecca Dorff Cadena, Martha’s daughter, became the new owner of the business.
A multi-generational design firm.
Our Founder
William Schickel (1919-2009) was born in Stamford, Connecticut and raised in Ithaca, NY. In 1947, he married Mary Frei, daughter of renowned stained glass artist Emil Frei. Shortly after marrying, they moved to a farm in Loveland, OH where they raised twelve children, and William continued to grow his art and design business. You can learn more about William Schickel and see his artwork at William Schickel Gallery, owned and operated by Joe Schickel, William Schickel’s son and artistic executor.
We stand on the shoulders of our past.
J. William Schickel (great-great-grandfather to Rebecca Dorff Cadena) was born January 29, 1850 in Wiesbaden, Germany. In 1870, at the age of twenty, he emigrated to the United States, and the next day started his New York architectural career in the offices of the renowned Richard Morris Hunt. In 1885 he formed William Schickel & Company in association with Isaac E. Ditmars and Hugo Kafka. Norbert Schickel (great grandfather to Rebecca Dorff Cadena) was one of J. William Schickel’s eleven children. Taking a break from the family lineage of artists and architects, Norbert started Schickel Motor Co. in 1911 and unveiled his first motorcycle at the Chicago Motorcycle Show. His company started producing motorcycles in 1912 from Stamford, CT.
A small piece of a big tradition.
