This is the second installment of the discussion of furniture of the American Arts & Crafts Movement. Each of the following pieces was designed by Gustav Stickley.

This beautiful piece of furniture has very clean lines. Again we see a conveyance of solidity and durability. The grain visible in the wood contributes a homemade look, while the smoothness of the edges and the curves demonstrate master craftsmanship. Additionally, the geometric arrangement of the drawers is not only symmetric, but useful for all sorts of storage.

Like the chest of drawers above, these two cabinets are very sturdy, a fact emphasized by their rectangular frames. The grids of support running through them are evident from top to bottom. In true Craftsman style, these items find beauty not in intricate carving or detailed glass, but in their stolid elegance.

These three lamps show a large amount of variation. The first has a wooden frame, clearly similar in style to the furniture pieces we’ve looked at so far. The second introduces the use of metal and glass, but keeps the square geometric design principle. Though the glass detail is somewhat fancier than typical Craftsman style, the overall sturdiness, as well as the earth tones, are fairly typical. The third lamp makes heavy use of metal, which although uncommon in furniture pieces of the time, was often used in light fixtures and other appliances in this style. Craftsman influence in this lamp can be seen in its symmetry, simplicity, and sturdiness.

The American Craftsman style, founded by Gustav Stickley, was characterized by plain, solid design. Its pieces were often wooden and rather rustic, but also modern in the sense that they were machine carved and sanded to be smooth, with straight, flat edges. There was a sense of firmness and reliability about them. The Craftsman movement emphasized order, simplicity, strength, dignity, and quality. A Craftsman piece was valuable because it was functional and durable. The movement also placed value on collaboration, individual design, and hard work – all traditional American ideals that in some ways had been lost in the Industrial Revolution.

Gustav Stickley designed many pieces of furniture in this style, including chairs, tables, sideboards, bookcases, chests of drawers, and more. A number of examples are discussed below:

These solid-looking chairs are made completely of wood. Their pieces are straight and thick; overall they appear very sturdy and symmetrical. Though perhaps a bit blocky, their simplicity and strength give them a certain elegance, as do the quality of the wood used.

Similarly, this table is very simply made, but also very durable. With four thick legs connected by horizontal struts near the base, this piece isn’t going to topple over or come apart. The neatly polished and rounded tabletop is no fancier than needed, but still demonstrates superior skill in its design and construction.

More American Craftsman pieces will be discussed in part 2!

Gustav Stickley’s most famous work is Craftsman Farms. This estate not only represented the embodiment of Stickley’s signature American Craftsman style, but was also intended as a platform from which to begin his dream of a utopian community.

In 1908, Stickley’s design company and his magazine were flourishing as the American Arts & Crafts movement was in full swing. He acquired 650 acres of undeveloped land in New Jersey and began designing, then building a community which could be completely self-sufficient. The first building was to be a boys’ school; Stickley would live in a separate house which he designed to be ideal for his use. Unfortunately, his idea generated little interest, and in 1911 he modified the school building to accommodate his family. A few other farm buildings were constructed and the Stickleys lived at Craftsman Farms until Gustav sold the place when he filed for bankruptcy in 1917 as his American Craftsman style lost popularity. The farm was purchased by another family, who eventually sold all but 27 acres of the property. Eventually the remaining land, including the home building, was purchased by the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, which was able to preserve it by converting it to a museum and registering it as a National Historic Site.

The original home building is a splendid example of the American Craftsman Style. On the exterior, it is a log cabin with magnificent stone chimneys and white-shuttered windows. In keeping with this style, the roof is extensive and comes low to the ground despite the building having two stories. A key aspect of Stickley’s utopian idea was relying only on local resources to achieve true self-sufficiency. To achieve this, all the materials used in the house – the logs and the stones – were gathered from the 650-acre property.

The home’s interior is filled with more of Stickley’s work. Every bit of furnishing, from beds to cabinets to tables, is done in his style. Even items like lanterns and rugs and pillowcases, though not technically furniture, were done in the same style – Stickley owned four factories and had dozens of options at his disposal.

