Dining Room – July 31, 2020

by | Aug 14, 2020 | Stickley Stories

Gustav Stickley referred to the dining room in the November 1905 edition of The Craftsman as “the center of hospitality and good cheer.” The dining room and Inglenook in the Columbus Avenue home have largely remained the same since the time of his ownership (1900-1911). We are very fortunate that an actual photograph of the space from this time still exists in the collection of the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.  In fact, it is the only known photograph of the interior. In addition, their are other clues of the room, its layout and furnishings from Samuel Howe’s article “A Visit to the house of Mr. Stickley” published in the December 1902 Craftsman. His article included several artistic renderings of the home in its Arts & Crafts style.

photo credit: Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

The Craftsman: Vol. III, No. 3

In the photograph you can clearly see several important and identifiable early Stickley furniture pieces. They include the dining table which is actually Directors Table #935, seven of the eight leather upholstered Dining Chairs #355 and #355-A and a large Settle in the Inglenook, similar to #196 but with butterfly joints. In addition there are two pieces unique to the home and family. A two-doored bookcase visible to the right in the Inglenook and the massive Sideboard in the Dining Room, left of the dining table. Descendants of Gustav Stickley have shared stories of using the Sideboard as a favorite hiding place during games of Hide and Seek.
The Sideboard gained national and international attention when auctioned at Christie’s in 1988. Purchased by Barbra Streisand for her personal collection, this piece and its sale helped advance a renewed interest in the Arts & Crafts Movement.  In 1999, the Columbus Avenue Sideboard was sold again at auction and is now part of the Two Red Roses Foundation collection. The foundation is completing its eagerly awaited Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida. We are also fortunate that the Stickley Audi Company has a reproduction of the Sideboard that will become part of the Columbus Avenue collection when restoration of the home is complete and the new historic house museum and guest house open to the public.
Below are contemporary images of some of the pieces.
Above (L-R)
– Columbus Avenue Sideboard, photo credit: Two Red Roses Foundation
– Columbus Avenue Dining Room table and chairs. Private collection
Below (L-R)
– Columbus Avenue Settle with butterfly joint detail. On loan to the Onondaga Historical Association from The Stickley Museum at       Craftsman Farms. Currently on display.
– Original Columbus Avenue Two-Door Bookcase. From the Estate of Ben Wiles, grandson of Gustav Stickley. Currently on display at           the Onondaga Historical Association.