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Antique Kittinger Jacobean Spanish Revival American Walnut Carved Secretary Desk

About the Item

Extremely rare one of a kind early Kittinger Jacobean Revival fall front secretary writing desk. Made from American walnut with a carved and paneled front featuring a floral motif over diamond patterned lower doors. The secretary opens via lock to a central drawer beneath a cubby flanked by shelves and pigeon holes. Lower cabinet opens to an interior storage space. Lower doors are scrolled and centered by an acorn turned drop finial. The case is supported by jointed and turned legs. The secretaries quaint form make it perfect for any space. Tagged along the back side "Kittinger Buffalo Furniture Worth While Since 1866" Construction Top and Sides : Solid American Walnut Legs, Rails and Stretchers : Solid American Walnut Desk Partitions and Shelves : Solid American Walnut Drawer Fronts : Solid American Walnut Drawer Interiors : Quartered White Oak For over 150 years, The Kittinger Furniture Company has set an unparalleled standard among manufacturers of fine furniture. Established in 1866 - one year after peace between the North and the South was restored - America held a wealth of natural resources, a burgeoning free-trade market, and a massive Western Frontier waiting to be developed. Industrial entrepreneurs were filled with high hopes and magnificent expectations. George and Oliver Colie were such entrepreneurs. ?The Colies' opened a paper factory in the bustling Great Lakes port city of Buffalo, NY. Soon thereafter, they also began to manufacture upholstered furniture and that business boomed. In 1885 they opened a furniture plant that produced beautiful hand-crafted furniture in classic 18th century styles. When George Colie's son-in-law, Irvine J. Kittinger, took the helm, The Kittinger Furniture Company was born. To Irvine Kittinger, quality was paramount. In 1966, the Kittinger family sold the company to General Interiors Corporation which began the era of """"revolving door""""ownership. 1975 - General Mills Corporation takes ownership 1975 - Kittinger purchases Biggs Furniture of Richmond, Virginia 1986 - Chicago-Pacific Corporation takes ownership 1988 - Maytag Corporation takes ownership 1989 - Ladd Furniture Corporation takes ownership 1990 - Michael Carlow, a private investor, takes ownership Although respect for the furniture industry varied by owners, the quality of Kittinger Furniture remained excellent and was always the pride of its skilled workers. Unfortunately, due to mismanagement and the legal issues of Michael Carlow, Kittinger Furniture was forced to close its iconic Elmwood Avenue factory and the companies assets were scheduled for auction. ?In 1996, Ray (a Master Cabinetmaker at Kittinger) and Karen Bialkowski purchased the Kittinger Furniture Company and all of its intellectual property. They quickly re-established the company and settled in a new factory in North Buffalo. Many of the original craftsman returned to work for the re-opened company. ?Since taking ownership, Ray and Karen have grown and expanded the Kittinger Furniture Company. In 2014, the Kittinger Furniture Company opened a new factory and headquarters where all furniture is still made to order by the hands of skilled craftsmen.

Creator:

Kittinger (Manufacturer)

Dimensions:

Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 45 in (114.3 cm)Depth: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)

Style:

Jacobean (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Oak,Walnut

Period:

Early 20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

Early 20th Century

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Good Antique Condition;Light use related wear. There is some finish loss on the writing surface as well as a burn mark/ softening to the wood on the front left side/ corner.

Seller Location:

Dayton, OH

Reference Number:

Seller: 373721stDibs: LU5343233635022

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Kittinger

Before it became a legendary American manufacturer of traditional furniture, Kittinger Furniture was a paper company called Thompson, Colie & Company (later to become Colie & Son), after its founders, Oliver and George Colie. The father-son entrepreneurs started a small business in 1866 manufacturing paper products and, subsequently, upholstered furniture in Buffalo, New York. Business for the latter was so successful that in order to keep up with demand, the Colies opened a second factory in 1885 that focused on handcrafted furniture designed in 18th-century styles.

Later, George Colie decided to sell his beloved company to his son-in-law, Irvine J. Kittinger Sr., and his brother, Ralph. They changed the name to the Kittinger Furniture Company in 1913. In 1929, the company’s sales exceeded $1 million, which allowed the brothers to expand far beyond Buffalo, opening showrooms in Chicago, Dallas and other cities across the United States, where they could present their expert reproductions of popular historic furniture styles for the home and office.

In 1937, Kittinger was granted an exclusive license to reproduce antique custom furniture for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The company manufactured Hepplewhite-style chests of drawers, mahogany Chippendale dressers, Asian-influenced mid-century modern marble-top coffee tables of ebonized wood and a variety of other pieces. The brand’s revered Mandarin line, a Hollywood Regency–style collection that debuted in the 1940s, included bedroom furnishings such as lacquered wood vanities, nightstands and more, each featuring prominent Greek key drawer pulls and decorative black trim.

Between the mid-1970s and 1990s, Kittinger Furniture changed hands frequently and even went out of business. In 1996, Raymond Bialkowski, a former master cabinetmaker for the company, and his wife, Karen, purchased the company and, along with some other former Kittinger craftsmen, began creating furniture under its name once again in north Buffalo. Over the years, Kittinger has produced furniture for the White House, including a handcrafted conference table and chairs for the Cabinet Room during President Nixon’s administration and chairs for the Roosevelt Room in 2016.

Today, the award-winning Kittinger Furniture continues to make historical and new custom handcrafted pieces of high quality.

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