[originally posted July 2023]
Last summer, this blog offered our readers a travel guide to the many Stickley-related sites you can visit around Upstate New York. Now we’re expanding our reach, highlighting a few key historic locations and businesses around the country that provide great opportunities to experience Stickley and other Arts and Crafts masterworks. If you’re planning to be in their vicinity, be sure to add these amazing destinations to your itinerary!
Photo by Alexander VertikoffThe Gamble House – Pasadena, California
In early 20th-century Southern California, the architectural firm of Greene & Greene (brothers Charles and Henry) established their own West Coast interpretation of Arts and Crafts style and made their reputation as creators of extraordinary homes. Furnishings were often of their own design, but they also relied heavily on Stickley “for appropriately solid, handsome furniture with high integrity of design and construction that reflected the values on which the houses were built,” according to Jennifer Trotoux of the Gamble House Conservancy.
The Gamble House in Pasadena, the most celebrated example of Greene & Greene’s work, features Stickley among its original furnishings, including an antique Harvey Ellis chest (the model that inspired our current Nine-Drawer Chest). Ms. Trotoux points out the exciting variety of pieces that await visitors: “Aside from the chance to see period Stickley pieces in a spectacular Arts and Crafts setting, our visitors see some of the original works by Greene & Greene that directly inspired many of the pieces and details in the contemporary Pasadena Bungalow line.”
PLAN YOUR VISIT
The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91103
Open Tuesday and Thursday – Sunday, 10am to 4pm (last tour at 3pm)
The Lodge at Torrey Pines – La Jolla, California
When you hear the name Torrey Pines, you may think first of the spectacular cliff-top golf course above the Pacific that features prominently on the PGA tour. But did you know that adjacent to the course you’ll find The Lodge at Torrey Pines, a luxury resort that’s a dream destination for a Stickley lover? This impressive hotel near the San Diego coast is generously furnished with Stickley as well as other Arts and Crafts furnishings and décor, from its common areas to its gorgeous guestrooms and suites.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037
Open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day
https://www.lodgetorreypines.com
The Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement – St. Petersburg, Florida
America’s newest Arts and Crafts destination opened in September 2021 in St. Petersburg’s waterfront arts district. The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement is the world’s only museum dedicated solely to this specific artistic philosophy. Founded by local philanthropist and collector Rudy Ciccarello, this expansive five-story space showcases the best in Arts and Crafts furniture, pottery, textiles, fine arts, and more from such essential creators as the Roycrofters, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Grueby, Greene & Greene, and of course Gustav Stickley.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
MAACM, 355 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Tuesday – Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm
Riordan Mansion State Historic Park – Flagstaff, Arizona
The duplex-style Riordan Mansion, a Craftsman gem designed by Charles Whittlesey, was built in 1904 to house two families of the local Riordan logging empire. Along with fine Craftsman architectural details like hand-split wooden shingles and stone arches, the conjoined houses include 40 rooms decorated in American Arts and Crafts style. The collection features Gustav Stickley furnishings dating from 1904, including five Harvey Ellis pieces with his signature inlay, as well as nine pieces from L. & J.G. Stickley. Rooms are preserved largely in their original states and can be experienced through daily guided tours.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, 409 W. Riordan Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Daily 9:30am to 5pm (guided tours hourly beginning at 10am, reservations recommended)
https://azstateparks.com/riordan-mansion
The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms – Morris Plains, New Jersey
Craftsman Farms is an especially meaningful historic site as it belonged to Gustav Stickley himself. After Stickley moved his business from Syracuse to New York City in 1905, he bought land in rural New Jersey to build a country home and set up a farm school for boys. Though the school plans were never realized, the estate did become a working farm and home to Gustav and his family for several years until bankruptcy forced its sale. Today, the 30-acre site is a National Historic Landmark and museum that “still reflects the simplicity, integrity, and harmony with nature that he saw as an antidote to modern life.”
PLAN YOUR VISIT
The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, 2352 State Route 10, Morris Plains, NJ 07950
Tours by appointment only
Additional sources:
Robert Arends, Media Relations Manager, The Lodge at Torrey Pines
Andrea Morgan, Director of Operations, Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
Parker Sanchez, Manager of Membership & Visitor Services, The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms
Sheryl Scott, Director of Communications and Operations, The Gamble House Conservancy
Michelle Thompson, Chief of Communications/PIO, Arizona State Parks & Trails
Jennifer Trotoux, Director of Collections and Interpretation, The Gamble House Conservancy
Images courtesy of The Gamble House Conservancy, The Lodge at Torrey Pines (Evans Hotels), The Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, Arizona State Parks & Trails, The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms.
