Mid-Century Modern Credenza Gershun American of Martinsville’s Urban Suburban

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Mid-Century Modern Credenza Gershun American of Martinsville’s Urban Suburban

About the Item

Handsome Mid-Century Modern nine-drawer dresser or credenza designed by Merton Gershun for his Urban Suburban line for American of Martinsville. It is in wonderful vintage condition. We have restored the cabinet top but there is still a nice age patina to the complete dresser including small nicks and dings but nothing outstanding. Please see photos, circa 1960s. This is the first time I have seen this line from designer Merton Gershun for American of Martinsville in person. And it has, as they say, blown me away! Not much is known about Merton Gershun but the glory of his many marvelous designs for American of Martinsville. This line is called Urban Suburban and was produced in the 1960s, but you would never know its age by its timeless design. It is the epitome of a perfect piece of furniture to me. I adore its clean straight lines and symmetry and the combination of light maple and dark walnut woods. The dark walnut and aluminum tailored handles are truly pieces of jewelry for the nine drawers which are recessed inside the cabinet top and sides. This sleek light maple chest sets on gorgeous sinuous legs and stretchers of dark walnut. Simply spectacular! Plus, it has storage galore!! Not much was available online about Merton Gershun but his designs for American of Martinsville are incredible and speak to his talent as a furniture designer. He was born August 7, 1909 and passed on January 3, 1989. It seems he spent the entirety of his career designing for American of Martinsville. Although not as currently well-known as other Mid-Century Modern designers, I feel his time is coming. American of Martinsville was established in 1906 in Martinsville, Virginia by tobacco manufacturers, Ancil Witten and Charles Keesee. Early on they produced only bedroom furniture. In the 1920s they expanded their production to include dining room furniture and by the end of the 1950s was vast in their offerings in purpose and style. With the expansion of travel and roadside motels, they began offering a mass-produced line for the many motels popping up across the country and continued this through the end of the 20th century. In 2000 they were acquired by La-Z-Boy Incorporated and today specialize in furniture for the hotel and healthcare industries. This could easily be used as a credenza in an entry, a dresser in a bedroom, a console in a living room, or a buffet in a dining room. Just choose where you need it and make it yours! Measures: Cabinet: • O/A height 29.5 inches • Height of chest only 23.5 inches • Width 62 inches • Depth 19 inches • Size of base 6 x 54 x 16 inches • Weight 145 pounds Crated size: • Height 36 inches. • Width 68 inches • Depth 25 inches • Weight 275 pounds.

Creator:
American of Martinsville (Maker),Merton Gershun (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 62 in (157.48 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Aluminum,Maple,Walnut
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1960s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. It is in wonderful vintage condition. We have restored the cabinet top but there is still a nice age patina to the complete dresser including small nicks and dings but nothing outstanding. Please see photos.
Seller Location:
Topeka, KS
Reference Number:
Seller: 414-CSG-1161stDibs: LU1873318335002

Shop All Merton Gershun

Merton Gershun

In as early as the 1920s, American furniture designer Merton Gershun created popular bedroom suites and more for the likes of Shelbyville, Indiana’s Albert Distinctive Modern Furniture Company. Later, he partnered with Dillingham Manufacturing, which had offices in Wisconsin and Mississippi and collaborated with the likes of Arthur Umanoff and Pierre Cardin. The world’s growing population of mid-century modern furniture devotees, however, know Gershun as having been American of Martinsville’s most prolific designer. Vintage Merton Gershun dressers, side tables, bed frames and other pieces are widely collected today.

Founded in the early 1900s by former tobacco producers, American of Martinsville eventually became one of the best known furniture manufacturers in the United States. Besides quality manufacturing, American of Martinsville is additionally recognized for having incorporated the day's trends in its designs. Inspired by designers like George Nakashima and Paul Laszlo, the brand was also known for innovations with wood.

Working with walnut and ebonized mahogany — and integrating decorative flourishes such as brass drawer pulls into his dressers and cane door fronts on his cabinets — Gershun designed numerous furniture lines for the company, including Dilettante, Fortissimo and others. The designer’s Dania collection, with its sleek walnut credenzas fitted with stylish brass accents and large drawers, has enjoyed popularity all over the world.

Gershun was passionate about bringing stylish pieces to American families but was also focused on affordability. His Harlequin line for American of Martinsville — the print ads for which read “SCULPTURED” and “BUDGET-PRICED” in bolded all-caps text — included bedroom and dining room furnishings in solid walnut. For Dillingham, Gershun designed the similarly well-received Esprit and Samara lines as well as other collections.

Gershun was particularly interested in creating furniture for small spaces and for postwar homeowners on a modest budget. He was a big proponent of incorporating international influences into his designs — he drew inspiration from Asia and created chinoiserie-style dressers in bleached walnut supported by ebonized wood bases. To Gershun, modern design was more than clean lines and sharp angles: it was about utility as well as beauty.

Find vintage Merton Gershun case pieces, tables, bedroom furniture and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Shop All American of Martinsville

American of Martinsville

American of Martinsville is today revered as one of the finest manufacturers of mid-century modern furniture in the United States, but its beginnings were unexpectedly humble.

Well ahead of the Civil War, tobacco was a cash crop in places such as Virginia, and the plant was grown with frequency on farms in Martinsville and elsewhere. In the early 1900s, the business around tobacco was changing and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was expanding nationally, buying any Virginia factories in reach. Former tobacco producers Ancil Witten and Charles Keesee turned away from the business in 1906 and, with merely $30,000 in capital (and the support of local business leaders), began to manufacture bedroom furniture under the name American Furniture Company.

In the 1920s, American Furniture Company expanded its offerings from bedroom furnishings. Alongside tallboy dressers and nightstands, Witten and Keesee’s outfit began to offer a range of dining-room sets to the discerning customer. By the 1950s, the name had been changed to American of Martinsville and the brand had gained a reputation for exquisite craftsmanship as well as its variety of furniture styles (Hollywood Regency, chinoiserie). Mass-marketed furniture meant big business in the postwar years and throughout the 20th century in Virginia, and factories owned by companies like Bassett Furniture and American of Martinsville remained busy as suburbanites bought furniture to fill the homes they were moving into.

It isn’t difficult to spot American of Martinsville’s sturdy, solid designs — the lacquered walnut nightstands, mahogany coffee tables and more have long earned the admiration of mid-century modernism enthusiasts. The company’s high profile also owes to prominent attributes that distinguish its well-made vintage furniture, such as the use of wooden slats — inspired by Scandinavian modernism — on hutches and cabinet doors, the famous brass x’s inlaid on the tops of tables and dressers and the stately stacked type of the American of Martinsville logo, which usually appears in drawer interiors. The stamp prominently features an eagle perched atop the lettering, its broad wings spread across the “American” portion.

Besides quality manufacturing, American of Martinsville is additionally recognized for having incorporated the trends of the day. Inspired by designers like George Nakashima and Paul Laszlo, the brand was also known for innovations with wood. Merton Gershun was one of the company’s most prolific designers, and he was responsible for some of its most successful modern furniture lines using the richer, darker woods that would become emblematic of mid-century furniture. Gershun’s most popular line was reportedly Dania, with its sleek walnut credenzas fitted with stylish brass accents and large drawers. Today, American of Martinsville specializes in furniture for the healthcare and hospitality industries.

Shop a wide selection of vintage American of Martinsville mid-century modern sideboards, side tables and more on 1stDibs.