While Stickley’s dream never became a reality, his work did have a profound impact on American architecture. His legacy lives on through the buildings and furniture he designed, and his innovative ideas about self-sufficiency are invaluable as the need for conservation continues to grow.

The Upper House is the second building on the Gladstone Houses property designed by Gustav Stickley. Like its lower counterpart, this building was designed and built in the early 1900s in Northern California as a part of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. Its original occupant was the superintendent of the adjoining Gladstone Mine. Both Gladstone houses were split from the mine and sold in the 1950s.

The Upper House is built upon a pinnacle of rock above Cline’s Gulch. It is square at the base and is slightly smaller than than the Lower House, by about 400 square feet. It is one and a half stories high and has a recessed front porch which parallels the entire front side of the house. Like the lower house, its exterior is shingled in red cedar. Its windows are large and set in groups of three; the doors contain glass panes as well. The interior is predominantly Craftsman-style woodwork, which can be seen in the rafters, floors, and cabinets. Also like the Lower House, Upper House contains four upstairs bedrooms, keeping the downstairs much more open.

I was unable to find any pictures of the Upper House. After its addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, its owner planned to use it as a bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, this piece of history burned to the ground in 1996.

One of Gustav Stickley’s design projects in the early 1900’s was the Gladstone Houses. This two-building project is located in northern California on a property connected with the Gladstone Mine, in a steep canyon called Cline’s Gulch. The property has been given designation on the National Registry of Historic Places for its significance as a shining example of the American Craftsman style.

The larger of the two buildings on the property is called the Lower Mansion (or Lower House) and was built for the owner of the mine. It is two stories high and adjoins a steep hill; a hand-erected stone retaining wall was implemented to provide a firmer foundation. The house is L-shaped and covered in redwood shingles with large windows and fireplaces. Stickley’s Arts and Crafts style is prevalent throughout and can be seen in particular in the woodwork, including doors, light fixtures, and furniture. The house contains seven downstairs rooms and four upstairs bedrooms, plus a sunroom and a small balcony above the porch.

I was unable to find any pictures of the Lower Mansion, or of the Gladstone Houses site in general. The three acres containing the houses were sold separately from the mine and have not been developed further. The property now has a private owner who resides in the Lower Mansion.

Architect Gustav Stickley was the founder of the American Craftsman design style, which began to develop around 1900. Stickley not only designed buildings, but furniture and other interior pieces as well. This blog entry is the first of a series of six on Stickley’s design work.

From 1900 to 1905, Gustav Stickley lived in Syracuse, New York. Though he was not the original designer of his house, Stickley redesigned the entire interior himself. This became one of the first instances of the style which was to become his signature.

Today, the Gustav Stickley House is preserved by the National Register of Historic Places, and is periodically repaired and restored to ensure its survival.

Realizing his potential as a furniture designer, Gustav Stickley founded a furniture design and production company called United Crafts through which he began to market his designs, and at the same time created a popular magazine, The Craftsman, which highlighted his work. This ignited the Arts and Crafts Movement in America. Some of Stickley’s most influential designs will be explored in more detail in subsequent posts.

Cliff Palace is perhaps the most unique building I’ve written about. It is located in present-day Mesa Verde National Park, just outside Mancos, CO. Cliff Palace was built, used, and subsequently abandoned over 700 years ago by an ancient North American tribal people called the Ancestral Puebloans. The largest cliff dwelling in North America, it originally consisted of over 150 rooms, all sharing walls, to create a large community dwelling. The structures are made from sandstone, supported by wooden beams and held together with mortar made from ash, water, and earth. Small stones fill in the gaps. In addition to the above-ground rooms, there are 23 pit rooms called kivas. The entire structure is built beneath an overhanging cliff to provide shelter from the elements, hence the name Cliff Palace.

