The Greater Syracuse Land Bank and its project partner The Gustav Stickley House Foundation, have awarded a contract for the interior restoration of the Gustav Stickley House to Casper Construction and Preservation, LLC. This is the second phase of work to restore the former home of Gustav Stickley, located at 438 Columbus Avenue in Syracuse, NY. Phase One, which addressed the home’s exterior, was completed in 2018.
Casper Construction, a veteran-owned business based in Manlius, NY, will begin work this month with completion slated for the end of 2027. The design was created by Syracuse-based architects Crawford and Stearns, and focuses on the restoration, preservation, and adaptive reuse of the house to create a unique space for educational programming, community use, and overnight accommodation. In addition, construction will make the building ADA compliant, create a new public entrance, a working kitchen, a residential apartment, and all new HVAC, electrical and plumbing as well as required life-safety systems. “After meeting Mr. Casper and doing a thorough vetting process, we felt very comfortable with Casper and his capabilities to finish Phase Two in a professional and timely manner. We look forward to working with him to restore this important and historic interior,” said David Rudd, President of the Gustav Stickley House Foundation.
Gustav Stickley, one of the leading furniture designers and major proponent of the American Arts & Crafts Movement of the early 20th century, purchased the house in 1900, where he lived with his wife and children. In 1901, a fire on Christmas Eve caused extensive damage to the home. Stickley redesigned the interior of the home in the American Craftsman style. He owned the house from 1900 to 1911 and lived there again from 1919 to 1942. The home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is widely regarded as the first fully designed Craftsman interior in the country.
Funding for Phase Two includes grants from The National Park Service – Save America’s Treasures program, New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, NY State CREST Fund, Onondaga County, The City of Syracuse, The William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the J.M. McDonald Foundation. A public event will take place in October and more information will follow.
The Gustav Stickley House Foundation was formed to plan for and aid in the restoration, preservation and interpretation of the Gustav Stickley House and thereby make relevant the legacy, ideals and work of Gustav Stickley and the American Arts and Crafts Movement that helped guide social change beginning in the early 20th century.
###