My grandmother lives in Mancos. In visiting her, I have visited Mesa Verde and Cliff Palace on several occasions. Each visit to this historic building has given me a greater appreciation for ancient architecture. It fascinates me to see the use of various natural materials, the flawless construction without the use of modern tools, and the number of buildings still standing after 700 years. Even though much of the palace has fallen into ruin, many buildings still remain, proudly defying the wind and rain, a testament to a mighty tribe which once dwelt in these cliffs.

Growing up outside of Dallas, TX, the city skyline was always a familiar sight. My favorite skyscraper is Reunion Tower, or “The Ball” – a huge sphere atop four concrete pillars. Completed in 1978, the tower is connected to the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It rises to a height of 561 feet. The spherical top section rotates as though on a vertical axis, affording 360-degree views of Dallas. Within this part of the tower are three floors containing restaurants, clubs, and other catered venues. The exterior of the ball is mostly glass and is covered in a metal mesh frame. 259 evenly-spaced LEDs are attached to this frame and can individually be controlled to create different colors and patterns.

I visited Reunion Tower once and was very impressed. Even the elevator has glass walls from which the city can be seen dropping away during the ascent of over a minute. The incredible view from the top of the entire layout of the city appealed to my love for geography. Buildings I knew and roads I had driven were laid out in a real-life map. Watching the tiny cars race about to wherever they were going, I felt like I owned the city. I can’t wait to visit similar towers in the future.

The Bizzell Library is the most elaborate and iconic building on the OU campus. It was built in 1928, with additions completed in 1958 and 1982. Featuring the incredible great reading room, five stories of shelves, a rare book collection, study areas, and more, the library is a favorite study place of many students on campus, including myself. The exterior is elaborate Cherokee Gothic architecture: castle-like towers and walltops, tall windows, elaborate detailing.

The interior is equally majestic. The main entrance greets you with the smell of books and old wood. Ascending the stairs to either side, you find yourself in a beautiful hallway from which two sets of huge double doors lead to the great reading room. When I first walked into this room as a freshman, I felt as if I were walking into the great hall of a castle. The ceiling, already high at the edges of the room, rises toward the center, supported by large wooden beams. Long lights reminiscent of canvas-clothed lanterns hang from those beams. Three of the great reading room’s walls are also exterior walls, and each of these is literally half windows – large, tall windows which run nearly the entire height of the room. Every bit of wall space not taken up by windows is bookcases filled to the brim with books. Long tables fill the room’s interior. No talking is permitted in the great reading room; when walking in, you get the sense you’re living in a much older century.

No account of Bizzell would be complete without mention of the canyon garden, a 2-story architectural masterpiece visible from ground level but only accessible from the second basement. This secluded, oft-forgotten garden contains only plants native to Oklahoma. All kinds of flora flourish here, from trees and ivies which grow more than thirty feet to the top of the walls to small bushes and flowers. The narrow red brick walls ensure the garden is shaded for most of the day. I have spent many spring afternoons here reading or doing homework in the peace and quiet, away from the noise and business of the rest of the campus. Unique features such as this are what make buildings like the Bizzell Memorial Library so impressive and memorable.

OU’s football team certainly wasn’t the main reason I chose this school, but as a sports lover, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t influence my decision a little bit. My senior year of high school, OU defeated Alabama. The next fall I went to my first game at Gaylord Memorial Stadium and I was blown away by the atmosphere. It is the stadium’s design, in both functionality and beauty, which makes the games so incredible. There is truly nothing like standing with thousands of other students and yelling at the top of your lungs as the home team scores the winning touchdown and fireworks illuminate the entire bowl.

The stadium was first built in 1925 with seats only on the west side. East side seating was added in 1929, and the north side was enclosed in 1949. Later, seats were added to the south side, and by 1975 the west side had an upper deck.

The early 2000s saw the addition of an east side upper deck, and the whole stadium was given an overhaul, including a cherokee gothic exterior. Construction began last year to fill in the south side of the stadium.

Like the reputation of the football team which plays within its walls, the “Palace on the Prairie” stands firm and tall and beautiful – a stronghold against opposition and a home to every Sooner.